Week 9: If It’s Meant To Be, It’ll Be

This is it guys. This is the last illustration of this project. It’s been a long couple of weeks but we’ve finally reached the end of the book. 

Finally, the Happy Ending  

After her supernatural experience (depicted in the previous illustration), Jane leaves St. John and travels back to Thornfield — only to find that the manor has burned down in a fire. Rochester, she learns, is now living alone with just 2 of his former servants in a modest little country house. 

So she travels to the house and reunites with Rochester — who has lost his right hand and is blind in one eye. Also, his first wife died in the fire so he’s single and legally marry-able now. After they talk it out, they declare their undying love for one another and get married, and have children together.

(It’ll be done very soon, upon which I will replace the temporary image with the completed piece) 

. . . And That’s a Wrap for Jane’s Character Arc  

Rochester’s first proposal to Jane was romantic, but unsettling for a couple of reasons:

1. He Was The First Guy That Jane Ever Was Romantically Involved With. She Was Super Naïve, While He Was Experienced.
2. He Was Twice Her Age.
3. He Paid Her Salary, And She Owned Nothing Except What He Gave Her.

All qualities of a disastrous relationship with a severe power imbalance in Rochester’s favor. 

But after leaving Rochester for a while, Jane decides to return to him. At this point, she has gotten to experience another guy and is financially independent (a rich uncle of her’s died and left her money), so her decision to go back to Rochester is based purely on her true love for him. Their relationship at the end of the book is not built on a foundation of fleeting passion but on mutual respect and equality.

And that’s the final piece! With that, the story of Jane Eyre comes to an end — as does my project. Next week, I’ll make some final touch-ups to the pieces, as well as work on getting some prints of them to (hopefully) display at my presentation! Thanks for sticking around, and see you then.