Jane Eyre: Top-Scoring Sample Essay on Sympathy for Rochester

Is Rochester a sympathetic or unsympathetic character?

A full length (~850 word) essay covering:

•      Rochester as a victim of circumstance, sold into marriage by his family, and the self pity that undercuts his claim on our sympathy

•      His manipulation of Jane through Blanche Ingram and his concealment of Bertha, set against his recognition of Jane as "my equal is here, and my likeness"

•      Suffering as the route to redemption, with the loss of his sight and hand dismantling his former dominance

Written by a 2025 VCE student who scored a raw 49 in English. A model for character prompts, showing how to hold an ambivalent position without sitting on the fence.