Does “Love Conquer All?”
The affirmation of love in Jane Eyre, when Rochester proposes to Jane, is illustrated by Fritz Eichenberg. Eichenberg’s black-and-white drawing depicts Jane and Rochester embracing each other by a grove of trees, under a moonlit sky. For the sake of simplicity, I will term this illustration as “Lovers”. This report will interpret Eichenberg’s “Lovers”, using the textual content in Jane Eyre edited by Susan Ostrov Weisser. In “Lovers”, the conflict between an individual’s nature and collective society is central to explaining contradictory elements in Rochester’s character. The tension between unity and equality is also an important theme introduced in “Lovers”.
In “Lovers”, the wind blows heavily on the trees, and the moon is darkened while surrounded by thunderous clouds. Such a stormy night forces the trees to sway dangerously around the embracing couple as if the universe is against the consummation of Jane and Rochester’s love. The threatening darkness that dares to cover the moonlight represents how irrevocable impediments (e.g. Bertha’s existence, Rochester’s status as a married man) will be imposed on Jane and Rochester’s love. Love, an emotion that brightens one’s life, may easily be overthrown and contaminated by societal obstacles, such as Rochester’s inability to divorce Bertha and gender inequality. Jane is only partially aware of these obstacles, as she exclaims: “wealth, caste, custom, intervened between me and what I naturally and inevitably loved” (Brontë 294). Since Jane is yet unaware of Bertha’s existence, she thinks the difference in social class between Rochester and herself is the biggest barrier to her romance.
Against the brooding storm, Jane and Rochester cling to each other in a desperate embrace, like the trees that grip the soil by their roots. Similar to these trees that weather the storm by grounding themselves deep into the soil, the lovers’ embrace is not only an act of intimacy but is also a form of protection to defend their love through unity. Since the picture is in black-and-white instead of vibrant colors, it is impossible to see a clear line that separates the two characters’ bodies. There is no visible boundary between Jane and Rochester, as they hold on to each other. Due to this absence of physical lines, the two bodies seem to be fused into one. This inseparable union of two people may be a positive symbol of the invincibility of love, which acts as a defense against the “wealth, caste, [and] custom” that threaten to separate them.
The term, “equality” is a keyword to describe how Jane and Rochester try to overcome class and gender hierarchies that are imposed on them. Jane passionately exclaims to Rochester, “I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities… it is my spirit that addresses your spirit… equal — as we are” (Brontë 296). However, equality cannot be achieved in a relationship, when only one party is striving for it. Jane’s emphasis on equality clearly explains what she wants in return from Rochester, but he refuses to reciprocate her desire for equal companionship by aggressively asserting ownership: “You, Jane. I must have you for my own- entirely my own” (Brontë 298). Rochester’s authoritative nature to dominate his lover contradicts the pure love he claims that he has for Jane. Rochester’s desire for ownership, which causes an unequal relationship, forces the embrace (portrayed in “Lovers”) to be depicted as if he is engulfing Jane’s body, instead of forming an equal union. Therefore, when interpreting Eichenberg’s “Lovers”, not only is there a conflict between the lovers and their external society but there is also internal conflict between the lovers themselves!
In “Lovers”, there is a drawing of a tree, which resembles the “chestnut-tree… [with a] bench at its old roots”, on the right-hand side of Jane and Rochester (Brontë 295). This chestnut tree, which is caged in by a bench, represents Rochester himself. Human nature tends to go against social constructs when natural desires clash with societal norms and expectations. Ironically, however, human nature is also heavily influenced by the social constructs it tries to fight against. For Rochester to truly love Jane as his equal and form a healthy, romantic relationship, he must first subdue his sense of entitlement (an unconscious result of patriarchy and class superiority) he has over Jane. The chestnut tree cannot grow and expand due to the physical constraint created by the bench, and the same logic may apply to Rochester’s nature which is influenced and controlled by social constructs, which he needs to deconstruct for his love to truly conquer and succeed.