Therefore we can assume that, unlike Wide Sargasso Sea, the book is set a vaguely-defined recent past which is interesting in considering the different histories represented: is it a stable society where ten years here or there doesn't make a difference? Or does it add a mythic quality, where the events of history make a limited impact on the drama of the narrative?.
The one conclusion we can draw from this is that Bronte was uninterested in the exact representation of slavery, using it more as a metaphorical device than as an issue to make real comment on. For instance, the origin of Jane's inheritance passes her by, as does the morality of Rochester's. It is clear that colonialism is a theme used to move the plot forward and to characterise key figures, not to critique the racial prejudices of the day.
Parallels can be draw between Jane and oppression of foreignness, particularly in relation to Bertha. For example, Jane waits ten years to become a 'rebel slave' and react to her treatment by Mrs Reed; Bertha is held for ten years in the attic before she 'breaks out, now in fire and now in blood'. The similarities between Jane and Bertha, proposed by Gilbert and Gubar, the idea that they are two sides of the same coin, are shrouded in negative connotations. Any time when Jane is being marginalised or disempowered, she is described with foreign imagery. Her ideas of rebellion are quashed by Helen saying 'heathens and savage tribes hold that doctrine, but Christians and civilised nations disown it'. This idea of Christian superiority is central throughout the discussion of race, particularly when looking at St. John, whose mission it is to 'convert the heathens' into living more civilised lives. .
Moving on, she is associated with foreignness after being branded by Brocklehurst as 'this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land' who is 'worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut'.
