Kaila Balazs: St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg is signficant to Jane Eyre because is it one of the many locations that Mr. Rochester lived in after marrying Bertha. This information comes from chapter 27, when Rochester is confessing his past relationships after Jane finds out about Bertha on their wedding day. Rochester says, "For ten years I roved about, living first in one capital, then another: sometimes in St. Petersburg; oftener in Paris; occasionally in Rome, Naples, and Florence. Provided with plenty of money and the passport of an old name, I could choose my own society: no circles were closed against me" (Bronte 278). Although this location is mentioned very briefly, it still symbolizes one of the many locations that he lived in in order to be away from Bertha. This location illustrates marriage and confinement, as Rochester was roped into a marriage with Bertha without realizing her crazed mental state, and is confined to her by legal restraints. The marriage was arranged by his brother, Rowland, who was good friends with Mr. Mason, Bertha's brother. He felt betrayed by the two for arranging the marriage without explaining Bertha's condition. To escape this, he leaves Thornfield for ten years, living in various capitals for short periods of time, to distract himself from this reality. Mapping this location reveals how the history behind this location complicated or deepens the plot in the novel.