A Comparison Between Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre and John
Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men looking closely at the themes of
Friendship, Loyalty and Integrity
I have recently read Charlotte Brontës 'Jane Eyre' and John
Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men' novels. They are both clearly different
novels. First are both set in different time spans, the settings are
different, Jane Eyre was set in rural Victorian England countryside,
in comparison, Of Mice And Men was set in the Agricultural side of the
U.S.A. Finally both genders of each novel are the same i.e. Charlotte
Brontë and Jane Eyre to John Steinbeck and George Milton and Lennie
Small. I will be looking closely at the three themes and similarities
between the two novels; these are Friendship, Loyalty and Integrity. I
shall also be looking in detail at the differences between the two
novels.
Both these novels have many differences, The first main difference is
the time and settings between the two novels, first of all Jane Eyre
was set in 1847 in the rural Victorian countryside placed in England
during the nineteenth century. Then the main character Jane Eyre and
then the writer Charlotte Brontë. This novel has been written in a
first person narrative point of view, this attempts the readers to
focus on the style of writing and emotions that occurred through the
novel. This style of writing will enable the readers to get up close
to the characters and the details given by them.
" I don't know, I asked Aunt Reed once, and she said possibly I might
have some poor low relations called Eyre, but she knew nothing about
them".
This shows how Charlotte Brontë decided to write the novel in the
first person narrative, this will again enable the readers to get up
close and personnel, this will also get the readers some of her life
as they were with her as it happened. This is one of the advantages of
writing in the first person narrative. However a disadvantage of this
style of writing is that us the readers our only able to read one
point of view, but to me this is also another advantage because this
novel suits the style of a first person narrative, Charlotte Brontë
has done this deliberately, so the reader can focus more on Jane Eyre
and her life.
In comparison John Steinbeck's 'Of Mice And Men' was set in the
agricultural side, in the heart of the 1937 U.S.A. Also John Steinbeck
wrote the novel during the great depression. John Steinbeck made the
two main characters 'George Milton and Lennie Small'. This is another
difference form Jane Eyre as the gender is all male however the main
In Stephen Dunn’s 2003 poem, “Charlotte Bronte in Leeds Point”, the famous author of Jane Eyre is placed into a modern setting of New Jersey. Although Charlotte Bronte lived in the early middle 1800’s, we find her alive and well in the present day in this poem. The poem connects itself to Bronte’s most popular novel, Jane Eyre in characters analysis and setting while speaking of common themes in the novel. Dunn also uses his poem to give Bronte’s writing purpose in modern day.
According to Henri Bergson, “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” Life consists of a multitude of transitions and experiences, which help shape the creation of a person’s identity. This is evident in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, when Jane undergoes a striking moment of self-realization and moral development as she leaves her life at Moor House for Thornfield. This evolution occurs as she cultivates her own religious values, determines what love is, and becomes autonomous.
was no longer alone. She had friends to love her and guide her to the next
The tone of Jane Eyre is direct, perhaps even blunt. There is no prissy little-girl sensibility, but a startlingly independent, even skeptical perspective. At the age of 10, the orphan Jane already sees through the hypocrisy of her self-righteous Christian elders. She tells her bullying Aunt Reed, "People think you a good woman, but you are bad; hard-hearted. You are deceitful!" and "I am glad you are no relative of mine; I will never call you aunt again so long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say that the very thought of you makes me sick." (In fact, when her aunt is elderly and dying, Jane does return to visit her, and forgives her. But that's far in the future.) With the logic of a mature philosopher, in fact rather like Friedrich Nietzsche to come, Jane protests the basic admonitions of Christianity as a schoolgirl: "I must resist those who ... persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly. It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel that it is deserved." And this bold declaration, which would have struck readers of 1847 (in fact, of 1947) as radical and "infeminine":
Her testimony would come later to reveal what she seen from her
like she was being restrained. They probably were originally going to move the body out
The Quest for Inner Beauty in Jane Erye The beauty of a woman is usually classified into two categories: superficial, or physical, beauty and inner, or intellectual, beauty. In the Charlotte Bronte's Jane Erye, the protagonist rejects her own physical beauty in favor of her intelligence and morality. This choice allows her to win the hand of the man she desires. Jane values her knowledge and thinking before any of her physical appearances because of her desire as a child to read, the lessons she is taught and the reinforcements of the idea appearing in her adulthood.
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.
We learn that Jane is a young girl who is a victim of emotional and
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.
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.
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.
In the Webster's online 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.
her off to school. She tells him that he should "keep a strict eye on her,