The Only Use
Rubicon
in
Jane Eyre
(Edited)
- A pause — in which I began to steady the palsy of my nerves, and to feel that the Rubicon was passed; and that the trial, no longer to be shirked, must be firmly sustained.
p. 78.8Rubicon = a metaphor for a line, that when crossed permits no return, resulting in irrevocable commitment
Definitions:
-
(1)
(Rubicon) a small river in northern Italy that once marked the boundary between Italy and Gaul; now, a metaphor for a point of no returnIn 49 BC, Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon River with his army, breaking Roman law and committing himself to civil war. Because he could not turn back, “crossing the Rubicon” has come to mean making an irreversible decision—a step after which there is no return.
- (2) (meaning too rare to warrant focus)