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The character of Jane Eyre
Jane eyre's character development
Social class and gender issues in charlotte bronte’s jane eyre
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Recommended: The character of Jane Eyre
The Recurrence of Traditional Tales; Links to Fairy Tale Elements in Jane Eyre The early 1800’s shows the marking of what can still be seen in continual use today, fairy tales. Dating back to 1812, we find the first publication of the famous collection of fairy tales by the Grimm brothers and whether we realise it or not, these fairy stories are still in use today (Grimm, Grimm and Tatar, 2004).With the previous 10/15 years of new films utilising both old and new fairy tale themes we are able to indulge children into a dimension most adults will have earlier experienced themselves. In conjunction to this Charlotte Bronte’s, Jane Eyre can be viewed as a prime example. Published in 1847 Jane Eyre is described to be one of the most widely read …show more content…
Clergyman, St. John admires Jane in such a way is it very clear as to what makes her so alluring to not only himself but the prince charming, Mr Rochester. “Jane you are docile, diligent disinterested, faithful, constant and courageous: very gentle very heroic: cease to mistrust yourself- I can trust you reservedly” (Bronte, 1966:607). But to Jane this is not true, much like Cinderella she longs for a sense of excitement and to be beautiful like all others around her. Cinderella is greatly desired by the Prince and as a result her stepmother decides to hide her away. Meaning the Prince had been blocked from finding the illusive foot to fit his slipper. This is reflected in Jane Eyre by her deceitful Aunt informing Jane’s Uncle of a tragic death meaning that he could no longer take custody of Jane. Following on from this, both tales have the occurrence of a ‘kind fairy’ figure. In Jane’s case this is to find her employment which in turn secures her the job at Thornfield leading her to find the love of her life Mr Rochester. In Cinderella’s case she is given the ability to dress for the ball and be in the presence of the Prince Charming, despite the failed attempts of her stepmother, meeting her love. With this being the case, both girls are able to put their upbringing …show more content…
In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy was nothing but an innocent young girl who after an unfortunate event ended up killing a witch; house falling and crushing her. With regards to Jane, she also shared this young innocence and unfortunately was pushed into an unfortunate situation through no fault of her own. Having Mr Rochester deceiving her “was just a judgement on him for keeping his marriage secret, and wanting to take another wife while he had one living” (Bronte 1966) almost puts Jane in this ‘tornado like’ whirl of confusion, having no control of the outcome. As a result Jane searched for a sense of belonging and being valued, not for romantic love, which again links very closely with that of Dorothy, as her journey was in fact to find her way home and back to where she
“Jane Eyre,” by Charlotte Bronte, is a story of an orphaned girl who was forced to live at Gateshead Hall with her Aunt Reed. Throughout her early appalling childhood, Mrs. Reed accused Jane of being deceitful. "I am not deceitful; If I were I would say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you (30)." The author, Charlotte Bronte, used this barbarous quote to reveal to the reader that, Jane Eyre, denies she was deceitful. Deceitful is the major theme of, “ Jane Eyre,” which results in loneliness and wretchedness to the people being lied to but also to the people persisting the untruths.
When we first meet Jane she is a young and orphaned girl with little self-confidence and hope of feelings a sense of belonging and self worth. It is unfair that Jane already feels lonely and desperate in such a cruel world as it is. Jane is open with her thoughts during her narration, “…humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed” (Bronte 7). Jane already feels as though she cannot participate in everyday activities because she acknowledges that she is a weaker person. By Jane believing she is weak she is succumbing to her own entrapment. The novel opens with Jane feeling inadequate about going on a walk with her cousins and the novel ends with Jane embarking on a journey of her very own, this is not a coincidence.
The need to love and to be loved is a general characteristic basic to human nature. However, the moral principles and beliefs that govern this need are decided by the individual. In the novel Jane Eyre , author, Charlotte Brontë, vividly describes the various characters' personalities and beliefs. When the reader first meets the main character, Jane Eyre, an orphan of ten, she is living at Gateshead Hall in England with her Aunt Reed and three cousins, all of whom she greatly despises. Soon after, Jane is sent away to the Lowood Institution, a girls' school, where she lives for the next eight years. Jane then moves to Thornfield Hall to work as a governess for Mr. Rochester; they fall in love and plan to be married. However, during the wedding ceremony, it is revealed that Mr. Rochester already has a wife. Humiliated, Jane leaves Thornfield and travels to Moor House. While there, Jane hears Mr. Rochester's voice calling her name one evening; she immediately returns to Thornfield only to find a charred and desolate house burned by Mr. Rochester's lunatic wife. During the tragedy, Mr. Rochester's wife dies and he looses a hand as well as the sight in both eyes. However, because his wife is deceased, Jane and Mr. Rochester are free to marry and do so. Even though Jane's existence is anchored in the need to love and to be loved, she is an intense character and refuses to sacrifice her moral principles and beliefs regardless of the situation.
This novel takes place in England where in that time period the social classes were very strict, and if you were a women, well good luck. Although Jane has manners and is sophisticated she is still treated like a mere peasant because she does not have the family wealth. An example of a burden of the strict social classes is that although Jane may be in love with Rochester she is not nearly close to his social class, so therefore, the thought of marriage was unspeakable. Jane finally speaks out her feelings in Chapter 23 where she yells at Rochester and tells him that although she may not have the looks and the wealth she still has emotions. If she was as rich and had looks like him it would have been just as hard for him to leave her as it is for her to leave him. At the end she does end up marrying Rochester and some people think that is stereotypical of a woman to go crawling back to the men. And also some people think that goes against feministic views. But the catch here is that if Jane had not inherited that money from her uncle there would have been no possible way for the marriage.
Mr. Rochester’s proposal to Jane leads to wedding preparation including the expensive purchases of objects, outfits, and accessories for Jane’s benefit where “[her] cheek burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation,” (309). This acquirement of items allows Jane to realize her financial and recreational dependence upon Mr. Rochester which comes with shame or feelings of unworthiness. These feelings lead to Jane’s sudden departure from Thornfield with a whisper in her heart to “flee temptation,” (369) which will allow her the freedom she needs in order to grow; therefore, she avoids
" But of course there is a little more than courting going on here. For example, if you compare Jane with one of Jane Austen's young women coming into society, you have a bit more adventure, roughness, and connection to nature. I don't think a Jane Austen character would wander around the forest, sleeping without cover in the wilds of the night to prove a moral point. Jane Eyre can get dirt under her fingernails--that's the difference. You also get more emotion in Jane Eyre, you feel with her, deep hate (for Mrs. Reed), religious conviction (for St. John), and eternal love (for Rochester).
Jane is undoubtedly in an internal struggle to overcome the male dominance that has been placed upon her. She is a perfect illustration of the position women held in society at that time. As the product of a society that frequently accepts women as being below men, she only wants to escape victorious in freeing herself from her husband's control. Jane simply wants company and support that anyone should be allowed to have. Jane's emotions and ideas exemplify those of all women who struggle to find a place for themselves in a male dominated society.
Jane started out with no family, causing her to yearn for someone to accept her as their family, treating her with love and respect. At a young age, Jane lost her parents, leaving her with her aunt and cousins. They treated her poorly, acting as if she was incompetent and considering her more of a servant than a family member. Then, they sent her off to school, forgetting about her entirely. Eventually, Jane acquired the family she had always dreamt of. She never felt quite right with other people accepting her, that is, until Mr. Rochester came into her life. She did not feel as though she had found her true family until she had met him. "All these relics gave...Thornfield Hall the aspect of a home of the past: a shrine to memory.” (92). When they get married, her dreams are achieved, as she finally got the family she had always wanted.
The overriding theme of Jane Eyre is Jane's continual quest for love. Jane searches for love and acceptance throughout the book. The intelligent, honest, plain-featured girl is forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Jane's meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, but she maintains her principles of justice, human dignity, and morality, as well as her values of intellectual and emotional fulfillment. As a governess though, she is subject to economic and gender enslavement. Maturation and self-recognition become evident to the reader as Jane's journey pursues. However, it is not until Jane spends time at Moor House that her maturation is complete. Jane and Rochester, without a doubt, belong together. Jane needs only to discover this for herself. St. John emerges as the crucial character that helps Jane realize her destiny to be with Rochester. When Jane returns to Rochester, she is an independent woman, fully aware of her desire to love, as well as be loved.
... self-worth. She believes that there is a chance for her to change her future. She had to make certain sacrifices in order to discover her strength, true friendships and her self-worth. She sacrifices her love to preserve her self-worth. After realizing her marriage to Rochester cannot be lawful and will mean surrendering her sense of dignity and virtue, she leaves him. When Jane leaves Thornfield she says “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Bronte 336). In the end, she finds her happiness, as she is now with the man she loves, she preserves her self-worth without sacrificing her integrity.
Jane Eyre is a novel written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847, it is written in the first-person narrative. The plot follows Jane Eyre through her life from a young age and through the novel the reader sees Jane maturing from a young girl into adulthood, Jane also goes through many emotions and experiences and the book touches on many themes for example love, social class and religion.
Jane’s perspective of love is based upon a mutual understanding and equality. Jane’s equality in a relationship is derived from her desire of independence. Jane reveals her need of independence in her relationship with Mr. Rochester when she told him she would always call him master but she would not be inferior to him. Haiyan Gao asserts in her article “Reflection On feminism in Jane Eyre,” “Jane loves Rochester with all her heart and Rochester’s status and wealth make him so high above for Jane to approach, yet she never feels herself inferior to Rochester though she is a humble family teacher.” It is also notable that Jane does not pursue a relationship with Mr. Rochester with the intention of gaining money. Her love is solely based on equality and independence and not status, power, or property. As Heidi Kelchner proclaims in her article “Jane Eyre,” “Although she ranks far below Rochester in social rank and wealth, she feels equal to him in soul, understanding his true nature.” Jane has pure intentions in her marriage with Mr. Rochester as she believes he is her equal and true love. Jane proves that she seeks true love once more when she rejects St. John Rivers marriage proposal. St. John had offered Jane an invitation to become his missionary wife in India. Jane acknowledges that he does not seek marriage for love but instead for religious purposes. Therefore, Jane proposes an alternate plan that allows her to serve as a single, independent missionary and co-worker of John. As Heidi Kelchner affirms Jane’s thoughts in her article “Jane Eyre,” “As St. John’s wife, she fears she would be restrained, and always checked forced to keep the fire of her nature continually low.” She would not be degraded to an object but rather wanted to stand as a strong independent woman. Jane would not accept the humiliated marriage to please St. John’s wishes. She would continue to look for true love based upon
Although written during both the Victorian and Gothic time period, Jane Eyre draws upon many revolutionary influences that ultimately enabled it to become one of the most successful books of all time. Jane Eyre is merely a hybrid of a Victorian and Gothic novel, infusing a share of dark allusions with overzealous romanticism. The primitive cultures of the Victorian period reflect high ethical standards, an extreme respect for family life, and devotional qualities to God, all in which the novel portrays. Yet, to merely label Jane Eyre as a Victorian novel would be misleading. While the characteristics of a Gothic no...
Jane Eyre truly captures the elements that made up the Victorian Era: oppression and social constraint based on social norms at the time. The novel appreciates women and puts them in a light where they have rarely been seen in. Instead of keeping the protagonist restrained to the home, the author Charlotte Bronte, allowed Jane to be free and search for her true identity, which was considered a stray from the social customs of the Era. Furthermore, Bronte uses the novel to criticize the hypocrisy and inequality that existed during this time period through different characters and experiences. Through the social criticism lens, Jane Eyre was created as an unorthodox display against marriage, religion, and gender
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.