A key characteristic of the ‘classic Victorian realist novel’ is the focus on realism. Realism deliberately rejects “conventionally attractive … subjects in favour of sincerity and a focus on the unidealized treatment of contemporary life” (OED). Realism marks a shift to focus on the self as an individual, hence the in-depth depiction of some of the characters in Jane Eyre (Brontë, 1847). An example of this is Jane’s reflection upon how her departure from Thornfield will affect Mr. Rochester. After considering how much he may suffer, she still resists the impulse to enter Mr. Rochester’s sleeping quarters: “My hand moved towards the lock: I caught it back, and glided on.” This shows Jane as a complex character. Conflicting desires exist within her: she loves Mr. Rochester, but morally, she is not resolute with being his mistress, and hence she decided to leave Thornfield. Although deciding between love and morality is not an everyday occurrence, it is a moment that happens because of and in Jane’s daily life. As readers, we are able to empathise with Jane, as her conflicting impulses and motivations closely mirror the daily trials of being human. The realistic novel places greater emphasis on its characters, rather than its plot, and explores the relationships between these characters. The selected passage shows both the servant-master aspect of Jane and Mr. Rochester’s relationship, as well as its romantic nature. At the beginning of the selected passage, Jane affectionately describes Mr. Rochester as a “kind master,” which is indicative that even after his proposal, she is unable to separate herself from her position as a servant. This is further emphasized when Jane states that “he would send for [her] in the morning,” whic... ... middle of paper ... ...ate the true nature of reality. This gives the reader a sense of being there in the moment. A prime example of this within the selected passage is Jane’s action of leaving Thornfield: “Dim dawn glimmered in the yard. The great gates were closed and locked; but a wicket in one of them was only latched. Through that I departed: it, too, I shut; and now I was out of Thornfield.” This detailed description shows Jane’s dedication to her decision to leave Thornfield, and allows the reader feel as if they are with her in the moment. The sequence conjures up strong imagery, which the reader is likely familiar with, such as the sight of early dawn. The locked gates suggest both a sense of confinement and security within Thornfield. Such a layering of small details and observations creates the sense of realism that is characteristic of classic Victorian realist literature.
Analyse the methods Charlotte Brontë uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters. Reflect on how the novel portrays Victorian ideology and relate your analysis to the novel’s literary content.
While an artist uses a variety of colors and brushes to create a portrait, Charlotte Bronte used contrasting characters and their vivid personalities to create a masterpiece of her own. In her novel Jane Eyre, Bronte uses narration and her characters to portray the struggle between a society’s Victorian realism and the people’s repressed urges of Romanticism.
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.
Because Jane is the narrator, the reader is given a biased point of view that St. John’s character is unfavorable. Throughout Jane’s life she has had oppressive male figures dominate her life, such as John Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst; thus, Jane can conditioned herself to be apprehensive when confronting men. After gaining her physical and emotional strength back, Jane studies St. John’s character. Jane’s first impression of St. John is pessimistic, she states “Had he been a statue instead of a man, he could not have been easier”(Bronte 329). By comparing St. John to a statue the reader is forced to see St. John as someone who is cold and rigid. Jane sets up the perception that St.John is disconnected from human feelings. Jane also presents a biased view of men when she first meets Rochester, who later becomes her husband. Furthermore, Jane’s first impressions of Rochester are also negative. Upon first being introduced to Rochester, after he asked to see her, Jane comments, “But it appeared he was not in the mood to notice us, for he never lifted his head as we approached. . . There was something in the forced stiffed bow, in the impatient yet formal tone, which he seemed to further expresses”(Bronte 111). Upon meeting Rochester for the fir...
Supernatural values and natural imagery are a major theme throughout Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre. This essay will examine the representation of natural and supernatural values that play an integral role in developing the story in Jane Eyre.
...eople in her life has also shaped her to feel extreme tension for the characters around her. Although it’s very fortunate that an orphan like Jane her self is able to achieve wealth and power without having education or social motivation , Jane also has manners and shows sophistication while remaining penniless and powerless.
This night prefigures what's going to happen the following day: Jane's going to find out the truth about Rochester. Rochester's description of how he sees Thornfield, "that house is a mere dungeon... filled with slime... cobwebs... sordid slate...
In conclusion, Jane Eyre’s painstaking journey to find a sense of acceptance, affection, and family was finally completed, attaining the things she yearned. She eventually discovered everything she was searching for through Mr. Rochester, forgetting her agonizing past and looking to what was ahead. As Jane looked for many different alternatives to make her feel as if she was complete, she found that Mr. Rochester was the only one who could make her feel
Despite Rochester’s stern manner and unhandsome appearance, Jane still finds herself falling in love with him. During her first encounter with Rochester Jane describes him
Moseley goes on to say, “Liberty and love are in some way at war in the lives of all of us.” It is not until Jane reaches personal liberation, that she is capable of loving someone else to a full extent. Throughout Jane Eyre Jane must learn how to gain love without sacrificing herself in the process. Orphaned at an early age, Jane becomes used to a lackluster lifestyle without any true value. It is not until she finds love and comfort in her friends at Lowood that her life begins to turn around. Upon meeting Rochester, Jane’s life was only as plain as she made it. She untwines in a world wind romance, ultimately finding the love she craved without losing her self-value.
It is human nature to desire freedom and yearn for passion, yet it is also human nature to obtain acceptance and follow reason. It is a never ending battle between passion and reason; without reason there is no acceptance, without passion there is no freedom. In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jane struggles between passion and reason. Though Jane loves Mr. Rochester, her employer at Thornfield Hall, she has certain values to uphold in order to conform with society. Jane does not let her affections overtake her morality, though her return to Mr. Rochester proves passion to be stronger than reason.
This classic English novel focuses on Jane’s struggle against societal expectations of class and of gender. Jane had many struggles with many characters throughout the novel, and this essay focused on some of the most important characters and the most important instances. Those struggles helped her become a smart, independent woman.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, is the story of Jane, an orphan girl with a harsh upbringing. During a time when women were condemned for learning more than custom pronounced necessary, Jane becomes educated intellectually, socially, and spiritually. In the course of growing up she travels to many places as she battles to learn more about herself and about the world. In the following paragraphs you’ll see how Bronte establishes that money and power do not make a person. Mrs. Reed, Mr. Rochester, and Mr. Brocklehurst all reflect this, they are not nice or perfectly content people. She demonstrates that general education is more important than wealth.
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, there are many changes for almost all characters, two of the biggest being how Mr. Rochester and Jane change over the course of the story; Mr. Rochester is changed tremendously by Jane and Jane by him. At the beginning of her relationship with Rochester, Jane begins to open up emotionally to him, but shortly after, closes down again because he breaks her heart. By the end, however, she opens up her heart again and they live out their lives very peacefully. Rochester is a closed-up hermit at first, similar to Jane’s closed heart, but then he evolves into a loving and caring husband to Jane. Mr. Rochester gets damaged in both emotional and physical ways when Jane and he break up, but he is resolved
Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth.