Literature and Adaptations: Mad Woman in the Attic - Essay Example

? LITERATURE AND ADAPTATIONS: MAD WOMAN IN THE ATTIC By Presented to and Due of the paper 1 INTRODUCTION Jane Eyre was first published in October 1847. It was written by Charlotte Bronte who used the pseudonym of Currer Bell. The need to use the pseudonym rose due to male dominance and acceptance in the writer’s arena. Writing was a field associated and accepted by the male members of the society only. So much so, that when Charlotte Bronte approached the publisher she was advised that in order to get recognition a pseudonym be taken , which would appeal more to the general sensibilities of the Victorian era readers. Charlotte Bronte was already partially aware of these but undaunted, having inherited the determination and strength of will from her father Rev. Patrick Bronte (Gaskell 1966). All through the novel one sees glimpses of Bronte’s own personality and life reflected. The concept of Thornfield seems to arise from Bronte’s visit to her best friend’s country residence ‘Rydings’ in 1832.(Leavis 1966). The mysterious character of Mrs. Rochester appears to have roots in her subconscious memory of the madwoman locked away in a chamber in ‘Rydings’, who, as legend had it, burned the mansion down. Even the characterization of Jane, Diana and Mary are reflections of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte as they were at Haworth; the residence of the Brontes( Leavis 1966) 2 Jane Eyre is the story of an orphaned girl who faces abuse and neglect by her relatives; the Reeds at Gateshead, is sent off to Lowood Orphanage, undergoes the trials difficulties of boarding school and comes out with a decent enough education to find a place for herself as a governess at Thornfield. It is a love story in which Jane’s need to be loved and to find someone with whom she can be soul mates is beautifully and pragmatically portrayed. Her inner turmoil is portrayed subliminally and the ultimate strength of her character to overcome the obstacles is displayed. TEXTUAL BACKGROUND OF BERTHA MASON; ‘THE MAD WOMAN IN THE ATTIC’ The character to be critically analyzed in this essay is that of Mr. Rochester’s first wife, who is referred to by her maiden name Bertha Mason. It is a mysterious character which is only referred to or spoken about by Mr. Rochester or other characters in the novel. Bertha Mason appears in the later part of the novel after the relocation of Jane to Thornfield. In the original text she is shown to be a mentally disturbed woman. It is narrated, by Mr. Rochester that in the past she was 3 a beautiful and passionate woman, who was raised and bred in Jamaica. Mr. Rochester’s father wanted his son to marry into a socially well-placed and wealthy family. As he had connections with the Masons of Jamaica, so he sent a proposal of marriage on behalf of his son Edward Rochester. He later sent the junior Mr. Rochester to court his fiancee. Being young and inexperienced, Edward Rochester neither investigated too much about the family history of his bride-to-be, nor was he alarmed at the lack of his meetings with Bertha Mason. He was only too happy to find his bride-to-be such an exotically beautiful creature. They got married in a flurry. Soon after it was discovered that she had a history of some medical condition due to which her mother as well as her younger brother were mentally disturbed (Bronte 1966). Bertha Mason’s own condition deteriorated soon after marriage. So that he was morally obliged to bear with her wild and mad behavior (Bronte 1966). In accordance with the customs of the Victorian era depicted in the novel, Mrs. Rochester (Bertha Mason) is kept locked away in the attic to avoid any harm or damage. The supervision of the madwoman is given to Mrs. Grace Poole, who is a nurse and a dubious character for Jane. Mrs. Poole’s drunkenness time and again, allows Bertha 4 to escape from the attic and create havoc and trouble. All the mischief is attributed to Mrs. Grace Poole by Mrs. Fairfax, since no one but Mr. Rochester and Mrs. Poole knows of Bertha’s existence. Bertha Mason’s physical appearance is narrated as being a tall, strongly built woman with dark, long and unkempt hair parting at the centre. After years of lunatic confinement she seems to have shed all her past beauty and charm. Her face appears purplish in color with feverish red eyes and pronounced eyebrows .Her lips appear to have swollen due to her loss of control over her senses. Jane describes the appearance like that of a “vampire” (Bronte 1966) The lunacy of Bertha Mason converted her into a savage bestial personality. She rarely walks upright, mostly goes around on all fours, snarling like a wild animal. Her madness seems to have affected her vocal senses as she has forgotten speech, only emitting guttural, senseless and haunting noises, laughs and croons. She displays a conniving cleverness by escaping from her cell, by finding her way into Jane’s room to tear off her wedding veil, and by attempting to burn down Mr. Rochester’s room. The marriage of Jane and Mr. Rochester is stopped by the objection 5 raised by Mr. Mason (Bertha’s brother) disclosing the presence of Mrs. Rochester in Thornfield. The development hampers the marriage, since Mr. Rochester cannot divorce Bertha on legal grounds due to her violent insanity. Jane, disheartened, decides to go away from Thornfield. Even though Jane truly loves Mr. Rochester, she wouldn’t sacrifice her moral principles. She would rather go away to the property she has inherited from a distant relative, than live as Mr. Rochester’s mistress. Mr. Rochester is left to tend to his burden of a wife. Bertha Mason ultimately burns down the whole Thornfield mansion and jumps from the battlements to her death (Bronte 1966). Only her death provides a form of unification by marriage between Jane and Mr. Rochester. The character of Bertha Mason was one of the twists created in the novel to give mystifying as well as unifying effects to the story. When seen in the light of Charlotte Bronte’s symbolism used throughout the novel, it depicts the inner turmoil and rages that even the main character Jane can relate to, which she refers to as the “ridge of lighted heath”(Bronte 1966). Bertha’s uncontrollable fury on seeing Mr. Rochester can be seen as the outlet of Jane’s own disgust at 6 the gender bias and chauvinism of that era. It appears that Charlotte Bronte has successfully combined the concepts of light and dark, good and evil, yin and yang, within the characters of Jane and Bertha. Both have somehow been affected by Mr. Rochester. The one falling prey to insanity, and losing all sense to the extent of becoming a torment for her husband; the other reversing back from the brink of servitude to her true love, and showing that she herself is her own master. ADAPTATIONS OF Jane Eyre: Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre remains an all time favorite of readers and authors alike. Numerous authors have attempted to write adaptations, prequels and sequels of the novel. With the introduction of the TV and film media, more than twenty different adaptations have been made on the original novel. CARY FUKUNAGA’S JANE EYRE: 2011 7 One of the more recent adaptations done to present the novel on screen is Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre:2011. The production is an excellent depiction of the novel. The whole experience of Jane’s life is shown in a series of flashbacks, after Jane has left Thornfield when she learns of Bertha Mason’s existence. The director has done a great job in translating the true Gothic and haunting essence of the novel to the screen. Bertha Mason’s character is also portrayed closest to the original character as narrated in the novel, as compared to the other TV or film adaptations. The character of Bertha Mason is an important, yet mysterious and haunting one. This fact is very effectively depicted with the sound effects throughout the movie. She is portrayed as the one making frightful and haunting noises. The film successfully introduces, and keeps, the sinister element through the sound and visual cinematography. Bertha Mason’s physical appearance is well represented by Valentina Cervi with her tall stature, dark hair and full lips. The madwoman-like effect is acted out in a manner closer to the text of the novel, when she appears. Jane Eyre the film, appears to be a successful adaptation of Jane Eyre the novel, 8 in terms of the portrayal of Bertha Mason’s character and the role it plays in being symbolic of Jane’s own fiery and strong nature underneath a plain, mousy appearance. The film has successfully depicted the slow pace of the novel, with beautiful imagery showing the range of emotions Jane goes through. However, the main emphasis of the film has been on the relation between Jane and Mr. Rochester. The scenes relevant to the marriage ceremony seem to go at a faster pace. It seems that they have been allocated lesser time, specially the scene when Mr. Rochester explains the existence and presence of Bertha Mason. Bertha Mason’s actual appearance though very accurate and beautifully acted out, seems to be hurried. In general, the director has done a superb job by a most truthful portrayal of Jane Eyre, and keeping the spirit of the actual novel intact. BBC MINI-SERIES JANE EYRE: 2006 The BBC serial adaptation of Jane Eyre is a four part/episode mini-series. It was directed by Susanna White and aired on BBC One in 2006. A screen play written by Sandy Welch makes the 240 minute adaptation quite close to the original. 9 It appears that out of the many adaptations of Charlotte Bronte’s novel, this TV mini-series has been among the more successful and widely acclaimed ones. The story of the novel is spread out over four episodes. The screen play and direction have done justice to the adaptation. It shows Bertha Mason as the insane wife of Mr. Rochester. The character is played by actress Claudia Coulter. The physical appearance is adhered to by the character of Bertha Mason. Her facial expressions are shown similar to the ones narrated in the novel. Her hair and stature appear to be dark and tall, respectively. The disturbing and haunting noses from the North Tower attic, where Bertha is locked away, are emphasized time and again to portray the mysterious nature of Thornfield Hall. The adaptation allocates appropriate screen time to the scene when Mr. Rochester’s bed has been set on fire and Jane is left wondering about the perpetrator of such a heinous act. The foreboding representation of Bertha Mason as a frightful vision which tears Jane’s wedding veil is excellent. The sinister intentions of Bertha Mason are alluded to when Mr. Mason is shown to have been injured and haunting noises are heard from behind the wall. The character shows deception and connivance, when it slips out as her jailor Mrs. Poole falls into a 10 drunken slumber. Bertha Mason’s character is shown to have an inner fiery temperament which has gone awry and uncontrollable. Her character shows a hindrance and foreboding to Jane’s contentment and happiness. It harkens the independence in Jane’s nature by alerting it to the consequences of giving herself up to Mr. Rochester. In this sense the adaptation has done justice to the character of Bertha Mason. 11 References 1. Bronte, Charlotte 1966. Jane Eyre, Richard Clay (The Chaucer Press) Ltd, Suffolk. 2. Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn 1870. The Life of Charlotte Bronte, Smith, Elder & Co, London 3. Leavis, Q D 1966.Introduction and Notes, Richard Clay(The Chaucer Press)Ltd, Suffolk. Read More