Mr. Rochester Is Punished
Mr. Rochester Is Punished
By Jade Lozada
This is an alternate ending to Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, in which Bertha, the Caribbean outsider and “madwoman” who was forced to marry Mr. Rochester, is humanized, and Jane’s strength is found in resisting Mr. Rochester, not returning to him.
a grim smile
muttered—
fate has
a devil my
pastor would tell me
quenchless
and deathless
she is
my write Bertha
Mason sister of
stout heart
never fear me!
Bertha Mason
the Creole,
Bertha, a dutiful child
pure, wise, happy
heavenly, I owe you
seek sympathy with
This girl,
she never
dreamt
His fury was
powerless exposed to
my soul,
The soul,
unconscious,
truthful My
fierce
strength
so indomitable
shook
his hold
I
resolute, wild, free
its cade, the
savage, beautiful
prison, my captive
your brittle frame
you will vanish
only an idiot, would
Process
I pulled the only section of the book which describes Bertha’s affliction for the cruelty Mr. Rochester expresses. I then took an excerpt from Jane’s return to his side, after finding out he deceived her into a wedding when he was married to Bertha, where he speaks similarly cruelly. I used his words both times to invert his meaning and even allow Jane’s voice to emerge from his words.
Meet the Pair
MENTEE JADE LOZADA & MENTOR CAROL HYMOWITZ
Jade’s Anecdote: I will always be grateful to have Carol as my mentor. Our relationship over the last three years has grown into more than writing. Carol’s listening ear and advice empower me to seize opportunities and risk my comfort for growth. I will miss our Thursday afternoons at Cafe Lalo, but I will never lose the confidence and ambition she inspired in me.
Carol’s Anecdote: I’ve loved getting to know and working with Jade over the last three years, and I’m so proud of all she has achieved. She has grown enormously as a poet, essayist, and journalist, and written deeply about such themes as bridging her Latina roots and American upbringing and the disproportionate effect of climate change on minority communities. In the last year, she has performed her poetry at the Apollo Theater, published in Medium, and become a leader in the climate movement. A highlight of our year together was finding out she was accepted to her first-choice college. I’m going to miss our coffee dates (hot chocolate for her, latte for me), but I’ll continue to be inspired by Jade’s risk-taking, her talents, and, above all, her caring for others.
