Jealousy in Jane Eyre

What do you think of Rochester�s behaviour towards Jane in the chapters 17-21? � that�s when he tries to make her jealous, flirting with Blanche! He insists on her presence to make her a witness of their flirtations and when she finally can�t bear the sight any longer and slips out of the room, he follows her asking her why she looks depressed, nearly making her cry right there on the staircase. It�s as if you�d stick a finger into an open wound, move it around and ask the injured if it hurts... does he really not know?! He actually went through a similar pain, sitting on the balcony in Paris, watching (his former mistress) Celine & her lover (chapter 15)! What is also interesting is their similar ways of dealing with their rivals (the french officer and Blanche), since both of them claim that jealousy subsided at the realization of their rivals� intellectual inferiority, regardless of their good looks. The difference however is, that Rochester immediately turns away from Celine, whereas Jane tries hard to excuse him, presenting reasons for a marriage between Rochester and Blanche, which would not be based upon love. What if Jane had acted like Rochester did (regarding Celine) and had turned away from him? Then, his efforts in making her jealous would have backfired! Playing such games is dangerous, and it leads me to the next question: how mature is Rochester? LOL! Don�t get me wrong, I love Edward dearly, but I also feel protective of Jane... And in the end: Love is not a chess game, is it? bronte conference Main Menu