In the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, readers are given a clear depiction of what each character’s physical traits. For example, in the beginning of the story, the reader is given a description of Jane’s cousin John Reed having “unwholesome skin” (p.9) and being large and stocky. The concrete image of John’s physical features directly correlates to his abusive personality Jane. In other words, his physical attributes frame his abusive personality for the reader to consider. But, later Jane compares him to the Roman Emperor Nero, who is considered evil in world history. Because of this, there is now a clear and concrete image of what Jane sees her cousin as. Charlotte Bronte consistently uses frames such as Roman Emperors and physical …show more content…
Jane constantly travels to different places that hold their own significance to the story. But, each place is juxtaposed with a concrete idea when it is first introduced. One example is the Red Room that Jane stays in when she is in trouble. WHen she is in this room, she suddenly sees what she believes to be ghost and begins to scream. This room is now always associated with this image of a ghost in the reader's mind. Ghost hold connotations of death and spirits that now remind Jane of her uncle that tragically died there. This house always feels as if it is missing something because of the loss of Mr. Reed and the cruelty jane receives from her family, so this image of a ghost directly correlates to the idea of something missing in the …show more content…
Rochester. This home is constantly put into consideration with Bluebeards castle, a tale about a man that keeps his wives locked a room and is considered evil. When the reader is first given this frame, they now must consider Thornfield with ideas of entrapment and mysteries. This frame later sets up the rest of the story, because as the story goes on the introduction of Bertha takes place and it is directly connected to Thornfield. But, unlike the other frames, this frame is an allusion to a story rather than a concrete and easily schematized detail. When Bronte chose to use an allusion to frame a something, it opens up a wide array of interpretation for the reader because they have multiple components to consider. Concrete details usually have a very narrow scope to consider, such as a ghost has common connotations that people often think about. Although both of these narrow the scope of the readers freedom to interpret the different settings and characters, concrete details tend to narrow it more than allusions. So, why might Bronte want to use an allusion? Although all readers have different background knowledge about this, Bronte must assume that there can be an idea of entrapment gathered from its looks. This allows her to make this allusion without limiting readers based on their knowledge. So although Bluebeard’s castle has many interpretations, it can still resonate with
An allusion is defined as a brief or unexplained reference to a person, place, or thing of historical or literary significance. Near the novel’s end, the author utilizes allusion, writing “There’s a quiz in English class. It’s Tess of d’Urbervilles, which I’ve read. I think Rhiannon does well.” The main protagonist, A, has been moving around from school to school his entire life.
Jane Eyre has been acclaimed as one of the best gothic novels in the Victorian Era. With Bronte’s ability to make the pages come alive with mystery, tension, excitement, and a variety of other emotions. Readers are left with rich insight into the life of a strong female lead, Jane, who is obedient, impatient, and passionate as a child, but because of the emotional and physical abuse she endures, becomes brave, patient, and forgiving as an adult. She is a complex character overall but it is only because of the emotional and physical abuse she went through as a child that allowed her to become a dynamic character.
From the beginning of the novel, the main character, Jane encounters the supernatural. Charlotte Bronte uses both supernatural and gothic themes to enhance situations for the reader and to develop the characters. In particular natural imageries have been used to convey a human connection with the natural world and human nature (Franklin, 1995). Eyre portrays the intrinsic struggle between supernatural and the effects of nature. Branflinger and Thesing (2002) argue that Bronte used Gothic and the supernatural to explore and portray the darkest alleys of her own psyche which Bronte was deeply disturbed by (p309).
Immediately from the start Bronte’s character Jane is different. She is an orphan, mis-treated and despised by her family. She has no clear social position, is described as “less than a servant” and treated like one. A protagonist who one would assume had no characteristics worth aspiring too. Jane is displayed perfectly in her hiding behind the curtain. She is placed by a window, which beyond is icy and cold, contrasting immensely from the inside of the fire and warmth. A clear statement of the icy coldness of the family she has been put to live with, and her fiery and passionate nature which we discover th...
...otypical woman of the Victorian era who courteously and obediently allowed herself to be dominated by males. Through the depictions of the incarcerated female, Brontë speaks on the ills of an unjust society. Brontë's representation of Bertha as a wild, chained, and trapped animal and the symbolic use of fire reflect the difficulties women had in expressing their sexuality in an era in which men dominated and in which women played the role of the obedient, confined, and inferior being.
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.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 3rd ed. New York: The Modern Library. Bronte, Charlotte. "
posts, this was felt to be a women's job as it is the mother who would
In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses various characters to represent aspects of reason and passion, thereby establishing a tension between the two. In fact, it could be argued that these various characters are really aspects of her central character, Jane. From this it could be argued that the tension between these two aspects really takes place only within her mind. Bronte is able to enact this tension through her characters and thus show dramatically the journey of a woman striving for balance within her character. As a prerequisite for marriage, Jane uses this determination in her relationships with Mr. Rochester and St. John.
... the anger that she had expressed as a young girl, due to the fact that her society does not accept it. This anger that she once held inside is prevelant in Bertha's act. It is in the Red Room that Jane "became increasingly alive with bristling energy, feelings, and sensations, and with all sorts of terrifying amorphous matter and invisible phantoms" (Knapp 146). This igniting energy and flow of feelings, are very similar to those that Bertha realises at Thornfield.
Another important journey Jane makes is from Gateshead back to Thornfield having visited her aunt Reed on her deathbed. By then Jane realizes that she loves Rochester. A key theme is raised here, Jane fierce desire to love and to be loved. She feels alone and isolated when she has no friends around her. This is a sharp contrast compared to other characters’ search for money and social position.
Explore how Charlotte Bronte presents the character of Jane Eyre in the novel of the same name, noting the effects of social and historical influences on the text. Jane Eyre was a plain and insignificant unloved orphan, she was cared for by her aunt Reed, who did not like her but was obliged to look after her because it was a request of Mr. Reed who was also Jane's uncle. Eventually she was sent away to school after fighting with her bullying cousin John and getting locked in the room her Uncle died in, and she fainted. The school was awful with a horrible owner and bad conditions; there was a typhus epidemic in which her friend Helen Burns died.
...ighting for acknowledgement in a society dominated by males. She, unlike her aunt, is not afraid to stand up to John, and is not bossed around by him. She is constantly fighting with him. Bronte uses this difference between Jane and the other women characters to create the picture in her reader’s mind, that women who display the behaviors of the classical Victorian female are bad, and that the women who show independence and individuality are good.
The development of Charlotte Bronte's character, Jane Eyre, becomes vital to her novel Jane Eyre, and the other characters in which she is involved. She is an intelligent, plain featured, honest young girl whose reaction to her situations brings more depth to her personality. She is forced to deal with oppression, discrimination, and at times poverty, which disrupt her strong will, dignity, and desire for freedom. At the beginning, Jane possesses a passion for pride and the idea of freedom and these characteristics, along with her integrity, are tested continuously throughout the novel by the many personalities with whom she encounters. Living in a male dominant world Jane is expected to remain obedient and docile and her passion sometimes keeps her from being able to do this. She is a rarity among obeying female characters and we see this throughout the book.
How does Bront portray Jane as an unconventional female character in the novel Jane Eyre? Jane Eyre was published in 1847, during the reign of Queen Victoria. The novel was written by Charlotte Bront, but published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Pseudonyms were used frequently by women at this point in time, as they were believed to be inferior to men. The The work of female authors was not as well respected as those of male writers.