Change of Mind: Jane Eyre

          I honestly think that it is more than strange to marry someone a lot older than you, and I mean old enough to be your father/mother. For me, I think I can tolerate up to 10 years age difference, but when that number increases to 30 year difference like that between Jane and Mr.Rochester, well let's just say I'm not a big fan. However, I find that as I read more and more and as Charlotte Bronte reveals more aspects of their love, I'm further convinced that my previous conception of the thought is slightly unjust to the rest of the world and love.
         After reading a bit over half of the story, I feel that through the relationship and the conversations that Rochester and Jane share that age really doesn't make a difference. For example, I at first found myself agreeing with Mrs. Fairfax's first impression of the marriage. Complete shock and aversion to the idea that they were getting married. Mrs.Fairfax warns Jane of getting involved with a man old enough to be her father, which I thought was well justified. So, I still wasn't convinced despite the reality that Jane and Rochester felt this intense love for each other. I guess I didn't really appreciate the dialogue that Rochester and Jane were able to share with each other. I was in a way superficial by looking at what the pair looks like on the outside. It was Mrs. Fairfax's change in point of view that really persuaded me as well. After Mrs.Fairfax is finally convince that the marriage will happen despite all her warnings, she finally learns to accept it. Why? Because Jane and Rochester make each other so happy.
         This in turn made me think, why did I have the viewpoint of marrying someone old enough to be the father/mother is immoral? For Mrs.Fairfax she carried this viewpoint at first because of her time period, there were a lot of restrictions on marriage and social status. However, in a time like the 21st century, where anything can happen, why was I still thinking this way? This in a way proves the fact that superficiality that we accuse Bronte's time of having, isn't really gone. I found that in a way the characters of Jane Eyre could be a bit more 21st century than I was. Since, my conception about who you "should" marry was based solely on age, but what really should be addressed is love. Realizing this has helped me realize the open-minded nature of love and I find myself being more open to the idea of marriage between two people with such a drastic age difference.