Twenty years ago, a poor curate—never mind his name at this moment—fell in love with a rich man's daughter; she fell in love with him, and married him, against the advice of all her friends, who consequently disowned her immediately after the wedding.
Chapter 33 · St John Rivers
Context
St. John begins narrating Jane's own history to her without initially revealing he knows it is hers. He starts with the story of her parents' marriage, describing how her mother defied her wealthy family to marry a poor clergyman.
Analysis
St. John's casual phrase 'never mind his name at this moment' is a subtle piece of narrative control—he withholds information to build suspense, turning Jane's life into a story he can manipulate. The repeated structure 'fell in love... fell in love... married him' creates a rhythm of inevitability, as if passion leads mechanically to ruin. By foregrounding that her mother was 'disowned immediately,' he frames love as socially punished, a view consistent with his own cold rejection of feeling.
Essay Tip
Support a thesis that St. John views emotion as dangerous and irrational—his retelling of Jane's parents' romance emphasizes social consequences over love itself, revealing his instinct to see passion as a mistake rather than a virtue.