Rochester is a different type of hero, while displaying qualities superior to most men, his unconventional outlook borders on villainy.
Discuss the characterization of Mr Rochester in jane eyre in light of this statement.
Mr Rochester is different and varies from the idea of the conventional tragic Byronic hero.
Byronic heroes are usually extraordinarily handsome or appealing physically. However, from a physical point of view, Mr Rochester is not in any way handsome in a traditional sense. In chapter 13, he is described as “having broad and jetty eyebrows; his square forehead, made squarer by the horizontal sweep of his black hair. I recognised his decisive nose, more remarkable for character than beauty; his full nostrils, denoting, I thought, choler; his grim mouth, chin, and jaw—yes, all three were very grim, and no mistake. His shape, now divested of cloak, I perceived harmonised in squareness with his physiognomy”. Although his craggy looks should in fact make him a social outcast, he overcomes his physical “deformities” by having a passionate and colourful personality, making him one of the most sensual and interesting characters in jane eyre. People are drawn to him despite his physical appearance, and he has a high standing in society (although this could be attributed partly to his wealth).
Next, Byronic heroes are wounded physically and/or emotionally—vulnerable in some way. We first encounter Mr Rochester when his horse slipped on the ice, causing him to fall and spraining his ankle. He needed to rely to Jane for help to get back to his horse, Mesrour. Jane's momentous meeting with Rochester is significant at many levels. It foreshadows the end of the novel where Mr Rochester has lost an arm and an eye and needs to rely to Jane again to be his “prop”. Mr Rochester is obviously very deeply hurt emotionally as his past was dark and his family is a