"Do you consider you have got your reward for a season of exertion?" asked Mr. Rivers, when they were gone. "Does not the consciousness of having done some real good in your day and generation give pleasure?"
Chapter 34 · St John Rivers
Context
St. John speaks to Jane after her students have left the schoolroom for the last time. He asks whether she feels rewarded by her months of teaching the village children.
Analysis
St. John's phrasing—'in your day and generation'—borrows the cadence of biblical language, turning a simple question into a test of whether Jane measures her life by religious usefulness. The phrase 'real good' carries an implicit contrast with merely personal pleasure, positioning duty and happiness as opposites. His question isn't casual; it's an opening move in his larger campaign to recruit Jane for missionary work.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that St. John consistently frames life in terms of obligation rather than joy—even his compliments are loaded with the assumption that only self-sacrifice has value.