In the last few pages of chapter 16, Jane said, “It is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them, which, if unreturned and unknown, must devour the life that feeds it…” At that point she resolves not to indulge her feelings for Rochester.

Then in chapter 27, after she has learned of Rochester’s wife, she describes a dialogue between her conscience and reason, and Feeling (which she capitalizes, interestingly). She says it (Feeling) “clamoured wildly. ‘Oh, comply!’ it said. ‘Think of his misery; think of his danger—look at his state when left alone; remember his headlong nature…Who in the world cares for you? or who will be injured by what you do?’”

Jane answers herself, “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will keep the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad—as I am now.”
Then later, after Rochester has related the story of how he became the husband of Bertha Mason, he says,
“Hiring a mistress is the next worse thing to buying a slave: both are often by nature, and always by position, inferior: and to live familiarly with inferiors is degrading. I now hate the recollection of the time I passed with Céline, Giacinta, and Clara.”

Then Jane thinks:
“I felt the truth of these words; and I drew from them the certain inference, that if I were so far to forget myself and all the teaching that had ever been instilled into me, as—under any pretext—with any justification—through any temptation—to become the successor of these poor girls, he would one day regard me with the same feeling which now in his mind desecrated their memory. I did not give utterance to this conviction: it was enough to feel it. I impressed it on my heart, that it might remain there to serve me as aid in the time of trial.”

Jane uses this conviction to strengthen her resolve when she leaves Rochester.
That night she dreams of the red room at Gateshead. The light that had terrified her so then, appears as a moon-like disk. It then transforms into a white human form, which then urges her to leave him: “My daughter, flee temptation!” She replies “Mother, I will.”

Finally, the questions: Do you agree with Jane’s decision? Did she have another choice? What is the significance of her dreaming of the red room at Gateshead and the light that terrified her right before she decides to run away? Why do you think the light transforms into “Mother”? How is her battle a battle with madness? What is the relationship between madness and passion in this novel? Remember, it’s okay for this posting to be on the short side. Save your energy for your reading.

I agree with Jane’s decision to leave Thornsfield and Mr. Rochester. It’s just inappropriate for a man and a woman to be together is one of them has a wife, regardless of the situation. People need to tie up lose ends and close the door on the past before they go on. Jane did what was best emotionally and logically; a situation like that would only produce bad fruit.