"I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad--as I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?" (322).
This quote emphasizes how much Jane's religion impacts her decisions, and ergo the course of the novel. She has just found out at the alter that her would-be husband already had a mad wife locked in his attic. She knows that they would both be happiest if they were to just leave to country and she became his mistress, but her religion stops her. Jane knows she would be happy with Rochester, but she also know she would feel guilty to be breaking God's laws regarding marriage. That makes sense. How can she pretend to be a Christian if she only follows the doctrines when they're convenient for her. She chooses her religion over her love, because her religion is very important to her, and very influential on her actions and character.
I found this slide to be very enlightening and insightful. In my reading, I recognized the effect religion had on her decisions but I do not know if I realized the gravity of influence religion actually had. The page was very well thought out and straight to the point.
ReplyDeleteAaron