How much more is Jane Eyre than just a piece of romantic fiction?
All the qualities of a typical romantic fiction are certainly found in
‘Jane Eyre’. The usual qualities found in romances are a Hero and
Heroine. They can have some tension between them before finally
falling in love but something gets in their way, eventually they over
come all odds and get to be together in the end. Obviously Jane is the
Heroine and Mr. Rochester is the Hero, and as in most romances, the
story is told through the eyes of the Heroine.
‘Jane Eyre’ starts off with Jane’s childhood to allow the reader to
get to know Jane and sympathize with all her views and feelings. When
Jane first moves to Thornfield Hall the romance starts. To build up
the tension for the reader Jane is at first denying her feeling.
“it was rather a trial to appear thus formally summoned in Mr.
Rochester’s presence”
It is obvious to the reader what is going to happen and frustrating
that Jane will not admit that she likes him this is very typical of a
romance.
It follows on conforming to the romance stereotype when Jane admits
her feelings but something gets in the way. At first this is Blanche
Ingram, Jane is convinced by things people have said that she is going
to
Marry Mr. Rochester.
“And did I now think Miss Ingram such a choice as Mr. Rochester would
be likely to make?”
This is providing a barrier against them getting together in the
straight forward way of just Blanche Ingram but she also stands to
represent looks and class. She is a lot prettier than Jane and this
tests Mr. Rochester to see if he is the deep thinking man Jane thinks
he is. Also Jane is of a lot lower class than Blanche Ingram and it
would have seemed strange at the time ‘Jane Eyre’ was written for Mr.
Rochester to chose Jane.
This is pushed aside and it seems like everything has started to go
right for Jane. Then follows the clichéd romantic twist. Jane
discovers Mr. Rochester’s wife.
“this gentleman’s wife is still living”
Everything falls apart for Jane. She runs away and begins to start a
new life till the end of the novel when Jane finds out Mr. Rochester’s
wife has died and they get married.
“My Edward and I then are happy”
As in all romances it comes to the happy ending to make the reader
feel happy and satisfied.
These were the ways in which ‘Jane Eyre’ followed the typical romance
patterns for general romances. But there is much more to this novel.
When Jane was a child her parents died and she was sent to Mr Reed,
bits like this help to shape Jane into a Lady and who she will be when
The red hue is conjointly used in The Book of Revelations as the color of the seven headed dragon. “Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems” (Revelation 12:3). This dragon represents evil and esoteric darkness. The tenebrous serpent is Jane’s burden due to her extreme passions and unpleasant aunt. While crimson is not traditionally associated with light-dark imagery, the red room was selected to illustrate both Jane’s passion as a child and as the color of war and bloodshed. At this moment in the novel Jane is bleeding from the violent head wound she received from John Reed, this physical blow only begins to scratch the surface of the horrible war Jane has been fighting. The psychological and even sometimes physical war is fought for Jane’s equality and the right to love and be loved. Brontë progresses to illustrate the vile sanguine room. “Out of these deep surroundings shades rose high, and glared white, the piled-up mattresses and pillows of the bed, spread with a snowy Marseilles counterpane. Scarcely less prominent was an ample cushioned chair near the head of the bed, also white, and looking as I thought, like a pale throne” (Brontë 17). The white chair is symbolic of justice and the victory of incorruptibility. The allusion to the stark white demonstrates the innocence of Jane, against those charges vehemently thrust upon her by John Reed. This is further affirmed with the mention of the snowy throne. “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God...And the sea...
In relation to the above, until the very last few lines of the story, Jane herself, is unnamed.(Hume, 477) This absence correlates with the void she has in the place at which a non-psychotic person would have a relation to the Husband/Father. Furthermore, even though her name eventually is revealed, it is, in essence, a no name: Jane, as in Jane Doe, as in anonymous, without a history or connections of any sort.
Jane's mood. Jane is being kept away from Mrs. Reed - her aunt and her
Elizabeth seems to be a more realistic character than her benevolent sister, Jane. Elizabeth is able to scrutinize and recognize that people are definitely deceiving and limited. Jane, on the other hand, has a more optimistic way of viewing people. Elizabeth has noticed Jane’s cordiality towards other people multiple times and expresses her feelings when Jane reminisces on her meeting with Mr. Bingley: “‘You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak...
Parallel to many of the great feministic novels throughout literary history, Jane Eyre is a story about the quest for authentic love. However, Jane Eyre is unique and separate from other romantic pieces, in that it is also about a woman searching for a sense of self-worth through achieving a degree of independence. Orphaned and dismissed at an early age, Jane was born into a modest lifestyle that was characterized by a form of oppressive servitude of which she had no autonomy. She was busy spending much of her adolescent years locked in chains, both imaginary and real, as well as catering to the needs of her peers. Jane was never being able to enjoy the pleasures and joys that an ordinary and independent child values. Jane struggles through her daily rituals and average lifestyle until she becomes a governess. This allows her to reap the benefits and some privileges that had only been available to those she had previously served. This enabled Jane to realize the infinite treasurers and possibilities life had to offer. This new way of life made Jane want autonomy and independence more than ever, giving her a reason to pursue her dreams. Throughout Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre, the story’s protagonist, Jane, struggles to find a way for authentic love to coexist with her need for autonomy; to find a workable balance between the needs of love and autonomy that promotes her sense of independence and self worth while also allowing her to give fully of herself to another.
Jane hates the thought of marrying "above her station", as she does not want to feel that she somehow "owes" Rochester something. Her feelings and desires for Rochester are tightly bound with her feelings about her social position as well as her position as a woman. Jane tries to swallow her insecurities and continue with the plan to marry, but on their wedding day, Jane discovers Rochester is already married to a mad woman.
The interactions between Jane and Bingley are vital to the plot and pave the way for all the other relationships to form. Their relationships run into numerous complications, both from Jane’s family and more insidiously from Bingley’s. Mrs. Bennet and Jane’s sisters make a fool of themselves while at a ball and leave the Bingleys and Darcy with a negative view of
It’s not understood why she would agree to the rules of their relationship. Little is truly known about her. Why she falls in love with John is also not well understood given the way he treats her as a project. The script doesn’t explore her psychological make-up. At the end, she appears to want a real commitment and to have a normal, ordinary life. Jane does sound older than being 19 years old.
Jane encounters many traits about Rochester unlike any trait of a man she’s ever known; such as his unconventional propriety and blunt directness. Despite his stern disposition and unattractiveness, he wins over Jane’s heart. Jane is inferior to Rochester financially and socially, but Jane is equal to him in intelligence and compassion. After their relationship was interrupted
Because of this, when he finally comes upon Jane, he has little idea how to treat her as the person she is, rather than treating her as one of his past lovers. The pain and bitterness that stays from previous relationships is a considerable part of why he refuses to acknowledge any connection to other women. He refuses to believe that he fathered Adele (p.153), as well as ignoring the familial connection through marriage to Mrs. Fairfax (p.104). It also acts as his excuse as to why he led Blanche Ingram on without guilt despite knowing her less than wholesome
Through Jane's entire life she has been treated poorly from school at lowood with the teachers and her family the reeds(which consisted of her aunt and cousins). Jane only had a couple of people that really cared about her. Jane has now taken the ideal life of her best friend Helen which is now seen in Jane. As Jane gets to know mr Rochester more and more everyday, we begin to see her affection for him grow. We begin to see their relationship grow as mr Rochester continuously ask Jane paradox questions when they first meet. He sees her character through her work of art because of the fact that he knows much about the art of that time. As Jane falls for him, her life becomes more chaotic.
Influential female characters in literature reflect the struggle for equality women have with men. Much like reality, these characters seek individualism and liberty from, or equality with, men in a society dominated by men. These seekers are called feminists and many feminists see Charlotte Bronte’s titular character Jane Eyre as a proto-feminist icon of the Victorian era. Not only does Jane Eyre show the struggle of one woman under one man it represents the struggle of women in a male-dominated society. Reading Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre through a feminist perspective reveals Jane’s fight for independence, individuality, and equality in a society controlled and dominated by men.