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Jane Eyre, a la Shmoop. It's no secret that everybody has a few skeletons

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in their closet. Or in their attic. Some secrets are more shocking than others.

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For instance, keeping your mentally unstable ex-wife hidden in your attic.

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Yep, that's Mr. Rochester's scandalous secret. Bertha Mason, the madwoman in the attic, plays

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a large part in the plot of Jane Eyre. So, what's her role in the book?

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She might be a reflection of Rochester's past. Not a pretty picture.

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After Rochester married Bertha, he soon realized she was not the right fit for him.

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Whereas, Rochester is literally locking away his past and is ready to start a future with

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his new British bride. Bertha could also be a warning to Jane.

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Rochester seems to be an upstanding guy—aside from that whole wife-in-the-attic thing.

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Rochester started out reasonably happy with Bertha, but she was eventually locked away

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from the world. Could that be Jane's fate, too, if she doesn't

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please Rochester? After all, what's to stop Rochester from throwing

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Jane in the basement? The room's available. Finally, Bertha could be Jane's alter ego.

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Being a foreigner, Bertha is not your traditional British Victorian housewife.

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But neither is Jane. She's feisty and independent, which isn't the norm.

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When Jane is locked in the red room, she goes bananas, like when Bertha freaks out that

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she's locked in the attic. Jane complains about the expensive veil Rochester

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buys her. Enter Bertha. Like an elf sent to do Jane's

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bidding, she destroys the veil. Bertha and Jane have a lot in common, but

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it's sometimes hard to see because they're so superficially different.

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So, what role do you think Bertha played in Jane Eyre? A reflection of Rochester's past?

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A warning? An alter ego? Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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