Thomas: Madagascar

Madagascar is significant to Jane Eyre in relation to St. John's missionary work. St. John's missionary work, for Jane, is an appealing adventure of servitude, exploration, and religious zeal, yet the prospect of such a journey is conditioned by Jane's willingness to marry St. John. At the time of Jane Eyre, Madagascar was used as a port for ships traveling from Britain to India, prior to the Suez Canal, so historically, St. John would have to stop there on his journey to India. Jane highlights St. John's dedication to his religion in her conversation with him about the Miss Rosamond, a woman he admires but denies in favor of his desire for missionary work. Madagascar being mentioned by Jane is important in understanding the grueling journey (Madagascar, the Cape, then finally, India) St. John would have to make in order to even begin his mission work. The hard, and potentially fatal, work in a foreign region and St. John's will and desire to travel to these colonized regions for the sake of his Christianity reinforce the idea that his dedication to his religion comes second to nothing. The mentions of colonial geography in this section highlight St. John's character and emphasizes his savior complex (doing difficult things for the sake of others). This information comes from my brain and the Open Book Publisher's article "Jane, Come with Me to India: The Narrative Transformation of Janeeyreness in the Indian Reception of Jane Eyre.": 

Bibliography:

Research: https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0319/ch1.xhtml 

Photographs: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Atlas_Van_der_Hagen-KW1049B13_070-INSULA_LAVRENTII%2C_Vulgo_MADAGASCAR.jpeg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=original https://www.pommietravels.com/madagascar-travel-guide/