How we cite our quotes: Citations follow this format: (Volume.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
Consent, then, to his demand is possible: but for one item—one dreadful item. It is—that he asks me to be his wife, and has no more of a husband’s heart for me than that frowning giant of a rock, down which the stream is foaming in yonder gorge. He prizes me as a soldier would a good weapon; and that is all. Unmarried to him, this would never grieve me; but can I let him complete his calculations—coolly put into practice his plans—go through the wedding ceremony? Can I receive from him the bridal ring, endure all the forms of love (which I doubt not he would scrupulously observe) and know that the spirit was quite absent? Can I bear the consciousness that every endearment he bestows is a sacrifice made on principle? No: such a martyrdom would be monstrous. I will never undergo it. As his sister, I might accompany him—not as his wife: I will tell him so. (3.8.116)
The (imaginary, thank goodness) spectacle of St. John forcing himself to have sex with Jane even though he doesn’t love her and she doesn’t love him is nauseating. Clearly, a marriage can’t be conducted simply based on a rational analysis of which people are compatible as "help-meets." St. John’s legalistic ideas about marriage make Rochester’s fast-and-loose proposals look positively squeaky-clean by comparison.