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Character Analysis of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Charlotte bronte jane Eyre perspective
Jane Eyre's novel as a reflection of Victorian society
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Explore how Charlotte Bronte presents the character of Jane Eyre in the novel of the same name, noting the effects of social and historical influences on the text. Jane Eyre was a plain and insignificant unloved orphan, she was cared for by her aunt Reed, who did not like her but was obliged to look after her because it was a request of Mr. Reed who was also Jane's uncle. Eventually she was sent away to school after fighting with her bullying cousin John and getting locked in the room her Uncle died in, and she fainted. The school was awful with a horrible owner and bad conditions; there was a typhus epidemic in which her friend Helen Burns died. She made friends with a teacher Miss Temple who helped her when Helen died. The …show more content…
He misleads her by supposedly courting a beautiful woman and then proposes to her even though they are in different classes and she is amazed but accepts. On the day of their marriage it is discovered that Mr. Rochester already has a crazy wife, Bertha Mason locked upstairs, which explains some strange goings on at Thornfield. Jane leaves Thornfield knowing she can't be with Mr. Rochester. She wanders about with nowhere to go and no money until she meets three relatives of hers whom she wasn't aware of and they take her in. One of these, St John Rivers finds Jane a job teaching at a charity school. He then surprises her by telling her that her uncle has died and she is rich and he is also her cousin, knowing this she shares the inheritance equally with him and two other cousins. St John wants to travel as a missionary and he wants Jane to go with him as his wife, Jane wants to go but not as his wife because she doesn't love him, she nearly gives in but then hears Mr. Rochester's voice calling her. She hurries back to Thornfield but it has been burnt down by …show more content…
She doesn't want to be his possession to dress up or loose her individuality. She knows she has always been plain and sees that no matter what she is dressed in, it will not suit her or make her beautiful so she prefers to just wear her usual black or grey dresses and be herself. The Reeds all saw Jane as below them because they felt they were doing her a favour that she didn't deserve, Jane dislikes the Reeds because they show her no love and see her as a burden when she tries her best to please them or at least stay out of the way and not aggravate them. They constantly remind her that if they were to disown her she would have nowhere to go "you are under obligations to Mrs. Reed: she keeps you: if she were to turn you off you would have to go to the poor house" They act as though she is ungrateful to them when she is not, and Mrs. Reed believes that Jane will be a bad influence on her own
Jane abhors her life in Gateshead where she lives with her malicious aunt who falsely declares her deceitful. When Jane falls ill, she tells the doctor that she would like to attend school, and Mrs. Reed was happy to be rid of her. Jane, finally feeling free of the cruel authority of Mrs. Reed, renounces their relation when she tells her that “I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live… and if anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty” (Bronte 34). This is the
she treated Jane as if she were her own daughter. We realize now that Jane
.... When she finally finds him, she is in shock but still accepts her “blind, but beloved master” (473). Even till the end of the book, she does not let obstacles deter her, for him being blind does not interfere with the love between them. Jane continued through life when all seemed lost and was rewarded with a husband that could see again and a child.
Mr. Rochester pleaded Jane for forgiveness and that they should marry and forget about Bertha Mason and leave with him to France. Jane deceived him by leaving the Thornfield hall in the middle of the night without saying farewell to Mr. Rochester in person.
Another important journey Jane makes is from Gateshead back to Thornfield having visited her aunt Reed on her deathbed. By then Jane realizes that she loves Rochester. A key theme is raised here, Jane fierce desire to love and to be loved. She feels alone and isolated when she has no friends around her. This is a sharp contrast compared to other characters’ search for money and social position.
Helen is Jane's best friend at Lowood. Helen is a religious role (angelic, and talks about God), in shaping her character. Helen believes everyone should love their enemies. Although Jane does not take to Helens good heart and good nature, with her wie word, Jane respects her for them and listens very passionately to what Helen has to say.
We learn that Jane is a young girl who is a victim of emotional and
...ugh in the end Jane and Mr. Rochester do get married, Jane is an emotionally battered character who has to look deep inside of herself to do what is best for her. This happens to people every day. They are hurt by dishonesty and deceitfulness. It can ruin their lives unless they make the commitment to be honest with themselves and those around them.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
Jane started out with no family, causing her to yearn for someone to accept her as their family, treating her with love and respect. At a young age, Jane lost her parents, leaving her with her aunt and cousins. They treated her poorly, acting as if she was incompetent and considering her more of a servant than a family member. Then, they sent her off to school, forgetting about her entirely. Eventually, Jane acquired the family she had always dreamt of. She never felt quite right with other people accepting her, that is, until Mr. Rochester came into her life. She did not feel as though she had found her true family until she had met him. "All these relics gave...Thornfield Hall the aspect of a home of the past: a shrine to memory.” (92). When they get married, her dreams are achieved, as she finally got the family she had always wanted.
After completing her education, Jane accepted a job as governess at Thornfield Hall. Jane eventually developed feeling for her employer, Mr. Rochester. Jane accepted Mr. Rochester's hand in marriage despite knowing despite knowing that he was currently married. Jane was lied to and after the discovery of Mr. Rochester's wife, Jane left Thornfield with little money and a broken heart.
In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Jane struggles against Bessie, the nurse at Gateshead Hall, and says, I resisted all the way: a new thing for me…"(Chapter 2). This sentence foreshadows what will be an important theme of the rest of the book, that of female independence or rebelliousness. Jane is here resisting her unfair punishment, but throughout the novel she expresses her opinions on the state of women. Tied to this theme is another of class and the resistance of the terms of one's class. Spiritual and supernatural themes can also be traced throughout the novel.
thinks of her as burden, and low life. Jane is forced to live with her
This feeling intensifies when Mr. Brocklehurst arrives to take Jane away to Lowood School. Her aunt is pleased to see her go, but manages to influence Jane's life even after Jane is settled in at the charity school, by informing Mr.
Miss Temple was the first amiable person that Jane Eyre met at Lowood Institution. She acted as a firm role model and mentor to Jane throughout her stay at Lowood as a superintendent. Jane Eyre, a simple young girl, was astonished by her character because she never had a person to look up to until she met Miss Temple. Miss Temple gave Jane that sense of love that she wanted when she arrived at Lowood. She was incapable of being harsh to those girls at the institute; she had no bad bone in her body.