Sympathy for Jane Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre In the first two chapters of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte creates sympathy for Jane from the settings she uses like the red room, which comes up later in chapter two. Also with all the metaphors of Janes true feelings under the surface and the ways that the chapters are structured. Charlotte Bronte starts off the book straight to the point as if we just enter Janes mind at this moment in time, it is meant to draw the reader in and at once create the atmosphere of this time when we have joined her. With the 'clouds so sombre' and the 'rain so penetrating' we get a glimpse inside Jane knowing that she must be so 'cold' inside like the 'winter'. While there is a fire inside the house where she could get warmth to fill her up she is not allowed, and with a 'saddened' 'heart' she's not even told why she can't sit with the family around their 'mamma' by the fire but instead 'dispensed from joining the group' and not told why. This helps create sympathy for Jane by trying to show the reader that she is a 'deprived' child, and the only escape she gets is when she goes to the 'window - seat' and shuts the 'folds of scarlet drapery'. But still she now feels protected, but not yet separated until she reads her books. The weather once again bears it face to show us that Jane still is not happy with 'a pale blank mist and cloud' and 'ceaseless rain' which could be the tears of frustration which we must feel she has to hold back to never show any signs of weakness or hurt to Mrs Reed or her children especially John who steps into the book in a while. The book begins to resemble a gothic genre with its 'stormy' atmosphere and the 'phantoms' around 'the quite solit... ... middle of paper ... ...k and locked' her 'in without further parley.' And then 'unconsciousness closed the scene.' Which is another dramatic ending leaving the reader feeling angry with Mrs Reed and sympathizing greatly with Jane. I think Charlotte Bronte has done a good job of getting the reader to sympathize with Jane otherwise I wouldn't be writing an essay on it. She constantly brings in Jane's place in society, a woman's place but to make it worse a poor woman's place. The first two chapters let us know that this is the beginning of a journey for Jane to find her place to find out why she was put there to fight against the waves that try to bring her down. Charlotte Bronte was a critic of her time and has done a very good job of opening closed minds to the things that an ordinary plain girl like Jane which is inside every woman has to fight against to find their place.
We learn that Jane is a young girl who is a victim of emotional and
...w exactly how she felt at the time, not hesitant and ready for anything that is coming at her.
There are many stages throughout the book in which the reader can feel sympathy for Jane Eyre; these include when she is locked in the Red Room, when Helen Burns dies at Lowood, and when she and Mr. Rochester are married the first time.
we cannot get a clear picture of Jane herself. Most of what we know is
From an early age Jane is aware she is at a disadvantage, yet she learns how to break free from her entrapment by following her heart. Jane appears as not only the main character in the text, but also a female narrator. Being a female narrator suggests a strong independent woman, but Jane does not seem quite that.
The greatest desire of all is to be important among others, for most children they do not receive this feeling enough. George F. Will once wrote “Childhood is frequently a solemn business for those inside it”. This quote may be interpreted to mean adults see only the bliss of their childhoods, but forget how lugubrious a child’s life can really be, and the hardships of succeeding in life. This quote is proven valid by Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, how she has a somber child hood and adults overlook her struggles. It is also proven true by the conceit, Reading the Obituary Page by Linda Pastan how the adults do not acknowledge the vile treatment of the kids. Dispute the expectations childhood is hard and older generations do not support today’s kids, but only the character that persists through all impediments will adhere to happiness.
Many people believe that eating disorders are a product of the twentieth century, brought on by teenage girls aspiring to be supermodels like Cindy Crawford. Although such pressures are precipitating factors to many eating disorders, doctors diagnosed patients with anorexia as early as 1689 (Spignesi 7). One early example of anorexia is present in the novel Jane Eyre. Written in the mid-nineteenth century by Charlotte Brontë, this book describes a young girl whose personality bears striking similarities with that of a diagnosed anorexic. The life of the main character, Jane, has also been shown to share innumerable similarities with Brontë's own life. Biographical information from researchers and autobiographical information from Jane Eyre (whether intentional or not) verify that Brontë had an eating disorder.
Analyse the methods Charlotte Brontë uses to make the reader empathise with Jane Eyre in the opening chapters. Reflect on how the novel portrays Victorian ideology and relate your analysis to the novel’s literary content.
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 spends her first 10 years of her life at Gateshead Hall, a lavish mansion. She lived with her Aunt, Mrs Reed, and three cousins, Eliza, Georgina and John. During her time in the mansion she wouldn't dare argue with the mistress, and fulfilled every duty. Jane is deprived of love, joy and acceptance. She is very much unwanted and isolated.
...f and compare her portrait to that of Blanche Ingram’s. This all relates to her behavior after she sees Bertha because she never openly expressed her emotions and thoughts; instead, Jane postpones the proclamation of her feelings until she is alone and proceeds to berate herself rather than blaming others for her problems.
According to Alexandria’s daily newspaper, The Town Talk, approximately 34,910 cases of suspected child abuse were reported in Louisiana alone last year (Crooks). Charlotte Bronte tells of one victim of child abuse in her novel Jane Eyre. In Jane Eyre, Bronte chronicles the life of Jane, a notoriously plain female in want of love. After being abused, Jane portrays many characteristics which other victims of abuse often portray. Throughout the novel, Jane is reclusive, pessimistic, and self-deprecating. Although Jane does display such traits through most of her life, she is finally able to overcome her past. By facing her abusive aunt, Jane rises above her abuse to become truly happy.
A Critical Evaluation of Jane Eyre Although Jane Eyre grows and matures, Margaret McFadden-Gerber views her as a relatively emotionally stable young feminist. Through the duration of the novel, Jane demonstrates her "self-love" that is often an influential emotion leading to drastic and hasty reactions. In the very opening few chapters, Jane takes a stand for herself and presents her bruised ego, pride and maturity. Sara Reed, her aunt, dismisses her place in the family as Jane is physically and emotionally removed from her "family's" activities.
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.
Jane’s initial struggle begins as she is brought up by her aunt. Jane is living in an upper-class household and is being treated as a person of the lower-class. Jane would be antagonized on a daily basis by the Reed children. As an outcast, Jane realizes at an early age how much class affects the behavior of people in society. Jane would be punished by Mrs. Reed regularly, which may have fueled her rebellious nature. A specific example would be when Jane was sent to the “red room” by Mrs. Reed as punishment for fighting with her son. This was the room where Mrs. Reed’s husband was found dead. This shows that Mrs. Reed had absolutely no respect for Jane as an individual as Mrs. Reed knew that Jane believed that the room was haunted. This event also shows that Mrs. Reed does not respect her deceased husband, as she abandoned the room after he was found.