Jane Eyre by Charlotte

157 ‘The first represented clouds low and livid, rolling over a swollen sea:’ – A return to the seascapes of Bewick’s British Birds which seem to epitomise Jane’s sense of isolation.

157 ‘a cormorant, dark and large, with wings flecked with foam; its beak held a gold bracelet set with gems’ – It would be dangerous to interpret these pictures with too great a degree of certainty, but the ‘cormorant’ here seems an ominous creature, and it has stolen away something bright and wonderful. Jane adds of the ‘bracelet’ that she has used ‘as brilliant tints as my palette could yield’ in its depiction, and so it may represent something of great value to her snatched away by the hand of fate.

157 ‘a drowned corpse glanced through the green water; a fair arm was the only limb clearly visible, whence the bracelet had been washed or torn.’ – Given Jane’s predilection for seascapes and wrecks, it is possible that the corpse represents her own self ‘drowning’ as a result of the loss of the ‘brilliant tints’ of her hope. The picture, therefore, is probably intended as a prolepsis of Jane’s sudden loss of Rochester on the day they attempt to marry.

157 ‘this vision of the Evening Star’ – This painting presents Jane’s isolation in much more positive terms. The Evening Star is nearly always seen alone, soon after sunset, but its uniqueness makes it all the more beautiful, and given that the ‘star’ is actually the planet Venus, it also has a romantic aspect. The Evening Star would normally be visible at exactly the time that Rochester meets Jane. Jane is frequently associated with the moon and this is also suggested in the description of the painting: ‘On the neck lay a pale reflection like moonlight.’ On the next page, Rochester refers to her thoughts in this piece as ‘elfish’ and he asks her of it ‘Where did you see Latmos? For that is Latmos.’ Latmos is the place where Endymion slept enchanted by the beauty of Selene, Goddess of the Moon . Rochester’s reference is, therefore, another subtle reference to his ‘enchantment’ by Jane as the mysterious moon creature that he loves. This portrait of Jane as elf queen, starlight and moonlight, embodies the metaphorical language with which Rochester expresses his love for her. Although it is Jane who has painted this picture, it is Rochester who has selected it from among numerous others. This, in itself, implies that he can bring out the very essence of what makes Jane unique and worthy of devoted love.