Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear. Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still; … whatever your faults, they were not invented: I would not have a part of you altered, any more than I would have a single feature changed in my face.
Rochester’s love is sensory and steadfast. He vows care that persists through pain and imperfection. By pairing “flesh” and “mind,” he honors both body and spirit. The extravagant “every atom” hyperbole fits his larger-than-life temperament. He rejects the fantasy of a perfect beloved, preferring truth. The speech is persuasive precisely because it’s flawed and human. Yet its sincerity cannot erase legal and moral barriers. Brontë lets passion speak fully before asking it to submit to principle.