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Examples Of Passion In Jane Eyre

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In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë establishes tension between passion and reason. Jane, like fire, brings her passionate nature into instances that contradict her virtues. Sometimes, however, her passionate nature causes conflict in her relationships and makes her tempted to forget about her own values of equality and independence. In contrast, St. John, like ice, is extremely logical and appears cold and calculating, and this also makes it difficult for him to form meaningful relationships. Helen Burns is both highly reasonable and passionate, which leads her to a more satisfying life. Although Brontë emphasizes the danger of unchecked passion, she uses supporting characters and metaphors of fire and ice to show that passion, when balanced with …show more content…

In fact, Jane becomes even more enraged after Bessie releases her from the red room and tries to calm her down. She tells Bessie that trying to calm her down is as if “she [Bessie] might as well have said to the fire, ‘don’t burn!’” (34). Her passion makes her brave enough to stand up to Ms. Reed herself and tell her that she is “bad, hard-hearted and deceitful!” (59). Brontë adds another metaphor to show that while Jane enjoys the rush of this moment, describing it as “aromatic wine...swallowing, warm and racy”, she becomes so passionate that she is unaware of the guilt, the “after-flavour, metallic and corroding” that is to follow (62). As a result, Brontë shows the danger of untempered passion; it brings temporary joy and lasting …show more content…

She tells her aunt that she has “her full and free forgiveness”, and Jane is rewarded for her kindness with the new knowledge of a family member, John Eyre (93). This shows that unlike how unchecked passion or unchecked reason can break people apart, a balance of reason and passion can actually help bring people together. Jane continues to apply Helen’s lesson and realize its benefits throughout the rest of the novel, particularly when Mr. Rochester asks her to be his mistress after he reveals that he already has a wife named Bertha Mason. Jane leaves Mr. Rochester because being a mistress goes against her internal value system, particularly her desire for independence and equality in her relationships: “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will” (428). Brontë uses the metaphor of the bird to represent Jane’s growth and desire for freedom. Although Jane loves Mr. Rochester passionately, she knows that by returning to him she would become a mistress and put her values of equality and independence at risk. Instead, Jane prays that “Rochester [is] safe” and that “by God would he be guarded” (432). Prayer allows her to express her passion for her lover and to preserve her own values at the same time, which makes her more satisfied with herself, even when she later becomes “an outcast and a

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