Jane Eyre, a conscientious young governess, tells her master, Mr. Rochester, that she does not like to talk nonsense. Mr. Rochester tells her frankly: "If I did, it would be in so grave and quiet a manner, that I should mistake it for sense... I see you laugh but seldom; but you can laugh very merrily: believe me, you are not naturally austere" (141 ) In this way the inner struggle between feelings and judgment is recognized and revealed. In Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester, St. John Rivers and Jane Eyre all struggle with feelings versus judgment by his feelings. He has a long history of ignoring good judgment, including his hasty and imprudent marriage to Bertha Mason because he "was dazzled, stimulated... [he] thought [he] loved her" (310), and his subsequent licentious and wandering life in search of pleasure. He has become so accustomed to burying his common sense that he is able to completely ignore the fact that he still has a living wife with a clear conscience, he ignores the law and tries to justify the marriage with Jane. His passion often surpasses his control, as when Jane tells him he must leave Thornfield. "'Jane! Will you listen to reason? For if you don't, I will try violence'" (307), he desperately tells Jane. Mr. Rochester deludes himself into thinking he is listening to good judgment, but in reality what he calls reason is simply madness born of his uncontrolled passions. John Rivers buries his feelings and gives complete preference to judgment. Jane notes his rigid self-discipline the first time she sees him with the beautiful Miss Oliver: "His chest heaved once, as if his great heart, tired of despotic constraint, had expanded, in spite of... middle of paper .....or a harmonious blend of Jane's complete happiness. She describes this harmony in marriage: "I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love most on earth. I think myself extremely happy, happy beyond what language can express... All my trust is given to him, all his trust is devoted to me... the result is perfect harmony" (459). Mr. Rochester , St. John Rivers, and Jane Eyre are all marked by their internal struggle between succumbing to feelings and relying on good judgment. Each character deals with the issue differently, as Mr. Rochester follows his feelings, St. John takes action only on the basis of judgment and Jane tries to find a healthy and harmonious mixture in this way the struggle between feelings and judgment is contrasted and highlighted by the differences of each character. Press.