On page 214 Mr. Rochester says “Come, be silent, Richard, and never mind her gibberish: don’t repeat it.”
Previously in the novel, Bertha bite Mr. Mason so hard that Rochester had to tell Jane about Bertha and call in a surgeon. In this quote, Rochester is on edge, not because of what had happened but because he didn’t want people finding out about Bertha. His main concern was not protecting her but was protecting himself from criticism and judgement. This is interpreted because of the language that Rochester uses in the quote: “be silent and don’t repeat it.” These phrases are derogatory towards Bertha and her condition because Rochester is not allowing her to get the proper treatment that she needs. Instead of putting her in a mental institution that could help her, he is locking her away upstairs. This is not acceptable because it is the nineteenth century and it is no longer acceptable for the mentally ill to be treated from home. He is making Bertha seem like a rabid animal instead of showing concern for his wife. I say this because Bertha vigorously bit Mr. Mason and left him to cry out for help. This ties into the idea that Rochester is not as good of a character as I thought he was. He locked up his mentally ill spouse in the attic, not for her own good
but for his own personal benefit of keeping her a secret. I think this because
from a new historicist approach we know that the public during this time period
was aware that treatment from home was not acceptable.
The semicolon in the sentence draws attention to the phrase “don’t repeat it.” The emphasis on this phrase proves that Rochester just wants the situation to disappear. He is neglecting the fact that Bertha needs his help, not his “hospitality.” Rochester cannot come to terms with the fact that Bertha is his spouse and even though Bertha has a mental illness he still cannot respect her. In the middle of the quote the phrasing becomes even more fragmented and disjointed, “and never mind her gibberish.” The “and” in the beginning of the fragment makes me think that Rochester is using an aggravated and annoyed tone in his voice. This is important because it shows how little Rochester appreciates what Bertha has to say. It also brings in the idea that Bertha is indeed from a different country and has a different complexion than Rochester. This means that Bertha actually may not be speaking gibberish but Rochester thinks it is because she is of a different race. The race factor emphasizes that Rochester does not respect Bertha for more than one reason, it could be because of her race, because of post colonialism or because she is a woman. This is important to the entirety of the woman because it shows race and gender affected the way one was treated.
This quote paints Rochester in a different light, he is no longer considered a
victim but rather someone who is focused on protecting himself. He is belittling
towards Bertha because he thinks he is better than her since he is from the
United Kingdom, because he has a fair complexion and because he is a man.
Rochester is not the character I had hoped he would be instead he is a little
bit racist and a little bit sexist. The most important thing is that because
Rochester is a wealthy man of light skin, he is easily able to get away with
locking a colored woman upstairs in his attic.
I agree that Rochester doesn’t treat Bertha as his equal, however, I don’t think he would treat her this way if she weren’t crazy. While Rochester doesn’t treat women as equally as he claims he does, I think that your question about “how is his relationship with Jane going to be any different?” can be argued against. Mr. Rochester didn’t seem to have much respect for Bertha in the first place, as he married her for money, but I can’t help but feel that his love for Jane is different–not only does she not have the benefit of money, but he also isn’t being forced into a marriage this time.
I think you are definitely onto something in describing Bertha as inhuman and almost certainly not his equal. The kind of language that you are observing here is repeated later at the church when he has been busted for his attempted bigamy. However, why is this behavior, that I think could in many circumstances be read as villainous, not really presented this way? Jane quickly forgives Mr. Rochester, and I think in most cases the reader does, or is supposed to, as well. Is it something to do with the marriage plot? Is it simply because Bertha has been constructed as being so terrible? I think something does lie in the way that Bertha is later constructed as an equivalent to Blanche, except not white and not sane, explains some of the reasoning behind in the points you get at in questioning Rochester’s viability as a partner for Jane. Jane is witty, Bertha is a monster. And even in a proto-feminist novel, how much can we really be expected to villainize the groom of the marriage plot?
I agree that Mr. Rochester’s treatment of Bertha as not being his equal is problematic, even if she is mentally ill. However, he also seems to do this with Jane as well, frequently ordering her to do things for him, with mixed results. While Mr. Rochester does seem to have sexist views toward women, they also seem to stem from the patriarchal Victorian culture in which he lives. If nothing else, Jane’s eventual acceptance of him as a husband in the end serves as a sort of redemption for him, as it is left for Jane to choose him.