Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, is the story of Jane, an orphan girl with a harsh upbringing. During a time when women were condemned for learning more than custom pronounced necessary, Jane becomes educated intellectually, socially, and spiritually. In the course of growing up she travels to many places as she battles to learn more about herself and about the world. In the following paragraphs you’ll see how Bronte establishes that money and power do not make a person. Mrs. Reed, Mr. Rochester, and Mr. Brocklehurst all reflect this, they are not nice or perfectly content people. She demonstrates that general education is more important than wealth.
The story begins at the Reed’s residence at Gateshead Hall. Jane is excluded from the Reed’s activities so she tries to educate herself by reading books. Soon enough though, John Reed finds her, takes away the book and strikes her with it. “You are like a slave-driver” (Bronte: 43), cries Jane. In this passage Jane compares John with a slave-driver because like one, John deprives her of her endeavor to educate herself and keeps her suppressed. In the boarding school for orphaned girls called Lowood, Jane sees that movement towards progress and knowledge is retained. Mr. Brocklehurst, the director of Lowood, wants the girls to “clothe themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel” (Bronte: 96). So he doesn’t allow for girls to be dressed neatly or with curls in their hair because to him that’s a sin of showing off. His goal it seems is not to truly educate this girls for their own improvement, but merely to educate them to serve the wealthy.
In spite of many hardships, Jane manages to graduate and becomes a governess under Mr. Rochester’s employment. Mr. Brocklehurst’s influence on Jane to be plain, to be an underclass to serve becomes more apparent when Jane thinks, “is it likely he (Mr. Rochester) would waste a serious thought on this indigent and insignificant plebeian?” (Bronte: 191). Having no money or a house of her own, she considers herself inferior and unlikely that Mr. Rochester, being a man of power and class, would ever lay eyes on her. When Jane leaves Thornfield after she finds out that Mr. Rochester is married, she decides that it’s better to be a schoolmistress, honest and free, than to stay and become a slave full of remorse and shame.
St. John Rivers makes some very intriguing choices in Jane Eyre. He is constantly faced with difficult decisions to make. Whether it be refusing his true love or moving to India to give his life serving others, there is always an interesting twist where St. John is concerned. His importance in the novel may be evident to readers, but they may not always understand his decisions and his actions. The choices he makes are exemplary of a man who has given his life to serve God and His people.
The novel starts with giving an outlook on how the lower classes were being treated. The young Jane Eyre lives with Mrs Reed, who was the woman married to her uncle. Jane’s uncle adopted her, and when he died she had to take care of her. Jane is ambiguous i...
Jane Eyre has a rough start to her foundation, to begin she is orphaned at a young age. This sets up many problems for the young girl and her fragile identity. The people around worsen the situation as Jane grows. They challenge her patience, integrity, and intelligence. As a female Jane must deal with the caste system of her time as a threat, and as an orphaned child she must deal with the cast system as an obstacle. The family of Reeds that she lives with reminds her everyday of her low position. “She suffers precisely because she knows the value of caste; She may be poor, but she does not want to belong to the poor” (Bell 2). This makes Jane want to thrive more because she realizes the odds against her. Originally, Jane comes from a middle-class family but when her father dies she is left to the pity of the Reeds. The Reeds mistreat Jane and she grows to long the outside world. Jane clearly shows her position when she says, “ It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, as submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved”.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre displays three types of relationships possessing different purposes. These connections are established at Thornfield after Jane becomes a governess and accepts the position at the estate. The first relationship is the one that forms between Mrs.Fairfax, the housekeeper, and Jane. Another relationship that begins upon arrival at Thornfield is the one that Jane possesses with Adele, her pupil. The last and most important relationship that begins is that of Mr. Rochester and herself. These connections contribute to the crucial development of Jane’s persona.
In the novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses Jane Eyre as her base to find out how a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with her responsibilities. . Mistreated abused and deprived of a normal childhood, Jane Eyre creates an enemy early in her childhood with her Aunt Mrs. Reed. Just as Mrs. Reeds life is coming to an end, she writes to Jane asking her for forgiveness, and one last visit from her.
In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte use Georgiana reed one of Jane’s extremely privileged and wealthy cousins as the first foil. Georgiana reed was depicted as “her beauty, her pink cheeks …delight to all who looked at her (Bronte 20).” Georgiana has beautiful blue eyes with yellow ringlet hair, compared to Jane who is said to look plain and even in some cases ugly “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little(72).” Jane being compared to Georgiana; helps me see Jane’s characteristics because Jane knows that superficial things such as wealth and beauty can only get one so far in life, it shows me that Jane is independent and determined to surpass her current situation. Georgiana reed is also rich, a noble and has a loving family while Jane on the other hand has been a burden to her “family”, poor and on top of that is an orphan.
Jane Eyre is born into a world where she is left bereft of the love of parents, family, or friends, but instead surrounded by hateful relatives. She resolves to attend school to begin her quest for independence. This theme is seen through Jane’s behavior when she renounces her relation to her aunt Mrs. Reed, ignoring the nurse’s orders and leaving her room to see Helen again, and when she acquires the courage to speak her opinion to Mr. Rochester.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
Charlotte Bronte addresses the theme of morality in the novel Jane Eyre using many characters as symbols. Bronte states, "Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion." In Jane Eyre, Bronte supports the theme that customary actions are not always moral through the conventional personalities of Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and St. John Rivers.
During the nineteenth century, one's social class determined every aspect of their lives. From determining one's occupation to whom one was to marry, society created boundaries that ensured that all people "stayed in their place." There are some who will rise and challenge society on their own personal pursuits of happiness; but considering the standards that society may have set for them, they are lodged in the midst of trial and tribulation. In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, eponymous character Jane Eyre faces a personal challenge against society as a result of her impoverished background. Jane's challenge against society develops her character throughout the novel, demonstrates the kind of impact societal standards has had on her as well as reveals ideas and philosophies that are suggested throughout the work.
4. The setting of the novel is set in England during the Victorian Era, and comprises a multitude of locations that reflect Jane’s journey between houses as Gateshead Hall, Ferndean, and Lowood School. These settings in turn affect plot and contribute to the novel, for it opens up Jane’s beginnings and elucidates the restrictive culture she is immersed in. For example, at Gateshead Hall, the setting helps build a sense of discord to the plot-underscoring Jane’s destitution among her rich relatives. “…in Gateshead Hall…nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children (7).” Often bombarded with physical attacks for her poor standing, and looked down upon for her homely looks-the setting gives a glimpse into Jane’s lack of confidence regarding
In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, it was love, and not age or education, that led Jane to mature and grow as a person. With the help of Helen Burns and Miss. Temple, Jane Eyre learned what it meant to love someone. Both these people influenced Jane to mature into a young lady by showing Jane their love and affection. When Jane left Lowood to become a governess, she met the love of her life, Mr. Rochester. With his love, Jane Eyre eventually matured fully and grew into a self-sufficient woman and left the hatred and anger behind.
Jane Eyre is a book that demonstrates the power which a woman is capable of possessing. Through the character of Jane, Charlotte Bronte creates a woman so unlike any other woman of the time. She creates a new woman; a woman who succeeds on her own terms regardless of circumstances and independent of her male counterpart. Jane begins as any other ordinary traditional woman from the Victorian era, meek and fragile, but throughout the course of her life she faces many obstacles and life making decisions, which she fearlessly takes on as no other traditional woman would. She manages to take complete control of her life because of the transformation that she makes into a new woman, making her transformation into a new woman essential for her overall success that is achieved through her free will.
In the novel ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte, Jane shows self-confidence throughout the novel by having a sense of self-worth, and a trust in God and her morals. Jane develops her self confidence through the capacity to learn and the relationships she experiences. Although an oppressed orphan, Jane is not totally with confidence, she believes in what is right and shows passion and spirit at an early age. Helen and Miss Temple equips Jane with education and Christians values that she takes on throughout her life. Jane later also blossoms in self confidence under Mr. Rochester’s love and her family, the Rivers and newly discovered wealth. Bronte uses dialogue and 1st person narration to give an insight of the characters for the reader to see what the characters are saying and suggest what they are really thinking, and it shows Jane’s self-confidence growing in every stage of her life.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre represents the role of women in the Victorian era by giving the reader an insight into the lives of women from all social classes. Jane Eyre therefore represents figures of the Victorian time yet the character of Jane Eyre, herself, can be seen as very unconventional for the Victorian society.