As she explains to the reader: "I felt no fear of him, and but little shyness. Had he been a handsome heroic-looking young gentleman, I should not have dared to stand thus questioning him against his will, and offering my services unasked. I had hardly ever seen a handsome youth; never in my life spoken to one" (idem, 173).

The young woman who was actually full of energy and eager to live with more intensity than what life offered her in the quite almost deserted Thornfield Hall, during winter, has fallen for the first stranger she met because he offered her the first occasion to feel more alive than her only companions at Thornfield ever offered her. Of course, she is unaware of her feelings yet, but a certain distress from her usual routine is already in place.

Mr. Rochester will soon befriend the strange creature he found on his...
[ View Full Essay]