Jane Eyre, it is only fitting that the title bears her name and her name alone. Jane Eyre, as a child this title captures her central struggle, ostracized by the Reeds and loathed by Mr. Brocklehurst, she yearns to be loved, even if it means sacrificing the parts of herself she holds dearest. But as an adult the title of the this novel captures a different sense of independence, not one of loathsome segregation but of choice isolation, a realization that happiness is not rooted completely in love nor seeded completely in sovereignty but manifested as a combination of both. There is no love for Jane in the Reed house. Divided by class, Jane finds herself at odds with her fellow inhabitants, specifically John Reed. John consistently abuses Jane both verbally and physically, in one instance hurling a book at Jane, his rationale being that Jane has “no money” and has “no business to take” their books. Jane does not take so kindly to these words and reproaches, “…You are like Roman Emperors!” There can be no love for Jane in the Reed House because she is not of the same class. It is a sad reality; one Charlotte Bronte remains all the more critical of. For John is a symbol of the tyranny that classism imparts, his gluttony at the table a representation of the greed and his hurling of the book a representation of their oppressive power. He does not allow Jane to read for he fears what reading does, allowing her to see that women can be intellectuals, that women are not what male patriarchy would have them believe and that if class had not existed maybe Jane would be loved and perceived as their equal. Jane speaks out against the system and for it she is imprisoned in The Red-Room. The former quarters of the now deceased Mr. Reed. Caged, Jane keenly observes the lavish decorations covered in a “quiet dust” and the “chill” of the room from a lack of “fire”, it was lifeless, without love, without emotion, “solemn”, and though Jane is eventually freed from The Red Room, she never leaves it in spirit, always tormented by a lack of love. This lack of love is carried with her even to Lowood and though she is able to capture moments of happiness, they are just that, moments, fleeting with the wind of misfortune. Helen Burns dies and Miss Temple leaves, but Jane still holds on to this misguided sense of childlike optimism, that there’s more to be had in this world, that she too can experience that same sense of adventure experienced by Gulliver. She sets out to Thornfield Hall. It is at Thornfield Hall that Jane is to teach Adele, a young lady who shares similar circumstance with Jane. Though not scorned to the severity of her governess, Jane fears that Adele is in danger of fulfilling the same malicious cycle she had previously experienced. Mr. Rochester’s indifference towards her, Lady Ingram’s irritation with her, and her eventual enrollment in a boarding school similar to Lowood Institute all inform this. Although Jane plays her own role in perpetuating this cycle by teaching Adele the skills necessary to be ladylike and entertain, she harbors a genuine compassion towards Adele because she fears that she is a victim to the same circumstance that she fell victim to. Jane grows close to Adele, and Mrs. Fairfax too for that matter, creating a family of sorts to get her through the trials and tribulations at Thornfield Hall, a feeling of belonging that she had not previously known. As Heidi Kelcher writes “Belonging to a family is a major theme in Jane Eyre.” She goes on to write ”The novel’s structure buttresses the theme of Jane’s search for a family. Beginning with the false, hurtful family of Mrs. Reed and her spoiled children, Jane encounters increasingly more rewarding versions of family coinciding with her personal maturation”, ultimately culminating in the creation of her own family with Rochester. Thornfield Hall also introduces the first love interest of Jane Eyre, and though Jane comes to truly love Rochester, she is at
Period 4 2/19/15 Minor Character Essay Rewrite In our society, people are always being told how they should act, what they should wear, who they should be etc. As a result, it has become extremely difficult for people to understand themselves and their desires. In the book Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, the story follows the journey of a young, orphan girl named Jane Eyre into adulthood and self-discovery during the Victorian era, an era which encapsulates conformity. Jane faces several trials and tribulations…
relevant examples LITERATURE SELECTIONS Theme for Year One: Perspective(s) Note: there are no alternative texts for the IB curriculum PART FOUR: SCHOOL FREE CHOICE (11th Grade Fall) Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (9780393975420) Charlotte Brontë and Amy Corzine, et.al, Jane Eyre The Graphic Novel (9781906332471) Jean Rhys, Wide Sargasso Sea (9780393960129) Kate Summerscale, The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective (9780802717429)…
novel Jane Eyre using many characters as symbols. In Jane Eyre, Bronte supports the theme that routine actions are not always moral through the conventional personalities of Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and St. John Rivers. The novel begins in Gateshead where Jane must avoid her aunt and cousins because she does not know how to speak politely to them and please them. Mrs. Reed possesses a higher standing in society and due to Jane's lower class standing, Mrs. Reed treats Jane as an outcast…
Jane Eyre Analysis In Jane Eyre, there is a secret that is very important to the plot later in the book. After Jane grows up, she moves to a new house called Thornfield Hall. This is where she meets a man named Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester run's Thornfield hall and operates it from many different locations, as his business requires him to travel. After he visits a few times, Jane eventually falls in love with Mr. Rochester. All seems well as Jane has finally found love in the rich, eccentric…
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, there are multiple conflicts that occur in the novel, but one that seems to stand out the most. The conflict of love and emotion between Jane and Mr. Rochester seems to be one of the most prominent struggles within the novel. This conflict seems to start when Blanche Ingram begins her relationship with Mr. Rochester, and even though Jane is in love with him, she feels inferior to her because of her rank in social class. During the beginning, Jane seems to let things…
Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte Jane Eyre is often criticized for being moved along to often by the supernatural or coincidence. It is to coincidental to be believed, and ends to happily in the Victorian Sense, as Jane ends up married to the man she loves. It is both a coming of age and a romance story. All of the Bronte sisters were writers. Anne Bronte is not as well known as she wrote shorter books like, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Emily Bronte wrote only one book, but it may be the best, Wuthering…
The Importance of Jane’s Education The classic novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte tells the story of a young woman maturing into a gracious, intelligent woman with the help of friends, but most importantly education. To escape from her cruel aunt, Jane went to a charity school for girls named Lowood. She exceled in all her classes, leading her to believe that she would be teaching as her occupation. Soon it all changes when she becomes governess of an unusual yet charming man’s ward in a wealthy…
Feminism in Jane Eyre After reading Jane Eyre, I think Jane Eyre is a great woman. Jane is disadvantaged in many ways as she has no wealth, family, social position or beauty. Jane does have intelligence though, and her disposition is such to make Rochester fall in love with her. Through a serious of troublesome situations between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, the author set up a great female image before us: insisting on maintaining an independent personality, pursuing individual freedom, advocating…
AS ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE Jane Eyre Work Book 2013-14 WELCOME! THIS WORK BOOK WILL PROVE TO BE AN INVALUABLE TOOL IN TERMS OF YOUR STUDY OF THE TEXT “JANE EYRE”; PLEASE MAKE IT YOUR MISSION TO USE AND REFER TO IT ON A REGULAR BASIS! PLEASE USE THIS WORK BOOK TO: WRITE UP REGULAR SUMMARIES OF EACH CHAPTER OF THE NOVEL (YOU WILL NEED TO DO THIS FREQUENTLY FOR HOMEWORK AND IT ALSO HELPS WITH REVISION) MAKE NOTES ON ASPECTS SUCH AS…
Ap Proposal 1. I find Jane Eyre very interesting in many aspects. It was very difficult for me to narrow my topic down to one thing. I would like to plan of discussing the different representations of various women in the novel. There are conflicting ideas between how each woman acts, lives, and how men view them. The women in the novel portray what Jane learns about feminine behavior and the struggle for perfection to please a man. The women are only pleased by the wealth and elegance of others…