Bertha Mason
Foil to Jane
Represent Jane's passion
Foreigner
Mental Pt
Language
Both marry Rochester - Bertha's relationship with Rochester does not work out, however Jane's does - as such she contrasts with Jane in her relationship with Rochester
Parallel to Jane
Passion - Jane has passion, but learns to control it, whereas Bertha does not learn to control passion
Appearance - Rochester himself makes very explicit comparisons between the two women's appearances: Compare these clear eyes with the red balls yonder—this face with that mask—this form with that bulk
Bertha can also be seen as a parallel character to Jane
Passionate - both women are shown to be very passionate; the only difference being that Jane learns to control her passion whereas Bertha does not, and lets her passion consume her
Both kind of oppressed by Rochester - Rochester tries to oppress and exert his will over both Jane and Bertha, and therefore they are parallel characters; he locks Bertha up, therefore oppressing her passion, and he tries to coerce Jane to become his mistress - difference is that Jane is able to resist this, whereas Bertha cannot
Bertha can be seen as a physical manifestation of Jane's inner demons and her passion
Bertha seems to 'act out' i.e set things on fire etc after Jane has been feeling upset - she sets Rochester's bed on fire when Jane is feeling ostracized and demeaned by Blanche etc, and she rips up Jane's wedding veil after Jane is feeling anxious about her wedding
As such, Bertha represents the parts of Jane that she must hide in order to conform to the strict Victorian standards of society
Bertha is shown to have to die in order for their relationship to work out, and this represents how Jane must repress these wild and savage parts of her nature in order to marry Rochester
The character of Bertha makes commentary on the treatment of mental patients at the time
Contextually, mental pts were not treated with compassion; they would be locked up in a mental asylum if found out
Therefore, the fact that Rochester keeps Bertha in the safety of his own house and employs a maid to look after her, and puts up with her arsonist attacks attacks against him, shows the goodness of his character - he could very well have given her in to a mental asylum, but he doesn't
Jane says: she cannot help being mad - showing a rather unusual sympathetic view towards mental pts at the time
Bertha's character can also be seen as a commentary on Britain's treatments of its colonies at a time when the British Empire was at its peak under the reign of Queen Victoria
She is presented as having dark skin and hailing from a tropical island, and yet is presented as mad, showing how Britons viewed foreigners at the time
she showed virile force in the contest - shows how she is not even like a woman
It snatched and growled like some strange wild animal, but it was covered with clothing, and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair, wild as a man, hid its head and face