#what if...jane eyre

[eyreguide]

What If...? Jane Eyre Edition - Uncle John

Inspired by the Marvel series on Disney+, I'm starting a blog series of "What If" - that explores alternate timelines within the world of Jane Eyre. Throughout this series, I will discuss the possibilities of how different scenarios might have unfolded by grounding my assumptions in the characters' original motivations as written by Charlotte Brontë, while occasionally allowing for a bit of personal wish fulfillment in my speculation.

The third scenario is:

What if... Jane had received Uncle John's letter?

“MADAM,— “Will you have the goodness to send me the address of my niece, Jane Eyre, and to tell me how she is? It is my intention to write shortly and desire her to come to me at Madeira. Providence has blessed my endeavours to secure a competency; and as I am unmarried and childless, I wish to adopt her during my life, and bequeath her at my death whatever I may have to leave. I am, Madam, &c., &c., “JOHN EYRE, Madeira.”

Mrs. Reed received this letter from Jane's Uncle John about three years earlier, so Jane would have possibly just been starting as a teacher at Lowood.

And following on my previous scenario of "What if Jane never left Lowood", I think Jane does not really aspire to be a teacher, so she would have travelled to Madeira with all speed. I imagine it would have been so exciting for her to see a new country, and meet family who care about her. And she would also have known about her Rivers' cousins sooner!

Of course, I doubt she would have met Mr. Rochester, but given that Mr. Mason knows John Eyre well enough to stay with him when he's in the area, there is a possibility that Mr. Rochester would meet John Eyre and be introduced to his long lost niece Jane. And in that case, I still think Mr. Rochester would have been caught by Jane's personality. A personality that might have developed more with her independence. This Jane would feel more free to speak her mind, and to make unexpected comments that would intrigue Mr. Rochester. It would be quite a different romance - especially since Mr. Mason might see the beginning of it and squash it - but I love the idea of Rochester and Jane meeting on more equal footing, and seeing how that would have played out.

Do you have any thoughts on how Jane's story would have changed from learning about her Uncle John earlier?

[eyreguide]

What If...? Jane Eyre Edition - Helen Burns

My husband, Mike, and I had a conversation recently about the Marvel series "What If..." which explores alternate timelines in the Marvel universe and tells the story of what might happen if certain characters made different decisions or were in different settings. Of course, my mind went to Jane Eyre and thinking of different scenarios for the story. There are the usual ones - what if Jane married St. John? Or what if Bertha Mason did not die in the fire? But, together with Mike, we came up with about 12 "What If" scenarios that I think would be fun to explore on my blog for a little "What If..." series.

My thought process for these scenarios will involve making assumptions on what Charlotte Brontë would have written based on the characters and their motivations that she wrote on the page. With possibly another aspect being just my personal wish for what would happen next. So first up:

What If... Helen Burns had lived?

"I seldom put, and never keep, things in order; I am careless; I forget rules; I read when I should learn my lessons; I have no method; and sometimes I say, like you, I cannot bear to be subjected to systematic arrangements."

The young Helen Burns in the novel is not someone, I believe, who would do well as an adult within the rigid constraints of Victorian England. At Lowood, she daydreams, she doesn't learn from punishments, and would rather let her mind wander than listen to her teachers. Jane is very much the opposite - she is careful, listens well, and is eager to please her teachers (the ones that she likes at any rate).

There were alot of expectations on Helen for that time. Her father probably had some hope that Helen would do well at Lowood and would be able to get a job or a good marriage so that she could fend for herself. As Helen got older, I imagine she would be a little more disciplined, but since she is already 14 or 15 years old in the book, her time to become a woman of the world is fast approaching.

So for Helen, I feel that she would not have been very successful as a working woman. Being a governess might have been enjoyable to her - especially because she is so empathetic and kind - but I can't imagine she would be able to keep children in line. Marriage would probably be the best option for Helen, especially if she found someone who cared more about a woman keeping his house nice, than being a strong companion, and helping with his goals.

So I envision that an older Helen would make for a very kind, pious, but a little vague housewife, who has the leisure time to read and play with her children, but she doesn't have a lot of ambition in life, and enjoys spending her time quietly.

I do think Helen and Jane would have kept in touch, and Helen would be a little disapproving of Jane's actions with Mr. Rochester - possibly a little nervous for her to marry him because his station is so far above hers. In that way, I think Helen is a little like Mrs. Fairfax. It would have been very interesting to see how Helen would change the narrative for Jane - if Jane would rely on Helen's advice.

Do you have any thoughts on what Helen would have been like as an adult?