Jane’s physical journeys contribute significantly to her emotional/personal journey in self discovery. The journeys evolve as time goes on, as does she; they help her grow and mature as a person. Each physical journey causes her to feel differently and changes the way she views the world. These physical journeys help Jane on her four metaphorical journeys, as each one allows her to reflect and mature.
The beginning of Jane’s journey is at Gateshead – the introductory point from where she makes a journey from that home where she had no control over her life, and questions the society she was born into, to Lowood, a point from which she became more mature and helped her gain control of her life. When the novel begins, Jane is very young and trapped
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One way she does this by showing the positive effect religion has on Jane at Lowood. Helen manages to comfort Jane when she is unfairly punished by Brocklehurst. The light that twinkles in her eyes when she passes Jane causes an "extraordinary sensation" to rush through Jane, as if such an idol had passed a "slave or victim, and imparted strength in the transit." Again, Bronte utilises the juxtaposition of heroism and slavery, but the difference here is that whereas she had been a “rebel slave" at Gateshead, Helen's heroism supports Jane so that she can renounce her oppression. By way of Helen, Jane realises that heroism is attained through valour and cleverness, not revenge. Correspondingly, she improves her behaviour by adjusting her approach. Thus, Bronte displays Helen as a Christ-like figure who, while accepting punishment as due diligence for her sins, also inspires Jane to strengthen her spirit against the evils of the world through her mere presence, reminiscent of Christ Himself. Helen has arguably the most significant influence on Jane and her journey at Lowood, as she teaches her to be more accepting and see other ways in which she
Faith and religion rests in the core of Jane’s character and actions, but also causes tension with her independence. At Lowood, she struggles to reconcile her desire to rebel against oppression and injustice with the words of Helen saying to submit like Christ. She chooses to submit, experiencing an “extraordinary sensation”, feeling “as if she was a martyr” (67). Through her submissions, she learns to be virtuous. This virtue is challenged when she must choose either to be Rochester’s mistress, or to forsake the man she loves, jeopardizing her happiness. Abiding by God’s law, she leaves, believing that “God directed [her] to a correct choice” (366). Jane faces her fiercest tension when she faces St. John’s proposal to marry him and become a missionary’s wife. She desires to continue in God’s will, telling St. John that “I will give my heart to God”, but knows that marrying him goes against her every desire. She wishes to be free from St. John; she desires her independence. She nearly submits, were she “but convinced that it is God’s will” that she marry St. John (426). She prays for Heaven to “show [her] the path” (426). Jane truly seeks God’s will, and in return, “seemed to penetrate very near a Mighty Spirit” (427). Her devotion to God is rewarded as she prays in her “different way to St. John’s” (427). God releases Jane from a life married to St. John and allows her to return to Rochester and become his wife. Jane’s faith in God allows her to make virtuous
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
Readers are exposed to the different reactions of Jane, Helen, and Miss Temple to injustice. In Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre, there is a great deal of injustice done to these three characters. Jane suffers with injustice throughout her lifetime, from Mrs. Reed’s abuse to Mr. Brocklehurst’s false accusations. She finds it hard to ignore it and always wants to take revenge. Although Helen also suffers from injustice in Lowood, she does not take action because she believes that justice will be found in G-d’s ultimate judgment. Miss Temple, a teacher at Lowood, is a great role model to the girls at Lowood. If injustice is done to her students, she will stand in their defense and only look at the good. Jane, Helen, and Miss Temple
The character Jane starts off as an orphaned young girl. Jane was born into the poor class, she lives with her aunt and cousins that torture her. Jane is then sent away to a school called Lowood where she is taught how to become a woman. Jane remains as a student at Lowood until she is sixteen years old. When Jane reaches the age of Eighteen she then moves up to the working class and becomes a teacher at Lowood. Jane works as a teacher for a good amount of time and teach girls that were just like her. When a disease outbreaks, everything at Lowood falls apart. When an Mrs. Temple, a teacher who has helped Jane, leaves lowood to get married Jane realizes that she should leave and search for a new job. When Jane come across a job at a place called Thornfield she leaves Lowood for good and sets off to her new journey.
In Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte intertwines various religious ideas in her mid-nineteenth century English setting. Throughout the novel, Jane Eyre blends various religious insights which she has learned from different sources. While Jane was young, she had only a Biblical textbook outlook on life combined with the miserable emotional conditions of her surroundings. This in turn led to Jane being quite mean with Mrs. Reed. When Jane eventually goes off to Lowood and meets Helen Burns, she learns of her religious philosophy far more than the words would mean. Over the course of many years Jane then applies the basis of Helen's religious philosophy and adjusts it for herself in relation to the
Throughout Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë uses the character Jane as a tool to comment on the oppression that women were forced to endure at the time. Jane can be seen as representative of the women who suffered from repression during the Victorian period, a time when patriarchy was commonplace. Brontë herself was affected by the time period, because according to Wolfe, she was deprived “experience and intercourse and travel.” (70) Thus Jane offers a unique perspective as a woman who is both keenly aware of her position and yet trapped by it despite repeated attempts to elevate herself and escape the burden placed on by her different suitors. Although superficially it seems that Jane wants to break away from the relationships that further
has a soft spot for Helen Burns and appears to be one of the strongest
Reading this work offers readers a front row seat to the very personal, experiences, and self-reflections of Julia during her journey. As she struggles to understand
The Importance of Jane's Early Life at Lowood to Shaping Her Character in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
exposes her in front of the school, she tries to accept it and go on.
During the scenes at Lowood Academy, Brontë compares Jane's strong personality to the reserved and submissive Helen Burns. The teachers often punish Helen excessively, yet she never once objects or even questions their discipline. When Jane asks her about this self-discipline, Helen simply explains that it is her "duty" to bear the punishment submissively (58). Although Helen's "proper" female behavior does not entirely
simply, it is the story of a woman who began her life with nothing but
Jane makes her journey from Gateshead to Lowood at the age of ten, finally freeing her from her restrictive life with her aunt. Before making her journey, Jane's feelings are conveyed by Brontë through the use of pathetic fallacy:
Having found a new strength in rebellion, Jane is placed in another oppressive situation: Lowood School. In this situation, there is little opportunity for her to resist; she has a different lesson to learn. Shortly after her arrival at Lowood, Jane meets Helen Burns, who teaches her patience and rationality. Helen is in many ways a Christ figure, accepting what happens to her as God's will and speaking often of heavenly rewards. When Jane is falsely accused and humiliated by Mr. Brocklehurst, her instinct is to lash out in anger, and she finds it difficult to deal with her emotions. When Miss Temple asks her to explain why the accusations are false, it is Helen Burns' words that allow Jane to present her side of the story fairly. "...mindful of Helen's warnings
Those living in the Victorian period,consider it normal to treat people with cruelty. As a child, Jane constantly faces oppression. Jane faces constant abuse while living with her aunt at Gateshead. Bronte illustrates this point through Mrs. Reed, the Aunt Jane is sent to live with, who says, “Take her away