Reshma Modi
Jane, despite her liberal feminist view, feels that freedom is all right for her, but not for the colonist. Furthermore, she sees herself as being better that the colonists. In that light, she unfortunately holds an extremely imperialist view of Bertha. Moreover, owing to Bertha's position as a Jane's rival for Mr. Rochester, Jane does not even support Bertha as another woman. Jane treats Bertha as a part of the colonial other, rather than as a fellow woman. Owing partly to their rivalry, and partly to her prejudiced view of the empire.
Literary critic Peter Grundin best describes the way in which
Jane's personality is at odds with the way in which she associates with
Bertha:
Even before she knows about Bertha, she is convinced that she is better than her. Despite the fact that Grace Poole is the one who stands in for Bertha, Jane: "Hastened to drive from my [Jane's] mind the hateful notion I had been conceiving respecting Grace Poole: it disgusted me. I compared my self with her, and found we were different. Bessie Leaven had said I was quite a lady; and she spoke the truth: I was a lady" (179; ch. 16). Not only does she consider herself better than Bertha she sees herself as better than anything that would put her in the stead of a colonial subject, rather than a British one. When Rochester says that she could replace the "grand Turk's whole seraglio; gazelle-eyes, houri forms and all" she feels that the "eastern allusion" bites and that she is much better than the seraglio, so he not to "consider me [Jane] an equivalent for one" (301-2; ch. 24). Obviously here Jane sees herself as being better than the customs of the east, for "with characteristic national pride, refers Rochester to the 'bazars of Stamboul' for such 'slave purchases'" (Perrera 80). Jane not only refuses to accept any roles or customs of the colonies, but she sees these people as below her. When she has her first encounter with Bertha, her description is one of a person with "'red eyes and fearful blackened inflation of lineaments'" (317; ch. 25). Furthermore, she finds that Bertha's skin was "purple: the lips were swelled and dark; the brow furrowed; the black eye-brows widely raised over the blood-shot eyes" (317; ch. 25). All these descriptions for Jane are "'fearful and ghastly" (317; ch. 25) and they remind her "'Of the foul German spectre-the Vampyre'" (317; ch. 25). Jane clearly does not accept Bertha as a normal human-being. Jane even further lowers Bertha's status after she finds out that she literally is the reason why her marriage to Rochester, her true love, is not possible. Upon being shown Bertha in the room, she describes Bertha by saying she could not tell if it was "beast or human being. . . [because] it grovelled seemingly, on all fours; it snatches and growled like some strange wild animal" (328; ch. 26). According to Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, "Bronte renders the human/animal frontier as acceptably indeterminate," by making Bertha into a "beast" (247). It is quite clear through her language towards the far east and far west that her "connection with Bertha [is] one of confrontation rather than affiliation" (Perrera 87).
In addition to the repeated references to Bertha as her rival, Jane on the whole is seen throughout the novel and the English ideal. Both Rochester's descriptions of her, and the repeated references to any foreign women are made in comparison to Jane. After she is married to Rochester, Jane discusses what happened to Adele by saying that "As she grew up a sound English education corrected in a great measure her French defects; and when she left school, I found in her a pleasing and obliging companion: docile good-tempered, and well-principled" (500; ch. 38). It can be seen in this passage that Jane, despite being Adele's teacher, did not see her fit to be a proper English girl, and certainly not worthy of her company until she had her "defects" corrected. Interestingly enough, when Adele is described by Jane the language is similar to that used about her by Mrs. Fairfax. Upon hearing of their engagement she says that she had at first been a little concerned about Jane, but she did not want to tell her anything that would "suggest even the possibility of wrong. I knew such an idea would shock, perhaps offend you; and you were so discreet, and so thoroughly modest and sensible" (297; ch. 24). Similarly, when Rochester tries to explain his numerous affairs, he says that he was only looking for what "suited" him-"'for the antipodes of the Creole'"(349; ch. 27). From that it can be inferred that, especially since he is trying to excuse his behavior towards her, that Jane would be the ideal opposite. Despite her good characteristics, and the way she is portrayed as an ideal Englishwoman "Jane still preserves her odd privilege, for she continues never quite doing the proper thing in its proper place" (Spivak 246). Most importantly, she never realizes Bertha as a fellow woman and person, therefore never really giving her the respect, or at the least the sympathy she deserves for her predicament.