Literary Analysis Of Jane Eyre

Kakwani 1

Submitted by: Khyati Kakwani

Submitted to: Mr. Kunal Ray

Name of the Course: Introduction To English Literature

Date: 13th October, 2014.

About the Author

"Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life, and it ought not to be. The more she is engaged in her proper duties, the less leisure will she have for it, even as an accomplishment and a recreation."

Such were the words Robert Southey, England's Poet Laureate to whom a twenty year old Charlotte Brontë sent an example of her poetry, urging her to desert all literary pursuits. Southey's reaction shows the political troubles women confronted as they attempted to enter the literary coliseum in Victorian England. Despite of a lack of support from the outside world, Charlotte

Edward Rochester for example, Jane's employer and ultimate love, is an opposite to St. John Rivers. Whereas Rochester is passionate, St. John is somber and ambitious. Jane illustrates Rochester’s eyes as blazing and flaming, whereas she continually associates St. John with rock, ice, and snow. Marriage with Rochester represents the relinquishment of principle for the consummation of passion, however marriage to St. John would mean sacrificing passion for principle. Another example would be Helen Burns, Jane’s friend at Lowood School, who serves as a foil to both Mr. Brocklehurst and Jane. While Mr. Brocklehurst exemplifies an evangelical form of religion that seeks to strip others of their excessive pride or of their ability to take pleasure in common things, Helen speaks to a mode of Christianity that stresses tolerance and acceptance. Brocklehurst utilizes religion to gain power and to control others while Helen ascetically trusts her own faith and turns the other cheek to Lowood’s harsh policies. However, the development of Jane Eyre’s character is central to the novel. From the start, Jane possesses a sense of her self-esteem and poise, a pledge to justice and rule, a trust in God, and a passionate aura. Autobiographical elements are recognizable throughout Jane Eyre. Brontë struggled to balance between love and freedom and to find others

It can be symbolic of what Jane must overcome in her struggle to overpower oppression, and also signifys her position of imprisonment and exile, and her prohibition from love and independence. Metaphorically, Jane is taken back to the red room every time she faces a traumatic experience in her life. Bertha Mason is another complex presence in Jane Eyre. She hinders Jane’s happiness, but also catalyses the growth of Jane’s self-understanding. The mystery surrounding the madwomen in the attic establishes suspense and terror to the plot and the atmosphere. Her insanity compelled Jane to think of what complete surrender to Rochester could bring about. The motifs of fire and ice are also significant as fire can be seen as representative of passion and sexuality. Jane generally relates herself with images of fire, and Rochester is also connected with these incendiary images, making them