If I were a critic of Jane Eyre . . .

If I were a critic of Jane Eyre, I would want to talk about the many women in the novel whose voices are rarely heard. Yes, Jane, Mrs. Reed, and Adele get attention but what about the others, such as Miss Fairfax, Georgiana Reed, and Grace Poole? In many ways, Miss Poole is one of the most important characters in terms of plot, as Jane spends a good portion of the book thinking that Miss Poole is secretly a sinister, evil woman. Ironically, however, little is known about Miss Poole other than that she has an alcohol problem and has worked for Mr. Rochester for a long time. I think it would be interesting to hear Miss Poole's side of the story. I would want to know things like is Bertha really mad? If so, how did she steal your keys all the time? What really happened between Bertha and Rochester? Unfortunately, the world will never hear Miss Poole's side of the story, which is exactly how Bronte wants it. If Miss Poole were to speak about the situation and were to reveal a more human, realistic side of Bertha, the reader would most likely think of Mr. Rochester as a cruel, detestable man. Presenting the reader with concrete evidence that Mr. Rochester is a villain would be detrimental to the story, as Jane would have to admit Mr. Rochester was corrupt; thus, a union between the two would be wrong and would portray Jane in a negative light.