Jane has now reached her final destination: Ferndean. Her description of Ferndean emphasizes its isolation. It is deep in the woods, unsuitable and unhealthy. Recall that earlier in the novel, Rochester chose not to send Bertha there, because he didn't want her to hasten her death. The woods surrounding the building are thick, dark and gloomy, as if lost in a fairy-tale realm; Jane can barely find an opening through the dense trees to the house. Here, Jane and Rochester create the "private island" he longed for earlier in the novel.
In describing Rochester, Jane uses language Rochester often used in the past to characterize her: he is a "wronged" bird, a "caged eagle." But now their positions are reversed: Jane is free, and he is fettered. In their first conversation, Jane emphasizes her independence: "I am independent, sir, as well as rich: I am my own mistress." While earlier Rochester treated Jane as object — his possession — he now accepts her independent subjectivity; thus, when he proposes marriage this time he says, "Never mind fine clothes and jewels, now: all that is not worth a fillip." Like Jane, Rochester needed to "pass through the valley of the shadow of death" in order to become the perfect mate; his fire and virility are tamed and he becomes the ideally docile husband. Rochester suffers more than Jane — blinding, maiming, and complete isolation — because his sins were greater than hers. In fact, critics have often noted that both Bertha and Rochester can be viewed as victims of the forces Jane uses to acquire identity and independence; Bertha's life is sacrificed, as well as Rochester's vision, so that Jane can have her ideal, non-threatening relationship.
