Jane Eyre Binary

Wealthy and Poor Binary

In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the characters of Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester and St. John Rivers represent the wealthy and poor binary. In this novel, Mr. Rochester is a man of respect and wealth. He is a dark and passionate, older man with much experience and accomplishments. He derives from a deceitful and wealthy family and gains much of his wealth from inheritance, including the property called Thornfield, as explained by Mrs. Fairfax, the housekeeper at this house. "Old Mr. Rochester and Mr. Rowland combined to bring Mr. Edward into what he considered a painful position, for the sake of making his fortune" (160). "The present Mr. Rochester has not been very long in possession of the property; only about nine years" (159). As a man of wealth, Mr. Rochester had an advantage of gaining things he might need, and was highly esteemed by others and treated well. He wasn't very handsome though, but his wealth provided him opportunities for marriage arrangements. His position is conveyed once again by Mrs. Fairfax, the housekeeper of Thornfield. "Mr. Rochester is so talented and so lively in society, that I believe he is a general favorite: the ladies are very fond of him: though you would not think his appearance calculated to recommend him particularly in their eyes: but I suppose his wealth and good blood, make amends for any little fault of look" (198). In contrast to Mr. Rochester, St. John is a cold, despotic, fervent, and younger man. He unlike Mr. Rochester came from a poor family and had to provide for himself, as explained by Hannah the housekeeper of Moor house. "Mr. St. John, when he grew up, would go to college and be a parson; and the girls, as soon as they left school, would seek places as governesses: for they had told their father had some years ago lost a great deal of money by a man he had trusted turning bankrupt; and as he now was