One of the elements of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eye that makes it so enjoyable to readers is the changing life circumstances of the main character, Jane, herself. In the beginning of the novel she is so unhappy, and so alone, tortured by her cousin and hated by her aunt. What makes it worse is she has no idea why. She is a child, only 9 years old, and this hatred and sorrow has been her entire life experience. While locked up in the Red Room she contemplates running away or even killing herself through not eating. Such unhappiness completely defines the character of Jane at the beginning of the novel.
That is why it is so satisfying to the reader to see the later contrast between Jane’s life at Thornfield Hall to that of her early experience. Such reader satisfaction is especially heightened after the passage in chapter 15. Jane contemplates Mr. Rochester and how, “The ease of his manner freed me from painful restraint; the friendly frankness, as correct as cordial, with which he treated me, drew me to him. I felt at times as if he were my relation rather than my master:” (152). This newfound joy and content is pleasing to the reader, but what is interesting in this phrase in particular is the use of the word “relation”. As we know, Jane’s only living relations were horrible to her, and thus her only experience with “relations” is a negative one. It is interesting that she would be using the word here in such a positive connotation, trying to express the comfort she feels around Mr. Rochester. However, instead of being an association with blood relations, the use of this word could also be a subtle foreshadowing of her potential future with Mr. Rochester. We know they have a romantic connection and perhaps she is alluding to becoming his actual relation through marriage, aka becoming his wife. This prospect, though pleasing to the reader, is one that could face many challenges from the outside world, but a challenge it will not face is his treatment of her because he already treats her almost like a relation.
Your point about “relations” being a negative memory for Jane being in conflict with her positive use of it when referring to Rochester is interesting. I like that you link the use of the word to their impending marriage. I’d be curious to see if it could also be linked to their impending separation. That is to say, he becomes like her other (bad) “relations” when he tries to deceive her and she has to flee from him like she fled from Aunt Reed in search of a kinder place.
I also think that Jane is trying to find the importance of a relationship. Because she has had a harsh childhood at Gateshead, Jane is confused throughout her teen years and adult years what a healthy relationship is. She is trying to find one within Rochester but when she initially can’t because of Bertha, it is just reinforcing that positive relationships aren’t possible for Jane.
You make a very interesting point of Jane’s only perception of “relation” being one of hatred. I think that this quote is Jane’s way of perhaps depicting her ideal “relation.” As we later see Rochester chooses to treat her like a ‘princess’, or at least he tries too. However, his attempts fall short, and Jane refuses to be seduced by his wealth, and instead searches for his heart. Perhaps Jane’s use of the word relation is instead a foreshadowing of the first failed relationship between the two, instead of their inevitable marriage?