Internal Conflict In Jane Eyre

In life we often find ourselves pulled into conflicting directions, with two seemingly equal choices that leave us confused and longing for guidance. Jane Eyre, as pious and faultless as she seems on the outside, is no exception to this. Just like anyone, she is susceptible to insecurity and conflicting thoughts, and when it comes to conflicts, she has more than most. The most prevalent conflict is a matter of the head versus the heart; there are many times where Jane must choose between logic and passion, what she knows and what she feels.
There is very little internal conflict in Jane’s early life; children typically do not struggle with very complex emotions. However, as Jane matures and is sent to Lowood School, her newfound friend Helen Burns presents her with a new way of looking at the world: she can continue letting her emotions get the best of her, or she can choose to think of her reactions and try to better understand those who hurt her. Helen says, “It is not violence that overcomes hate – nor vengeance that most certainly heals injury.” (70) This changes Jane’s philosophy entirely. Up to this point, Jane was accustomed to using wrathful outbursts to express her emotions, as a result of her abusive upbringing. Once she learned of an alternative, Jane was able to use her head as well, and not just her heart.
Later, however, after she leaves Lowood for Thornfield, Jane’s values are

challenged when her paramour and employer Mr. Rochester insists that they marry immediately. Jane’s logic would have insisted that this was foolhardy and silly, had she thought it through. Unfortunately, in this instance, Jane is so overcome with excitement and adoration for Mr. Rochester that she nearly forgets herself. Her heart takes over, and she nearly goes through with it, until fate intervenes and gives her a chance to see the truth: Rochester is married to a crazed woman, Bertha, who he keeps quarantined on the third floor of his manor. While Jane’s mind has come back to her and she realizes that her marriage to Rochester would be adulterous and therefore morally reprehensible, her passion still makes itself known, and she cannot simply forget her love for Rochester. Because her trust in him has dwindled immensely and their relationship has become rocky, she decides that the best course of action would be to leave, where she will no longer be subject to Rochester’s tearful, mournful apologies. For the time being, Jane’s head has prevailed over her heart. She admits that she may have been too in love with Rochester to notice his flaws, when she says, “Mr. Rochester was not to me what he had been; for he was not what I had thought him.” (345)
Jane’s final conflict presents itself in the form of St. John Rivers, a pious man who takes up the mantle of Jane’s “protector”. St. John proves himself to be a persuasive manipulator, and almost convinces Jane to marry him and accompany him to India on a mission trip. Logically, St. John’s offer is not entirely bad – he offers stability and a chance to travel, which are both attractive ideas to Jane. The price, however, is her freedom; she would be forever bound to St. John and his wishes, should she agree. Jane says, in regard to how he would drain her of her freedom and, as a result, her happiness, “If I were to marry you, you would kill me. You are killing me now.” (477) This presents an emotional dilemma for Jane, as she values her freedom, and deep down, she still ultimately loves Mr. Rochester. In a final battle of her wits and her passion, she returns to Rochester’s side and stays there, even after she discovers that he has been maimed in a fire at Thornfield Hall and will require constant attention and care. Jane’s heart led her in the correct direction, in the end – despite the popular opinion that passion will always lead one astray. While Jane’s heart did not always put her on the best path, like when she almost married Rochester on a whim, her head was not infallible either; this can be observed when she nearly throws herself into a controlling and potentially abusive marriage of convenience with St. John. Despite their wrongs, both aspects of her mind did good as well. For instance, Jane takes Helen Burns’ words to heart and makes herself a more tolerant, forgiving person, one less prone to ireful emotional outbursts. Here, she learns to use more of her head and less of her heart. By the same token, she learns that too much logic can lead one astray when she considers St. John’s marriage proposal.
Ultimately, Jane Eyre carries a message of moderation.

Anything in the extreme is dangerous; too much piety, or too much anger, are both dangerous. Jane’s life is a testament to the dangers of these extremes and the good that can come from equal measure; like passion and logic, possessiveness and indifference, or wrath and submission. Jane experiences the full spectrum of these extremes and sees firsthand the dangers they bring. Towards the end, with these experiences having stayed with her, Jane is better able to control her impulses and, as a result, finds happiness at

last.