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Essay on Jane's Resilience to Events in Jane Eyre

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Jane's Resilience to Events in Jane Eyre The novel Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte in the 1840’s. Put simply, it is the story of a woman who began her life with nothing but aspired, against the odds, to gain recognition and a better social status. Moreover, it is about her ability to cope with situations and make decisions that affect her life and others. Through these qualities it is possible to describe her as a heroine. This essay will aim to show how Bronte conveys Jane’s resilience – her ability to cope and repel suffering – to the audience. It will also show how Bronte shows how Jane could be considered a heroine; not in the clichéd sense of fighting evil but more like her ability to choose good over evil, …show more content…

Bronte is showing just how terrified Jane is of him. The first big incident in the novel happens when John finds Jane reading one of his books. Bronte has him assert his superiority and he calls her a “rat” which shows his contempt for Jane, and that he sees her as less than human. He then proceeds to hit her. She regains her balance, hands John the book she was reading (by his orders) and then returns to the windowsill. Then, suddenly, John throws the book at Jane and it hits her, knocking her down which makes her lose control of her actions – “my terror had passed its climax; other feelings succeeded”. Bronte presents Jane as terrified which makes her reply even more heroic: “’wicked and cruel boy’ I said. ‘You are like a murderer – you are like a slave-driver – you are like the Roman Emperors!’” This sudden outburst shows that even though she was deeply scared, she was able to stand up to John. Bronte is showing Jane’s resilience to the torment of an oppressor and also a quality of heroism – bravery. After the attack, Jane is taken upstairs to the Red Room – which Bronte describes as a very haunting, sinister place that people don’t like to stay in because it was where Mr. Reed died – “a sense of dreary consecration had guarded it from frequent intrusion”. Bronte has Jane, Bessie and Abbot arrive at the Red Room with Jane still resisting and protesting

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