r still very much alive causes her to seek information concerning him and receives none. It is clear that Jane's life will not be fully content until she finds the same passionate love she shared with Rochester. St. John however, proposes marriage to Jane stating, "God and nature intended you a missionary's wife. . . . you are formed for labor, not for love. . . . I claim you - not for my pleasure, but for my Sovereign's service." (749) Jane vacillates between her love for Rochester and her duty to God. Unsure what direction her life should proceed, she seeks guidance from God asking, "[s]how me, show me the path!" (761) She hears the distant voice of Rochester calling her name and knows her path is back to him. Jane refuses St. John's proposal of marriage. Where she was unable to compromise her values in becoming the mistress of Rochester, here she is unwilling to enter marriage without love. Jane returns to Thornfield only to find it has been burned and Rochester's mad wife killed during the fire. She learns he is living at Ferndean as a recluse having lost a hand and his sight during the fire. Arriving at Ferndean, Jane "an independent woman" (771) and Rochester free from his first wife, she proposes to care for Rochester stating, "I find you lonely: I will be your companion." (772) Rochester tells Jane he wants a wife and again asks her to marry him and she consents. Having come full circle, Jane finally sees herself as independent and an equal to Rochester. She is able to give and receive the love she longs for without compromising her principles. ...
