“Growth” from The Things that Matter by Edward Mendelson

· Mendelson’s article states, “Jane Eyre records a journey out of a childish world into an adult one and a journey out of inequality and into equality”. (82).

· According to him, Jane attains equality by fighting against unity.

oEquality is moral, emotional, and inclusive.

oUnity is a collection of people, lacks ethics, and is exclusive.

· “Growth” discusses Jane’s fight for equality over unity in terms of her love life, and her two suitors Rochester and Jane.

· Mendelson recognizes the duality of Rochester as Jane’s love interest by discussing the two ways that she can either be united with him, or equal to him.

oIf Jane had run away with Rochester after their wedding was interrupted, then she would have been united with him as his mistress. Further, she would have been sacrificing “sexual equality for the sake of sexual love” (98).

oIn marriage, Rochester and Jane are equals.

· On the other hand, Mendelson presents Jane’s marriage to St. John Rivers as unity, because St. John Rivers does not love or desire Jane, rather he sees her as a useful tool to his missionary work among the women in India.

· Mendelson even goes as far as to say that Jane rescues Rochester and St. John Rivers.

· Jane rescues Rochester by refusing to be his mistress; “She rescues Rochester from the lonely inequality of keeping a mistress whom he would eventually despise” (110).

· Jane rescues St. John Rivers “from his temptation to tyrannize her in his private life while liberating other in his public life” (110).