Jane Eyre is problematic

I'm in the midst of watching the Jane Eyre miniseries from 1983

I have seen some of the Jane Eyre movies before

It is always made me feel uncomfortable the way that we are expected to see and think of his wife that he is locked away in part of the house not allowing her to see or speak to anyone like a prisoner

And with his wild mood swings and erratic Behavior as well as him imprisoning his own wife and keeping her secret from everyone

I've always kind of wondered if he drove her mad

She is portrayed like a wild animal attacking without reason

The actor that plays Rochester in the version I'm watching currently does make him appear to be Charming and charismatic

But frankly I believe the Rochester is a horrible human being and encourages us to view his wife as some sort of creature that he has been burdened with

Oh his wife is crazy and all her family is crazy and that's his excuse for treating so inhumanely

I find myself thinking about how people with mental health problems and disabilities were treated at this point in history

Living hidden away or hiding yourself by masking so that people wouldn't treat you like an animal or see you as inferior

I know lots of people that love the story of Jane Eyre and don't really think about the way that Rochester and everyone else sees and treats his wife

Because she is portrayed as a violent animal that tries to burn him to death invites people and attacks them

In my personal experience both with having mental health problems and in having friends and loved ones that also have mental health problems it's never that simple and straightforward

Even if you sometimes have violent episodes you're often inconsistent in your behavior

I know that they have her laughing menacingly

But most people with mental health problems can have long periods where they are not violent or experiencing symptoms however stress does cause more pronounced mental health issues if you are already have pre-existing conditions

I have all sorts of issues that are inherited from my family and some of them are mental health problems

But I don't think that that makes me less human or unlovable or unworthy

I keep wondering what he did to provoke such behavior in a person

In this particular version they mentioned that she is also mulatto and I wonder if that was to further dehumanize of her and make us see her as less than human or less worthy of him

She is a woman that has been taken away from her home and for all intensive purposes put in solitary confinement for the rest of her life

Even if you didn't already have mental health problems I imagine that that would make anyone go a bit mad

Frankly I think that the story is difficult for me

Not only because I have mental health problems but because many of the people that I love do

Frankly he treats her worse than I would treat an animal

Jane is Spirited and I do wish her to be happy but Rochester though he may be rich is not a good person

I do understand that just because someone isn't perfect that doesn't mean they shouldn't be loved

But I think he he will probably treat Jane badly too in time

For he is not just cruel he is a fool

So many people love the story even today with out even thinking about it

I know everyone is always telling me I rune everything

But I can't help but think and feel things

I don't think that characters in stories should be perfect or even that they have to be likable

But it is that we are expected to feel nothing for his wife to care nothing of her distress or the cruelties done to her

I like all sorts of things about Jane Eyre

Like that Jane is plain looking and pragmatic and has a temper and that Rochester it's not supposed to be conventionally attractive either but possesses a sort of magnetism

But the way that they portray Mental Health makes me feel uneasy and often queasy and sometimes Furious