Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day....I was glad of
it; I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons:
dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped
fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the
nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to
Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed."
So goes the opening to the novel 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte. We
are immediately brought into the story; the scene has been set and
feelings exposed. As can be seen in this quotation, Bronte creates a
very friendly, easy opening, attempting to make an intimate
relationship with the reader. The characters most personal feelings
are openly displayed, this being very uncommon in 19th century novels.
In 'Jane Eyre' Bronte writes in the first person, giving the novel a
more autobiographical feel. These paragraphs also give us an example
of pathetic fallacy, a technique repeatedly used by Bronte throughout
the earlier chapters of 'Jane Eyre'. In addition to this we are shown
Jane's dislike, as a child and adult, of the Reed children and her
position and inadequacy in the Reed household; Gateshead.
The portrayal of life with the Reed family and Jane's whole childhood,
is one both cruel and fascinating. Bronte, through Jane's eyes and
thoughts, manages to convey life and the world from a child's
perspective, while still maintaining an adult's way of thinking. Jane
is very perceptive and intelligent, and this shown when she is faced
with John Reed. Her fear of him is immediately appears when he
interrupts her peace while she is reading, and she states how she
"trembled at the idea of being dragged forth" by him. As the readers,
we are shown how she must have been treated in such a way that she has
become fearful of her own cousins. Moreover, when John tells Jane to
refer to him as 'Master', we are shown how socially inferior and
insignificant she is to them, and is constantly being reminded of
this. Right from the beginning of the novel Jane's sense of loneliness
and isolation is evident form the way she hides herself behind thick
curtains in a deserted room, neglected by her cousins and aunt. The
description of John Reed given to us by Jane is extremely visual and
detailed and we are shown that, although of a young age, Jane is very
sensitive, alert and prudent of people and the world around her.
Mrs Reed, while remaining a minor character, becomes one of the most
influential people in Jane Eyre's life, although still not
In Stephen Dunn’s 2003 poem, “Charlotte Bronte in Leeds Point”, the famous author of Jane Eyre is placed into a modern setting of New Jersey. Although Charlotte Bronte lived in the early middle 1800’s, we find her alive and well in the present day in this poem. The poem connects itself to Bronte’s most popular novel, Jane Eyre in characters analysis and setting while speaking of common themes in the novel. Dunn also uses his poem to give Bronte’s writing purpose in modern day.
We learn that Jane is a young girl who is a victim of emotional and
There are many stages throughout the book in which the reader can feel sympathy for Jane Eyre; these include when she is locked in the Red Room, when Helen Burns dies at Lowood, and when she and Mr. Rochester are married the first time.
In the novel Jane Eyre, it narrates the story of a young, orphaned girl. The story begins shortly after Jane walk around Gateshead Hall and evolves within the different situations she face growing up. During Jane’s life the people she encounter has impact her growth and the character she has become.
we cannot get a clear picture of Jane herself. Most of what we know is
From an early age Jane is aware she is at a disadvantage, yet she learns how to break free from her entrapment by following her heart. Jane appears as not only the main character in the text, but also a female narrator. Being a female narrator suggests a strong independent woman, but Jane does not seem quite that.
The Quest for Inner Beauty in Jane Erye The beauty of a woman is usually classified into two categories: superficial, or physical, beauty and inner, or intellectual, beauty. In the Charlotte Bronte's Jane Erye, the protagonist rejects her own physical beauty in favor of her intelligence and morality. This choice allows her to win the hand of the man she desires. Jane values her knowledge and thinking before any of her physical appearances because of her desire as a child to read, the lessons she is taught and the reinforcements of the idea appearing in her adulthood.
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.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, it was love, and not age or education, that led Jane to mature and grow as a person. With the help of Helen Burns and Miss. Temple, Jane Eyre learned what it meant to love someone. Both these people influenced Jane to mature into a young lady by showing Jane their love and affection. When Jane left Lowood to become a governess, she met the love of her life, Mr. Rochester. With his love, Jane Eyre eventually matured fully and grew into a self-sufficient woman and left the hatred and anger behind.
According to Alexandria’s daily newspaper, The Town Talk, approximately 34,910 cases of suspected child abuse were reported in Louisiana alone last year (Crooks). Charlotte Bronte tells of one victim of child abuse in her novel Jane Eyre. In Jane Eyre, Bronte chronicles the life of Jane, a notoriously plain female in want of love. After being abused, Jane portrays many characteristics which other victims of abuse often portray. Throughout the novel, Jane is reclusive, pessimistic, and self-deprecating. Although Jane does display such traits through most of her life, she is finally able to overcome her past. By facing her abusive aunt, Jane rises above her abuse to become truly happy.
The Gothic Features of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte A Gothic novel is a type of literature, which became very popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. At this time, the snares are a lot more. society was governed by strict moral codes. The "Gothics" would escape. into a world of dark, supernatural, and wild passions. The word Gothic meant barbarous and wild and many writers liked to involve these elements in their novels.
A Critical Evaluation of Jane Eyre Although Jane Eyre grows and matures, Margaret McFadden-Gerber views her as a relatively emotionally stable young feminist. Through the duration of the novel, Jane demonstrates her "self-love" that is often an influential emotion leading to drastic and hasty reactions. In the very opening few chapters, Jane takes a stand for herself and presents her bruised ego, pride and maturity. Sara Reed, her aunt, dismisses her place in the family as Jane is physically and emotionally removed from her "family's" activities.
In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Jane struggles against Bessie, the nurse at Gateshead Hall, and says, I resisted all the way: a new thing for me…"(Chapter 2). This sentence foreshadows what will be an important theme of the rest of the book, that of female independence or rebelliousness. Jane is here resisting her unfair punishment, but throughout the novel she expresses her opinions on the state of women. Tied to this theme is another of class and the resistance of the terms of one's class. Spiritual and supernatural themes can also be traced throughout the novel.
Charlotte Bronte's classic, Jane Eyre, is a "coming of age" story. The main character, Jane, travels from the innocence of childhood through the maturity of adulthood. During this journey, Jane goes through the battle of education vs. containment, where she attempts to learn about herself and about the world. She must constantly battle a containment of sorts, however, whether it be a true physical containment or a mental one. This battle of education vs. containment can be seen by following Jane through her different places of residence, including Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield, Moor House and Morton, and Ferndean Manor, where she is, finally, fully educated and escapes the feeling of containment which she held throughout the novel.