On the surface level, Brontë’s portrayal of Jane as a successful and independent woman that can equal her male counterpart, Rochester, is a noble cause that warrants applause from fem-inist critics. However, Rhys ultimately demonstrates through WSS that Bronte has not been able to read as a woman, in Culler’s terms. WSS exposes how the empowerment of Brontë’s female protagonist, Jane, in Jane Eyre depends upon the marginalisation and fall of another woman, Bertha
In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Bertha is contrasted with Jane to show what Jane’s life would have been like if she had not met Helen Burns. Prior to meeting Helen, Jane had bad examples of Christianity and believed in retaliating to those who wronged her. Helen was the first true Christian in Jane’s life, living by the ideals and not just labeling herself as one. Jane was amazed at how Helen lived and sought her out in curiosity. Helen introduced her to what Christianity really was, changing Jane’s