Money In Jane Eyre Essay

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In Jane Eyre, money tempts, infects, and eventually takes control of the ideas and moral decisions of most characters. There are innumerable examples of the effect of money in Jane Eyre. However, since Jane obtained many positive qualities such as humbleness in arduous ordeals, she retains her discipline and morals when introduced to money. While it takes a long time for almost all people to attain this skill of self-discipline, Jane gains this skill earlier than most people would due to all her past tests.
The outside world’s social standards bring Jane to believe that, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” can only be obtained by having an abundance of money. Jane is succumbed by this universal belief and concludes that her romantic …show more content…

Rochester’s father and brother. Leading up to this point in the novel, Bertha is discovered and Mr. Rochester explains to Jane why he doesn’t consider himself married. He tells Jane that when he found out that his wife was mentally ill, he went to his family but, “My father and brother Rowland knew all this; but they thought only of the thirty thousand pounds, and joined in the plot against me” (p. 306). In other words, Mr. Rochester asserts that his father and brother were conspiring against him to gain access to Bertha’s dowry proving they’re blinded by “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”; which they believe is only achievable with money. A final example of the importance of money in this book was when Jane was bequeathed a fortune as a result of John Eyre’s death. For Jane, money was not the control of her life. Throughout the book, she searches for love and acceptance and survives without money. Diana, Mary, St. John Rivers, and Mr. Rochester provide the love and acceptance she desired. So when she inherited the money, she shared it equally among the Rivers declaring, “Now the wealth did not weigh on me: now it was not a mere bequest of coin, -it was a legacy of life, hope, enjoyment” (p.

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