Jane Eyre

How would Jane Eyre have ended if Bertha Mason had not died in the fire at Thornfield and if Jane had married St. John instead of Edward Rochester? This question can be answered with logic and reason without changing the style of the book. First, Rochester will take Bertha to Ferndean Manor. Second, Jane will go to India with her new husband, St. John. Lastly, Jane and Rochester will end up together. Using the style of the novel the alternate ending will include, Rochester and Bertha at Ferndean Manor, Jane and St. John in India, and how Jane and Rochester end up together.

Instead of Bertha committing suicide in the fire, Rochester successfully rescues her and takes her to Ferndean Manor in the middle of a secluded wood. Rochester is forced to care for Bertha himself because Grace Poole and Mrs. Fairfax die in the fire at Thornfield, because the fire burned the house as they slept and when they awoke they were trapped in the flame. The only company other than Bertha that Rochester has is his dog, Pilot. After a year at Ferndean, Bertha became sick from the damp house and cannot leave her bed. Pilot ran away a month ago and never came back. Rochester sat by the fire at night and thinks about Jane and his past. One evening a crow sat at Bertha’s window and stared in at her. Bertha turns to see it and takes her last breath. The crow flies away. The crow represents death and goes along with the extended bird metaphor. This would be a logical ending for what happens to Bertha because it goes along with the somber mood of the story. It relates to the earlier sections in the book because Rochester had said that he did not put Bertha in Ferndean Manor because he was afraid that the damp conditions would make her sick, and it did. Rochester still shows his love for Jane and thinks about her while she is in India.

When St. John asks Jane to marry him and go with him to India, instead of saying no, Jane says yes and leaves for India. In India, Jane starts a school and teaches poor, illiterate children how to read and write. Jane becomes unhappy because St. John is always away and when he is around, he uses Jane as a dependent

housewife. Jane notices more and more the lack of passion St. John has for his job as a priest. Everyday St. John becomes more depressed and finally, after about a year he comes to the point where he is contemplating suicide. Jane tries to talk him out of it but he has his mind set and believes he failed his duty to God. As he jumps from the cliff, a dove flies by to symbolize that St. John is at peace with himself now. Jane is now alone in India with no one who she knows or loves. She keeps her school going until she runs out of money and has to shut it down. Jane decides that her love for Rochester is too powerful to ignore and she must go find him in England. This would be a logical ending if Jane married St. John instead of Rochester because Jane wanted to be independent but going to India with St. John made her dependent on him. Earlier in the book, Jane had asked St. John if he wanted to be a missionary and he had said no, but it was his duty to God to be a missionary