It is really hard to pick a side in this novel. I think I'm 60% Rochester 40% Antoinette. Here is why I sort of lean towards Rochester. The only thing that Rochester did wrong is have an affair with Emile. I think that this was really not that bad of a thing. Don't get me wrong, I think that sleeping with other people when you are married is a terrible thing to do, but I think he kinda had the right to retaliate in some manner. After all it was Antoinette who started it. All she wanted was to be loved, but she went to pretty desperate measures to get it. She gave him the love potion which is just a little too far in my opinion. This made me lose a little sympathy for Antoinette.
Micheal brought up a point in class that he shouldn't fight fire with fire. I think that this is in general a pretty valid point. He did have reason to be angry though. I mean if someone gave you something like rohypnol I think you would get pretty mad. Yes I totally understand that you shouldn't sleep with other people, especially when you are married. However what did Antoinette think was gonna happen when the "poison/love potion" wore off. I think she kinda had it coming.
Another reason I sympathize with Rochester is that never had any ill intentions, he just ended up in a bad situation. I think it is similar to Meursault in a lot of ways. It says Rochester was feverish and hallucinogenic when he first arrive in Jamaica. I think it is interesting to draw a parallel between Rochester's hallucinogenic feelings when stuff happened, and Meursault's hallucinogenic feelings when he shot the Arab. Both Rochester and Meursault didn't really know what they were doing and they had to suffer the consequences because "life happens" and they couldn't control it. I feel sorry for Rochester in this sense, he sort of just got roped into a marriage that he maybe didn't think clearly about.
I also feel sorry that he got the bad end of primogeniture and has to work to get money. Those sorry feelings sort of got canceled out when he marries Antoinette and realizes that he gets all the money and that he is no longer a disappointment to his father. I understand completely why people think he is a jerk and side with Antoinette, but in my opinion I think he is a good guy that is just trying to make his way in the world. He wasn't deceptive to try to get Antoinette's money, it just sort of happened that way and he seems happy that it did.
Another reason I sympathize with Rochester is that never had any ill intentions, he just ended up in a bad situation. I think it is similar to Meursault in a lot of ways. It says Rochester was feverish and hallucinogenic when he first arrive in Jamaica. I think it is interesting to draw a parallel between Rochester's hallucinogenic feelings when stuff happened, and Meursault's hallucinogenic feelings when he shot the Arab. Both Rochester and Meursault didn't really know what they were doing and they had to suffer the consequences because "life happens" and they couldn't control it. I feel sorry for Rochester in this sense, he sort of just got roped into a marriage that he maybe didn't think clearly about.
I also feel sorry that he got the bad end of primogeniture and has to work to get money. Those sorry feelings sort of got canceled out when he marries Antoinette and realizes that he gets all the money and that he is no longer a disappointment to his father. I understand completely why people think he is a jerk and side with Antoinette, but in my opinion I think he is a good guy that is just trying to make his way in the world. He wasn't deceptive to try to get Antoinette's money, it just sort of happened that way and he seems happy that it did.
