Sadomasochistic Relationship Dynamics In Jane Eyre

Alyssa Carlson-Romero 24 September 2017 ENGL 418 Sadomasochistic Relationship Dynamics in Jane Eyre â€Å"I had often been unwilling to look at my master, because I feared he could not be pleased at my look† (Bronte 276) states Jane Eyre the morning after her engagement to Mr. Rochester or, more appropriately, her â€Å"master.† The very fact that Jane consistently calls Rochester â€Å"master† is frequently a troublesome one; for is Jane Eyre truly a feminist, or at least an autonomous female protagonist, if she refers to the man she loves as such? Given the rest of the text, yes. Jane’s simultaneous independence and desperation for affection characterize her as at odds, with her own combating emotions, and the strictness of polite English society,†¦show more content†¦This imagery is overtly sadomasochistic, and one that both feel describe their desires for each other accurately. Jane, therefore, is truly a free human being, as she knows that she can leave Rochester at any time, and a sexual being, whom finds pleasure in the overbearing desires of her master. She more overtly expresses her own interest in such masochistic desires after she has agreed with Mrs. Fairfax to keep Rochester at bay physically: â€Å"For caresses, too, I now got grimaces; for a pressure of the hand, a pinch on the arm; for a kiss on the cheek, a severe tweak of the ear, It was all right; at present I decidedly preferred these fierce favors to anything more tender† (295). This quote demonstrates that Jane prefers painful pleasure over gentle caresses, at least at this time, and Rochester is not simply a master, but rather â€Å"her master,† as belonging to her in mutually pleasurable relationship. There are hints, however, at Jane’s growing dissatisfaction with controlling her relationships through the veil of submissive acceptance. Rochester states, â€Å"I consent to be