Bronte's Portrayal of Jane Eyre's Life

Bronte's Portrayal of Jane Eyre's Life

"Jane Eyre" is a Victorian novel by Charlotte Bronte. The heroine of

the title is a poor orphan with no sense of belonging or worldly

knowledge. Bronte's portrayal of Jane's life at Lowood School prepares

her life later on in the novel in many different ways. Whilst Jane is

at Lowood she meets the characters of Miss Temple and Helen Burns.

These become her role models and Jane grows to love and admire them.

Bronte uses an austere regime of the school to form Jane's character

and the way she develops at Lowood prepares her for things which

happen later in her life. Bronte's character has many strong values

and beliefs that stay with her throughout the novel, influenced by her

time at Lowood.

Bronte describes how Jane spends the first ten years of her life at

Gateshead where, because she is an orphan, she lives with her aunt and

cousins who treat her harshly. Aunt Reed agreed to look after Jane at

the death of her husband, but she doesn't have to do it well as Jane

is only an orphan. This brings in the Victorian moral idea into the

novel. At age ten, Jane is sent to Lowood by her Aunt Reed. Whilst

Jane is at Lowood she meets two role models, these are Helen Burns and

Miss Temple. In contrast to most other girls of the time, Jane's role

models are not family members. Her only family treat her cruelly and

harshly but once she is at Lowood she is treated fairly.

Bronte creates Lowood School, a charitable academy run by the

evangelical minister, Mr Brocklehurst that Jane attends. He believes

that children should be rid of their sins gained from Adam and Eve at

their birth. In order to achieve ...

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... discriminations such as poverty, the lack of a universal education for

male and females and sexual equality and also the limited

opportunities for women at the time.

Charlotte Bronte creates many links between Jane's life at Lowood and

her life later on in the novel. Jane bases her principles upon those

similar to Helen and Miss Temple. The life she lived at Lowood stood

her in good stead for what was to come and the harsh conditions and

principles on which the school was founded helped Jane throughout her

life. "Jane Eyre" is a Victorian novel with a melodramatic storyline

that has a moral, social and historical context.

Bibliography

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/janeeyre/

http://www.penguinputnam.com/static/rguides/us/jane_eyre.html

http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/charweb/CHARACTE.htm