Jane Eyre Theme Essay (rough draft) Independence, the capacity to manage ones own affairs, make one’s own judgments, and provide for one’s self. Jane Eyre herself is a very independent woman. Throughout her life she has depended on very few people for very little. Charlotte Brontë wants the reader to learn that independence can open many doors of possibilities. Jane in her younger years was practically shunned by everyone and was shown very little love and compassion, from this throughout her life she searches for these qualities through those around her. Due to Jane’s mother’s disinheritance she was disowned by Mrs. Reed and her children, and was treated like a servant consistently reminded that she lacked position and wealth. …show more content…
Eight years later Jane decides to declare her independence and move away from Lowood, in doing this she opens a door in which leads her in the direction of other opportunities. Another sign of Jane’s independence was when she became eighteen, decided to leave Lowood and start a new beginning on her own to explore the world and fulfill the emptiness that she feels. In leaving Lowood Jane is enabled to experience more opportunities; love and romance, moving to Thornfield, making new close friends, also proving those that did not believe that she would ever come to much that she could accomplish great things in life. “I remembered that the real world was wide, and that a varied field of hopes and fears, of sensations and excitements, awaited those who had courage to go forth into its expanse.” (pg. 77) This shows how Jane Eyre recognizes that there is a bigger world out there. She understands that there are more opportunities out there waiting for her, and that all she has to do is reach out and grab them. “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel, they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do, they suffer from a too rigid restraint. Too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer, and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged creatures to say that they ought to confine
Jane stays inside the walls of Lowood for eight years. She has learned a great deal but all she finds for herself, when she does finally decide to leave, is "a new servitude." The idea that she might be free in an unbounded world is not yet part of her experience -- in a sense, it never will be.
Once again, Jane is unfairly judged and it appears to her that the new life she seeks is long gone. She’s labeled as the outcast, similar to the way she’s treated at Gateshead. (Moseley 3) Jane is stricken; however, Helen Burns assuages the pain. Jane’s friendship with Helen Burns plays a crucial role in controlling her zealous manner. Helen is the archetype of a pure-hearted, caring person with genuine intentions. Her ability to withstand unfair treatment while she maintains her composure provides a role model for Jane to look up to. It’s this persona that Jane desperately needs at this point in her life, especially following the humiliation by Mr. Brocklehurst concerning her fate at Lowood. She teaches Jane the importance of self-control and
Jane Eyre’s life was full of oppression, neglect and sorrow. The novel was formed around a few main ideas. One of those would be the search of love and acceptance. Jane wanted to find a family so desperately and she wanted to belong to people. More than this though, Jane wanted to be treated equally. She was denied equality because of her social status, her income,her lack of “beauty” and most of all because of her gender. The book Jane Eyre shows the struggle that women face while attempting to overcome oppression and inequality in the Victorian era.
Jane begins her life in isolation at Gateshead, abused and misunderstood by her Aunt Reed and cousins. She is constantly reminded of her worthlessness to them and the fact that they view her as a burden, and is literally
In a holistic view, Jane's life had progressed from being a silenced, obedient and isolated child of an abusive family to an empowered, confident, and content woman of high status. As a result of being part of the successful Reed family, both
Jane struggles to have positive relationships or support, growing up in Gateshead under the supervision of a dismissive aunt. The little attention Jane got was almost always negative because she did not fit in the households mold of a perfect child;
She will simply find joy through the recognition of her own positive attributes. This alone is a step towards independence because Jane was taught to feel as though she was not worthy of happiness for much of her life. Abandoning the mindset of unworthiness is a successful method of releasing herself from the grasp of Mrs. Reed. Jane is no longer dependent on negative assertions- Thus, exemplifying her freedom.
It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. Millions are condemned to a stiller doom than mine, and millions are in silent revolt against their lot. Nobody knows how many rebellions besides political rebellions ferment in the masses of life which people earth. Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do … It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex. (Bronte 112-13)
In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the eponymous heroine grows from an oppressed girl into an independent woman. While some of Jane’s success in eventually achieving a fulfilling life can be attributed to luck and other external factors, Jane’s empowerment also depends on her ability to think for herself. Jane knows what she most wants when she faces difficult situations, which helps her to make decisions that are right for her. Jane first exhibits this skill early in the novel, when she expresses her wish to leave the Reed family to go to school. A close reading of this passage shows that as a child, Jane does not find it easy
Jane leaves Lowood for Thornfield, she is both older and wiser but she still is unfulfilled. Pursuing a new position as a governess, Jane hopes her new life will make her whole. At first she is bored by her work. Then Rochester totally transforms
This idea shows through Jane’s character development and the irony of her situation, as she establishes a future for herself that she was never intended to experience.
Growing up as an orphan, Jane carries a fiery rage against her neglectful aunt and cousins throughout her childhood. While Mrs.
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
At a young age Jane manages to fight the common norms placed upon her by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, after the death of both of her parents. Jane manages to know right from wrong and knows she is not less than anyone because of her situation in regards to finance,
Jane Eyre, a novel by Charlotte Brontë, contains several notable themes and messages sent to its readers. Jane Eyre is a coming of age novel that is a story of a girl's quest for equality and happiness. A common theme that recurs throughout the novel is the importance of independence.Charlotte Brontë utilizes several techniques to convey this message, incorporating her personal experiences, as well as including symbolism and motifs. Charlotte Bronte subjects Jane to several conflicts that occur because of Jane’s desire for independence and freedom, such as love, religion, and gender inequality.