A Natural Inclination to be Reasonable

Passage: ‘I see no enemy to a fortunate issue but in the brow; and that brow professes to say,—"I can live alone, if self-respect, and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give." The forehead declares, "Reason sits firm and holds the reins, and she will not let the feelings burst away and hurry her to wild chasms. The passions may rage furiously, like true heathens, as they are; and the desires may imagine all sorts of vain things: but judgment shall still have the last word in every argument, and the casting vote in every decision. Strong wind, earthquake-shock, and fire may pass by: but I shall follow the guiding of that still small voice which interprets the dictates of conscience."' (p. 191)

    Jane is a passionate person, and her emotions are often intense, but she gains control of them as she grows older. In her childhood, she has less control over her urges, and often commits rash acts because of them. As she ages, encounters more people, and becomes more educated, reason starts to take control of these emotions. By the time she meets Rochester, she has gained almost complete control over her feelings. Though reason has a firm grip on Jane's emotions, she is still heavily influenced by them. In this passage, Rochester hints as to how Jane's emotions influence her experience of religion and nature.
    Rochester's referral to Jane's passions as "true heathens" indicates that they either have no connection with God or somehow block her connection with God. Religion has played a strange role in Jane's life. As a child, she criticized it, yet still considered herself Christian and prayed morning and night. When Jane falls in love with Rochester, she idolizes him, and this moves religion to the back of her mind. Her decision to marry Rochester was an example of her emotions overcoming reason; and this decision is what caused her to lose touch with the religious aspect of her life. When she leaves him, she immediately regains this connection to God, and she finds this connection in nature.
    Nature plays a significant role in Jane's feelings: nature influences her emotions, and the way she connects to nature is influenced by how she feels. At Gateshead, Jane finds comfort in imagery of lone rocks among turbulent waves. This continues throughout the novel, and Jane relates to nature in both positive and negative ways. Rochester asserts that "strong wind, earthquake-shock, and fire" will excite her, yet reason will still hold the reigns. This is true in that Jane often removes herself from nature in favor of a more practical pursuit.
    Rochester's analysis of the inner-workings of Jane's mind alludes to themes that are constant through the novel; these being her efforts to control her emotions, nature's influence, and the role of religion in her life. While her emotions connect her with nature, they often remove her from religion. Though Rochester discusses these as holding influence on her, he states that, ultimately, reason will emerge victorious.