Pacified Personalities

Appearance has always been a major issue among people who try to detect a true personality. We categorize ourselves into small armies of what we judge ourselves to be, and on occasion, what other people think we are deep inside. Thus, many statements made are bias, and personalities seem cliche, or completely overlooked. In Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, many characters portray an image that is not quite the same as who they are behind closed doors. Ingram Blanche and Grace Poole are both judged by the way they act in front of other’s eyes, hiding the truth in their thoughts and letting the world make assumptions of their own. Their personalities are difficult to show, mostly because they either lack the time, or their heartlessness will be exposed to those who they are attempting to seduce. Blanche only wants to be with Mr. Rochester for his wealth, and Grace lacks the time and mental capacity to waste on an explanation.
    In many ways, looks can deceive the eyes, and melt the mind into forming emotions that are not going to be returned by the beauty in which captured the stare. Ingram Blanche is no exception to the timeless trick, with her gorgeous features and not-so pretty attitude towards other people. For example, while playing a charming game of charades, Ingram snarls at Jane, saying to her friend, “She looks too stupid for any game of the sort”, so Jane not only over hears, but also has no turn (207). Ingram does not think twice about spitting rude remarks at common by-standers, like Jane and even little Adele. Mr. Rochester pretends to only seem the beauty of Ingram, not her true gold digger form; when people talk about the passion between them a simply reply from a servant is, “Yes, I dare say: no doubt he admires her” (191). The wealth of a person, whether it is obtained by a woman or a man, should never control any emotions, especially love, such as it does it Ingram’s case. Even though Mr. Rochester deceives the group of upper-class beings with his feelings, it is common to see a young, beautiful woman attach herself to an old, rich man just for the chance to dip her dainty fingers into his pocketbook. When she is denied access to money from one man, it will be fairly easy to wrap the next wealthy victim around her diamond-laced finger. Some children who receive private-school lessons will be socially inept from the lack of communication; such is the case of Miss Blanche. She takes pride in the snobby way she lives life, after reminiscing about bullying school tutors with a friend, Ingram hails, “My lily-flower, you are right now, as always” (202). It is human nature to make mistakes, though few own up to them. In society it seems (no matter what time period), the higher your status or prettier you are, the more flawless your ways become. The high standards of Ingram and her pretentious friends will one day crumble as their true personalities are discovered and no longer tolerated. All that glitters is not gold, but in Ingram’s mind the precious metal is worth everything, not even emotion can compare.
    Another character who is hidden under false pretense is Grace Poole. She never has the chance to fully explain herself to the entire Thornfield household, leaving them the chance to judge her by odd occurrences. Jane’s thoughts lead her astray as she questions the strange happenings during the night, thinking to herself, “Was the Grace Poole? and is she possessed with a devil” (168). No one has the right to define the word ‘normal’, especially with characters such as Grace. Sincerity's flower is often overlooked because of the overgrown thorn bush of society. Sadly, even poor Jane makes a bad misconception that something is not quite right in the mind of Miss Poole. It is made obvious that Grace does not have many friends, but at least no one ever comes right out and tells her she is crazy, because that little comment could be the last straw before she becomes mentally unstable just like the lady she is caring for. Jane jumps to the conclusion that Grace is the person who tries to hurt Mr. Rochester, saying, “ [there] was nothing either of the paleness or desperation one would have expected to see marking the countenance of a woman who had attempted murder” (173). Grace takes the down fall for Bertha, Mr. Rochester’s unstable wife, and continues to lead Jane on about the odd screams and other ‘out-of-the-norm’ occurrences. She never says anything one way or the other about the topic, staying true to her respectful duty to keep Bertha a secret from the misunderstanding world. Many times people are misjudged because of their lack of social contact, so false stories are made about the deviant who is not around to protect their reputation. Throughout the  household gossip is being held under control and somewhat ‘hush-hush’ around characters such as Jane, hence why she tends to think of explanations herself. “I compared myself with her, and found we are different”, Jane thoughtlessly tricks herself into believing because she lacks need-to-know information about Miss Poole (177). Other servants also chat about how unfair it is that Grace is being paid more than them for doing what they see as ‘nothing’, causing their ignorant minds to be jealous. As some sayings tend to repeat, do not hide behind a façade in which others tend to take as true nature.
    Society has been telling people for centuries that it is alright to  judge a person on the simple facts of how they dress or by one event in their life. Getting to know your surroundings and the human beings that fill it, is one of the biggest reasons for living day-to-day. Too often, heartless women marry old men for the chance at wealth, while the good girls are left alone and men look through them, all because of a prejudicial notion. The saying “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” comes into play here. Another simple quote by The Fall Of Troy, that brings up memories of Blanche is, “ When attitude has altitude, I won’t run to you. Your love is so out of tune.”