Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” is said to be a reflection of her own self, where Jane is meant to represent her. However, Jane excelled in what Charlotte Brontë couldn’t, and that’s fluency in conversation which made her superior to her creator. Let that alone, throughout the story, Jane, the novel’s small, plain, unloved, loving, forgiving, and determined protagonist, faces numerous obstacles that can be said to be difficult. It is these obstacles she faces which shape her to become who is she is by the end of the story. However, there’s just this one particular point in her life that shows Jane’s psychological and moral development. Of course it is not the only point, but it can be said that it’s one of the most important moments in her life. This is when she decides to leave St. John, only to return to her beloved Mr. Rochester, despite eventually learning of his …show more content…
That was because of the quiet, routine-like life she led there at first. However, all changes with the return of Mr. Rochester. It was the first time for her to experience love ever since Helen Burns’ death. She starts getting the ideas of feminism and women’s rights. She started believing in the equality of men and women, yet she acknowledged that man is her master when she gives in to Mr. Rochester’s love. Then, she shows a sign of maturity when she goes back to Gateshead once she hears of her aunt’s situation. She puts aside everything that once happened, and overlooks the indifference of her cousins, and becomes very forgiving, where she forgives her aunt for her ill-treatment of her as a child, and for depriving her of her uncle’s care. Jane’s strength is once more put to the test on her wedding day, when the existence of Bertha Rochester is revealed. In the face of temptation, Jane flees and leaves Mr. Rochester behind despite his begging her to go away with him to France and his making it hard for her to refuse
But then a voice revered me that I could do it; and foretold that I should do it. I wrestled with my own resolution... Jane wants to be weak and just love Mr Rochester and be with him yet her character was strong, leading her away from Thornfield and into a whole new perspective of the world. Penniless and hungry,
Furthermore, Jane says “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Chapter 27, Bronte.) This statement greatly represents the growth that Jane has undergone. She no longer dreads the solitude that once haunted her because she respects herself enough to realize that she did not deserve to experience such great dismay. Through independence and self-recognition, Jane has discovered the importance of loving oneself. Without the reliance on the thoughts of others, the once extremely troubled girl found bliss through a lack of outside control. In regards to her relationship with Mr. Rochester, Jane understands that she must leave him behind to maintain her own well-being. She does not allow the wealth or proclaimed love from Rochester to skew her decisions and she does not linger to dominate the life of her lover. Instead, she moves forward to continue her endless pursuit of happiness and independence.
Once Jane finally meets her employer, Rochester, she realizes soon after that she loves him. Jane says, “’I have known you, Mr. Rochester; and it strikes me with terror and anguish to feel I absolutely must be torn from you for ever. I see the necessity of departure; and it is like looking on the necessity of death’” (Brontë 377). In this moment, Jane realizes she doesn’t want to leave Thornfield because her love for Rochester has grown over the few months she has been there.
In chapter 16 we can see Jane beginning to develop feelings for Mr Rochester: “glad at least to go downstairs; for that brought me...closer to Mr Rochester’s presence” This marks a stride in her emotional development as in this instance, rather than developing an attachment to a mother figure in the search for a family, Jane is becoming attached romantically which demonstrates that she is thinking in a more adult way and instead of wanting to join a family it seems that she is striving to create one of her own. Jane’s ongoing suspicions regarding Bertha Mason, whose existence she is at this stage unaware of, show her increasing maturity as she is prepared to look deeper into a situation and is clearly no longer as naïve as she was when she previously believed Mrs Fairfax’s explanation that the laughter was Grace Poole. However, Jane is willing to believe what she is told because of her feelings for Rochester which conveys a certain amount of naivety still present as, in a fairly childlike manner; she is inclined to believe what she is told by superiors as opposed to forming her own opinions or inquiring further. Jane’s reformed perspective shows that she has developed from previous chapters. Her opinion was that at Thornfield, everything was as it seemed, she has revised her opinions in an adult way and
When the pair first meets, Mr. Rochester has hurt himself on a sheet of ice. This instances foreshadows the nature of the couple’s relationship when Jane leaves Thornfield. Though Mr. Rochester was not considered handsome, the passion within him fascinated Jane, drawing her closer to him over time. As Eric Solomon states in his article, “Jane Eyre: Fire and Water,” “It is Rochester who is all-fire” (216). The fire that consumes Mr. Rochester draws Jane in, because she knows there is another soul that relates and feels things the way that she does. Her superior in both age and class, it is surprising that Mr. Rochester chooses Jane as his romantic partner. During this century, as Caroline Levine articulates in her article “‘Harmless Pleasure’: Gender, Suspense, and ‘Jane Eyre,’” “men in superior positions cannot intend to marry their inferiors” (282). Because Jane is straightforward and sensible, in contrast to Blanche Ingram who primarily desires him for his wealth, Mr. Rochester sees past Jane’s simple appearance and gradually falls for her. Yet Mr. Rochester’s legal wife, Bertha Mason, keeps him from wholly being with Jane. Representing suppressed sexual passion and insanity, Bertha is the antithesis of Jane. Despite loving Mr. Rochester, Jane fears marrying him because she does not want to lose her freedom. While Jane never acts upon these feelings, Bertha does. She
In this Brief, the petitioner Julie Williams will be referred to as Julie, Appellant. Respondent Jessie Sampson will be referred to as Jessie, Appellee.
So, Rochester showed the brother (Richard), the priest, and Jane his wife. He explained how Bertha had lit his bed on fire, stabbed Richard, and destroyed Jane’s wedding veil's; she was more a monster than a wife. Heartbroken by learning of this marriage, Jane fled to her room where she stayed for hours upon hours. "Jane Eyre, who had been an ardent expectant woman - almost a bride - was a cold, solitary girl again: her life was pale; her prospects were desolate (341)." When she finally emerged, Rochester tried to convince her to stay with him. “I have for the first time found what I can truly love–I have found you. You are my sympathy–my better self–my good angel–I am bound to you with a strong attachment (363).” This was not something she could not do; as Rochester said, "...[It would] strip you of honour and rob you of self-respect (346)..." The next morning, Jane left Thornfield Hall with some money and few possessions. She did not say goodbye to
Rochester sees and experiences first hand the kindness, compassion, and honestly Jane shares with others. He has felt the love from Jane and strives to produce the same for her. Mr. Rochester knowns that Jane is a better individual than he will ever be him and thats what intrigues him so very much about the young girl. He knows that she will constantly challenge him and better himself every day. Although Jane’s job is to govern Adele, she seems to teach Mr. Rochester just as much.
While Jane was away after the first attempt of marriage, Rochester changed and found humility within himself. Mr. Rochester was slightly the lady of the evening in his past. But he is worthy of Jane through his dear love for her. She now has no tail. She has left all of her childishness behind.
With Jane’s character we see more of an importance places on womanly independence. Her’s satisfaction on not being dependent on Rochester creates a sharp contrasts to the traditional role in Victorian
253). The opening of chapter 26, Brontë (p. 253) introduces the morning of the matrimony between Jane and Mr Rochester, to concluding the chapter in a tone of solitary helplessness, disillusionment and a loss of purpose, as Jane professed, “the whole consciousness of my life lorn, my love lost, my hope quenched, my faith death-struck, swayed full and mighty above me in one sullen mass” (p. 262). Mr Rochester exercises the Victorian female dichotomy through his use of angelic imagery in his representation of Jane. Mr Rochester associates Jane’s innocence and inexperience to her youth by continually addressing her youth, being a “young girl”, with untainted “clear eyes”, whereas Bertha is described in such a manner as to take the form of a red eyed “demon” (p. 259). Bertha’s physical representations, by Mr Rochester, is synonymous with her mental
Initially at Thornfield, before falling in love with Rochester, Jane finds her surroundings calm, yet strangely unsatisfying. Questioning the validity of rigid, preconceived gender roles, she begins her constant struggle against the confines of patriarchy. Jane continues to use her retreats into her own mind to cope with the monotony of her surroundings.
Halloween is a night of sweets, outfits, and fun that exclusively comes around once per year on October 31st. This is a period when individuals get an opportunity to dress up and be somebody or something else. Individuals can go to parties, haunted houses, or go trick or-treating. There are things to people do no matter their age. Halloween is filled with rich with history, old religious convictions, and stories.
One of the most famous passages from the novel comes from Jane’s very clearly feminist inner monologue. She states that “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel…they suffer from too rigid a restraint…” (130). Jane, as a forward-thinking and progressive protagonist, exemplifies in every sense the essence of gender equality of her time. Bronte reveals the limitations experienced by the female sex and the effects of those limitations on her protagonist. By doing this, the author uses Jane to fulfill her feminist and pro-equality agenda. Another example of Jane’s inner monologue comes from her irritation with Rochester. When Rochester showers Jane with gifts soon after their engagement, Jane’s “…cheek[s] burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation” (309). She becomes increasingly irritated with Rochester because of the complete lack of respect Rochester has for her feelings due to his joy of becoming engaged. Because Jane is already considered inferior to Rochester because of her lack of wealth and her status as an unmarried woman, being pelted with lavish tokens of affection is less than an ideal situation for her. This imbalance between the two highlights the already sexist society of the Victorian era. After Jane’s engagement to Rochester, she recounts the fact that she “…could not, in those days, see God for His creature: of whom I had made an idol” (316). She becomes blinded by the overpowering love she held for Rochester, to the extent that she put him on a pedestal, seeing him as an “idol”, and not a human being capable of fallacies. Bronte uses this dangerous mental circumstance Jane is in to illuminate the clear disparity between men and women of the time. Jane’s infatuation with Rochester serves as an important device implemented by Bronte to further her argument against sexist Victorian
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, the title character’s journey is full of challenges that shape her development. These are constructed of times spent as four main places; Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, and Ferndean. At Gateshead Jane is too quick-tempered but only to lose her lively spirit at Lowood. At Thornfield she become overly passionate and guided by her emotions but balance is achieved at Ferndean. Jane Eyre becomes as complete character as she learns to find the balance between the intellect and the passions. In doing so, she touches the life of Edward Rochester and in fulling herself helps Rochester humble himself and achieve a perfect balance by example.