The Mad-Woman Speaks

I have discovered a new presence in the house: that of Miss Eyre, my husband’s new fiancé.

I don’t know how Mr. Rochester thinks he is going to marry this girl when he is still married to me. Even though he tries to keep me hidden and locked up, our marriage is still valid. I am Mrs. Rochester. And Miss Eyre needs to know of my existence.

That is just like men, trying to disguise the truth. Mr. Rochester takes extreme precautions to make sure I am kept hidden. He has even given me my own caretaker, Grace Poole. A bizarre woman, but then again, I am rather bizarre myself. I owe that to my dearest, darling Rochester. How I hate him, so. He is now crushing my heart further by becoming engaged to this plain, boring woman.

I suppose is this marriage is to be called off, it’s up to me. I know how to sneak out of this prison cell when necessary. The first thing I did was terrorize Miss Eyre, causing her to believe she heard demonic laughter in her sleep. I crouched by her bedside while she was in a daze, and then quickly left the room when she began to wake up. Was it all a dream? Of course not. But that ridiculous Grace Poole escorted me back to my room before I could have any more fun with Miss Eyre.

At least, that is what Grace Poole thought. Little did she know, I had also started a fire in my dearest Mr. Rochester’s room. I knew someone would discover the fire and extinguish it, but I may as well cause the poor Miss Eyre some more terror before the night ended. It wouldn’t hurt to send a warning signal to Rochester, either. I decided to continue haunting the two of them. My brother, Richard Mason, came to talk with me. Well, no luck for him. Instead, I attacked him with a knife and bit deep into his shoulder with my teeth.

If Rochester wants others to see me as a madwoman, then a madwoman I shall be. Rochester thinks me mad, and others believe him. Some call me his bastard half-sister, and others call me his mistress. However, I am his wife, and am only as mad as I allow myself to be. He has mistreated me and never truly loved me. Regardless of whether or not his love for me was ever true, he should has respected me as a woman and human being. Instead, I have been locked in this damn tower and treated as an animal. Thus, an animal I have become.

It’s not so bad, really. Miss Eyre has given me some entertainment for the next few months, until I scare her so much that she runs away screaming. I do not approve of this ridiculous engagement. Hopefully someone talks some sense into the two of them and the wedding is called off. I pray to the devil that my actions will scare the poor girl away from this place, never to return. If I cannot have Rochester, no one else can, either.

Sincerely,
Bertha Mason
(Source: Jane Eyre pages 126-27,175-181, 249)