St. John

"St. John is unmarried: he never will marry now...he anticipated his sure reward, his incorruptible crown...No fear of death will darken St. John's last hour: his mind will be unclouded; his heart will be undaunted; his hope will be sure; his faith steadfast. His own words are a pledge of this...'Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus!'" (Bronte 455-456).

St. John the Apostle was the son of Zebedee and St. James The Great's brother. He came to be called the "beloved disciple" since he was the only one of the twelve disciples that did not desert Jesus on the cross. This is a very appropriate namesake for St. John Rivers, who, as is seen in this passage, the closing one of the novel, stayed steadily with religion, choosing it over love and all other worldly pleasures. He devoted himself entirely to God and even, in his dying hour, wishes to be nearer to it.