Yan Hong: "Jane Eyre", the shocking reality behind the love legend

2016-07-27 Yan Hong Yan Hong and Chen Sicheng

Text | Yan Hong

In "Little Reunion", Zhang Ailing wrote that she once stayed at Hu Lancheng's house and saw Hu's "ex-wife" Quan Huiwen, who had announced her divorce in the newspaper but was still living in his house: "The door suddenly opened, and a tall woman poked her head in to take a look, then closed the door quietly. Jiuli only caught a glimpse of a pale, rectangular face, with long eyebrows and handsome eyes, and hair on her forehead. There is a wave in the middle, and I guess it must be his mentally ill second wife. Thinking of the story of Jane Eyre, I can't help but feel a little creepy."

When Zhang Ailing said this, I also felt like Quan Huiwen. Like Rochester's wife in "Jane Eyre", they are both people who have been replaced and described as "mad women" by their husbands. Hu Lancheng said that after he participated in the "Peace Movement", he ran a newspaper and was so tired from rushing to write editorials that he didn't even have the energy to get the cigarettes on the table. When he came home, Quan Huiwen went crazy and quarreled with him, and was blindly suspicious.

Zhang Ailing did not quite believe Hu Lancheng's statement. The Quan Huiwen she witnessed with her own eyes did not appear to be mentally ill. She suspected that this was Hu Lan's excuse to marry the next woman: "She became insane at the right time. - Or did she become insane because of Fei Wen? Maybe Jiuli has always been a little suspicious."

< p>Stills of "Once Upon a Time in Shanghai", Zhao Wenxuan plays Hu Lancheng

Stills of "Once Upon a Time in Shanghai", Zhao Wenxuan plays Hu Lancheng

Zhang Ailing is really an extremely sober person, and she still doesn't give her partner enough even when she is passionately in love. Credit limit, but this suspicion is very reasonable. If Quan Huiwen is really a "psychopath", how can someone like Hu Lancheng, who is keen on dramatizing life and then showing it to the outside world, resist talking about it?

Hu Lancheng only said that Quan Huiwen's mental disorder was acquired in Hong Kong. At that time, whenever Hu Lancheng went out, there would always be a charming woman next door coming to greet him, saying hello and sticking to his body. Quan Huiwen saw it from the window and felt very uncomfortable. She turned to question Hu Lancheng, and he said that all Hong Kong women were like this. Quan Huiwen became "mentally ill" from then on and was not allowed to go out.

This was Hu Lancheng's unilateral diagnosis. Quan Huiwen remained silent. At most, she could only poke her head out of the door and had no right to defend herself. No wonder Zhang Ailing was suspicious. Like people but different fates, why do we easily believe Rochester's statement in "Jane Eyre"? Is that "crazy woman" who was locked up really a "psychopath"?

All the ideas about "mad women" also come from Rochester. He described himself to Jane Eyre as an innocent little sheep: "When I was eighteen, I was just like you - completely different. Up and down. The Creator originally intended me to be a good person... I firmly believe that it was more due to environment than to nature that made me a most ordinary sinner, addicted to the pursuit of rich and useless people. In all kinds of wretched and boring debauchery to embellish life..." Seeing this, one can't help but wonder, what has life done to him to make him so bitter and resentful?

The mystery was only revealed later. It was just that his father was unwilling to divide the family property and left it all to his brother. In line with his responsible attitude, he found a self-made child for him from the West Indies. Bertha, the girl with a dowry of thirty thousand pounds. This girl is both beautiful and charming. According to Rochester, she and her family almost regarded him as the imperial brother in "Journey to the West":

"Her family They wanted to catch me because I was from a good family. She thought so too. I tried my best to show off her beauty and talent to please me. The men in her social circle seemed to admire her and envied me, which made me feel elated and excited, and my senses were excited. Being naive and inexperienced, I thought I was in love with her. The boring love competition in the social world, the lust, recklessness and blindness of young people can make a person do anything stupid. Her relatives and love rivals encouraged me. She stimulated me and seduced me, so that I got married in a daze without even knowing what was going on."

What does this passage remind me of? Still Zhang Ailing, she once quoted a sentence from "Cats", a book mainly used to satirize women: They want others to take them very seriously, but when they do something serious wrong, they also want you to say: "She's just an irresponsible little thing." Rochester, who ran for 30,000 pounds and Bertha's beauty, and even claimed to be an English dwarf, now claimed that he was only responsible for ignorance.

It seems that this carelessness caused the trouble. After the marriage, he found that he had never loved her. This was of course her fault, but I don't know what this Lady Bertha did wrong. Rochester was very unspecific: "I am simply not sure whether there was any virtue left in her nature. I saw neither humility nor kindness in either her mind or her manners; neither There is no frankness, no elegance - but I married her - I am really a stupid, cheap, and blind fool.

Rochester seems to be deeply introspecting, but we all know that the sentence "I am so blind" can be used as a modal particle, which only derogates the other party more seriously.

Despite this, he said that he still did not want to blame his wife for this, and then continued to make accusations against her that seemed to be powerful but were empty: "I found that her personality was incompatible with mine, and her interests attracted me. Disgusted, her mind is vulgar, vulgar, and narrow. Strangely, it cannot lead to any higher level or any wider realm. "I interpret this sentence as a boast, which is incompatible with such a person. Of course, he must be neither vulgar nor vulgar, but high-level and broad-minded.

He found that he could not spend time with her comfortably. After a night, or even an hour during the day, "it was impossible to have a cordial conversation between us, because no matter what topic I brought up, I would immediately hear from her an answer that was vulgar and banal, surly and stupid... …"

When I saw this paragraph in the early years, I felt as if Jane Eyre was possessed, and I immediately felt deep sympathy for this man. If I were Jane Eyre, I would also feel that the divine savior is emerging above my head. Aura, my ex's unbearability corresponds to my own excellence. I should not hesitate to drip my love on his head as the nectar of Guanyin. Now, looking at it word by word, I just feel that it is full of shortcomings. I found that I couldn't bear it even for an hour. Why did you go before the wedding? Besides, for the sake of thirty thousand pounds - don't call me vulgar, thirty thousand pounds is an important thing in this marriage. Chips - there’s no need to speak so eloquently.

In addition, Rochester’s tone sounds familiar to me: My wife is very vulgar, my wife doesn’t understand me, she is very ignorant, and I am very familiar with it. She is really miserable when we are together... How many men say this? What they love at first sight will eventually turn into disgust over time. Comparing the past and the present, the person in front of them seems to be a different person. This is human nature. The only problem is, the man who said this. Both of them lacked understanding of human nature and themselves. Seeing the red rose turn into mosquito blood, they felt that it was all the fault of the other party.

Next, Rochester accused her of lewdness, and it was from her mother. Inherited lustful nature. This is a wonderful way of saying it, it makes Bertha look unforgivable without damaging her masculine charm. But in this section, Rochester said it very briefly, which was not in line with his habit. He was good at expressing himself. , the scene about his French lover's affair is very graphic, and the details when ridiculing Ingram are also very vivid. At this moment, facing Jane Eyre, who he urgently needs to persuade, he should cite even a little example, but he does not Take it through in a hurry, and quickly go to the next thing: Bertha is crazy.

Bertha became crazy after Rochester gained control. His father and brother died one after another, and he received a large fortune. He then said Bertha was crazy and Rochester's patience with her was at its limit - even though she was locked up. He said he wanted to commit suicide, but a heavy rainstorm changed his mind and he decided to take her back to England. Find a reliable person to keep an eye on her, and he will travel around the world, making friends with various mistresses, and then spurning them one by one.

Rochester's taste in women is very similar, and Bertha and the one he met later. Ingram is all plump and sexy. The similarity between them and his French lovers is that they are all disloyal to him. He always has sex with them first and then breaks up with them. This repeated fate is not to his taste. Doesn't it matter? I can't convince myself not to guess that once upon a time, Rochester had a preference for sensual women. After the peak of his sensuality, those unhappy memories made him want to find the savior of his soul. The blank sheet of Jane Eyre thus entered his field of vision. She was clear, simple and curious, just like a female intern who had just stepped into the society. Her horizons were limited and she was financially strapped, so she could not have too complicated emotions.

He told her painfully about his revolutionary family history, gave her material gifts, and wanted to take her to the ends of the earth, but he couldn't marry her. He hopes that this lover will pretend to be deaf and mute and secretly match his husband and wife. He tries to create a barrier between his wife and his lover to maintain the balance of the status quo. The story of Jane Eyre and Rochester is also common today.

But unfortunately Jane Eyre is not so easy to control, she has big ideas. First of all, she doesn't want to be with this man without a reputation. Secondly, I also suspect that with her alertness, she may not be able to see what kind of person Rochester is. Each of his predecessors has been slandered by him in a mean and cold way. Before, he himself had to admit that he loved each other. How could Jane Eyre be sure that she, who seemed to be deeply loved at this moment, would not fall behind? To that end? This is also a hurdle in many extramarital affairs. The betrayer always betrays, and those who have vested interests cannot believe that they will always be so lucky.

Rochester swore that he would treat her differently: "Every atom in your body is as dear to me as my own. Even if you are sick, you are still the same dear. Your heart is my treasure house, even if It is broken, but it is still my treasure house. If you go crazy, it will be my arms that hold you tightly, not your tight vest. Your scratching and biting, even if you are crazy and angry, are unique to me. charm.

If you pounced on me like that woman did this morning, I would greet you with a hug that was at least as dear as a restraint..."

Rochester has always been good at expressing himself, in his current words. , is good at flirting with girls, but the question is, do you believe it? Emotions are like clouds, coming together and breaking up, but nature is as solid as a rock, not easy to change.

Looking back at Rochester's love life, it is always about strength, not strength. Character determines his direction. When his strength is not strong enough, he endures Bertha, and once he gains blessing, he declares her crazy; his way to please the French mistress is to give her diamonds, carriages, servants, and apartments. If you find that you have been betrayed, you can decisively take away your feelings and no longer be involved; it is even more excessive for Ingram. Even if Ingram is vain and snobbish, it is his own business. What right does he have to use his own property as bait? Mistaking the other person for thinking that he was about to propose to him? After she completed her historical mission of stimulating Jane Eyre, he made a little trick to kick the other person away. Wasn't it too disturbing for him to fall in love?

It is difficult to make Rochester become kind, but since it is strength that determines his direction, extracting this strength can make him steadfast and appear relatively gentle because of his weakness. As if to revolve around this purpose, Jane Eyre left Rochester's manor, received an inheritance, and received a proposal from a handsome man. She was injected with various new energies, but Rochester's power was weakening. The "mad woman" set fire to his The eyes were burned out, the "mad woman" was dead, all obstacles were removed, and Jane Eyre could happily be with Rochester without any doubts.

Speaking of which. The life of a "mad woman" was also miserable, that is, she just lived a happy life before marriage, but as soon as she got married, she was hated by her husband, went crazy, was imprisoned, and finally burned herself to death. In those distant years, I never thought about it. I have to sympathize with her. In the narrative framework of Rochester and Jane Eyre, she deserves it and is an annoying stumbling block to their romantic love. But now, I look at her story coldly and see that her story is just that of a woman with a strong family background. , invested in a man with no money. He gradually became more powerful and disliked her in every way. Her struggles were regarded as crazy. He asked her to stay at home and have fun by herself. She became increasingly resentful and wanted to have fun. Revenge, but in the end she committed suicide. If the "mad woman" had the chance to write a book, how could she know that the truth was not like this?

It's a pity that I guessed all this from the words. , I guessed it from the narrative that the author tried to conceal, but was still full of flaws. The author did not give the "mad woman" any say. She closed the "mad woman" more thoroughly than Rochester. You see, the author is out of character. In "A Dream of Red Mansions", even though the author hates Aunt Zhao the most, Cao Gong still borrows the name of You, calling her a "bitter gourd", and tells many details about Sister Feng bullying her. If it is said that Cao Gong wrote Red Mansions for her. Restore the past so that she can go back to the past. Charlotte wrote this novel, which is a bit like Cao Gong's irony: "He also wanted a beautiful woman, so he made it up for fun." There are too many obscene meanings in "Jane Eyre" ingredients.

Charlotte Bronte

The prototype of Rochester was Charlotte’s teacher when she studied French in Belgium Mr. Hege, although Mr. Hege is not as enthusiastic as Rochester, Charlotte's initiative has made Mrs. Hege very unhappy. Charlotte turned her frustration into motivation and wrote such a novel. The "mad woman" is five years older than Rochester, and Madame Hege is also five years older than her husband. The "mad woman" and so on, the lewdness and so on, are all Charlotte's unspeakable malice. How much does she hate Madame Hege? Why should a woman embarrass a woman?

It is very happy to write about being loved in a novel, and you can also imagine yourself rejecting him and making him miserable. The final ending is that the crazy woman dies and the man becomes easier to control - I won't restore it, otherwise I will appear too vicious. No matter how delicate the words are, they will reveal flaws if they are deliberately deceiving. Charlotte wanted to write a legend of love, but unknowingly, people could glimpse reality through the gaps. Perhaps, in the mouth of every man who is tired of his wife, and in the heart of every covetor, the unkind first wife may be a madman.

But many years ago, I didn’t see it this way. The dialogue in "Jane Eyre" was recited by many people born in the 1970s: "You think I am poor, humble, unattractive, and short." , I have no soul, no heart? - You are wrong! ... If God had given me beauty and wealth, I would have made it as difficult for you to leave me as it is for me to leave you now!" These words are simply the voice of our hearts. In adolescence, when we inevitably feel inferior, we always look up to the object of our crush. These words are floating in our hearts. Jane Eyre is our spokesperson, and we naturally have to stand up. On her side, every word she said was believed.

When we are young, it is easy to be led by the author, and superstitious classics are one of them. On the other hand, it is also because we are weak and can easily be catered to, comforted, hypnotized by the author, and followed. Following their guidance, we walked into the depths of the maze little by little. The phrase "without desire leads to strength" can actually be used in reading. Only with fewer desires can we distance ourselves, avoid being deceived by the author, and see more truth between the lines.

About the author

Yan Hong | Tencent·Everyone columnist, author of "Misreading the Red Mansion", "They also seek love for a living", etc.

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