Jane Eyre: The Freedom of Love

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 Eyre draws upon many innovative and radical influences that enabled it to become one of the most successful and renowned books of all time. Jane Eyre draws upon fundamentals from both Victorian and Gothic novels to portray...

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...erized by servitude and the lack of any supportive or nurturing love. Her quest to find love and her own measure of independence finds inspiration in the supportive and caring friendship she begins to develop at Lowood. Later, upon meeting Rochester, Jane’s life finds both the romantic and authentic love she has been searching for. However, the dark complexities of Rochester’s life coupled with her own need for autonomy and independence prevent her from being able to fully embrace this love. Eventually, however, through changes in both her own and Rochester’s circumstances, she is able to gain a sufficient degree of autonomy that empowers a stronger sense of “self;” when Jane does achieve this “stronger sense of self” she is then able to resolve the “war” within and, free from this conflict, is finally able to fully commit both herself and her love to Rochester.