The Self-confidence of Jane Eyre
In the Webster's Dictionary, self-confidence is defined as confidence in oneself and in one's powers and abilities. A famous quote by Jim Loehr says, "With confidence, you can reach truly amazing heights; Without confidence, even the simplest accomplishments are beyond your grasp." Confidence in yourself does not come without effort. One must believe in themselves, and not let someone change their beliefs. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane shows self-confidence throughout the novel, by possessing a sense of self-worth, dignity, and a trust in God.
At the beginning of the novel while Jane is living under her aunt, Mrs. Reed, she is treated disrespectfully and cruelly. She accuses Jane of being deceitful and a troublesome girl in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the master of Lowood School. Jane is so hurt by this accusation that she cannot stop herself from defending her well being, and she stands up to her aunt. She knows she is being treated disrespectful and has much more self-worth than what she was given credit for. Therefore, with all that anger built up inside her she was able to gain the confidence to stand up to her aunt. One could say at Gateshead was the beginning of her self-confidence, but even there it was sometimes weak and she would not stand up for herself. As the novel goes on, and Jane encounters the next stages of her life, that is where her self-confidence really starts to shine and grow.
While Jane is attending Lowood School, which she finds out it is a charity school maintained for female orphans, she befriends a girl named Helen Burns. Jane looks up to Helen, and because of her it helps Jane keep her self-confidence and even make it stronger. Helen is treated unfairly, but because she possessed an expansive knowledge and had the ability to pertinently endure even the cruelest treatment she made it through. She just endured to the end, and believed in God and that one-day she would rise again. Through her example, it helps Jane want to be a stronger, better person and live life to the fullest while always having confidence in herself and God. As Jane grew up and became a woman, she was not afraid to stand up for herself even when she came across men. When she spoke, she spoke with knowledge and certainty.
Another way that Jane's self-confidence grows throughout the novel is through her trust in God. Jane's departure from Thornfield is probably one of the most important decisions she came against. She had to choose between her feelings/emotions and intellect. By having a relationship with Rochester, who is already married, she felt she would loose her self-respect along with self-confidence. She would be doing something morally wrong, just out of the weakness of will and emotional neediness. Because her trust and confidence in God, she pushes herself to do the right thing.
If someone truly believes in himself or herself they can accomplish anything big or small. That is how Jane became so successful throughout her life. She developed a self-confidence in herself and maintains it by realizing her self-worth, following her trust in God, and possessing dignity. Having confidence in yourself will help gain confidence in others. Mary O'Hare Dumas once said, "Confidence is the hinge on the door to success." Although Jane struggled throughout life, and her hinge may have came loose sometimes, but because of her self-confidence she was able to recover and become successful.
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