~Nancy Rathburn
This statement has such a strong connection to the person Jane is and who she strives to be. Jane Eyre uses all the gifts that were given to her by God, no matter what society expects of her to do with her gifts. In the famous romantic novel by Charlotte Bronte, the main female protagonist, Jane Eyre, is independent and strong willed because she stands up to males and those of higher power and because she does what she thinks is right in circumstances of hardship.
Primarily, due to Jane Eyre being a strong willed and independent woman she stands up to those in higher power and does what she believes to be morally correct. Mrs. Reed mistreats Jane throughout the time that she is living with her and eventually Jane has had enough
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Jane is very religious and stays true to her moral beliefs. When Mr. Rochester asked her to marry him she was so excited and overjoyed, but once she found out that he was already married she knew she had to leave. Jane was heartbroken, but she knew that it was against her religion to marry a man that was already married, even though Mr. Rochester’s wife was crazy and didn’t treat him like a wife. Jane told Mr. Rochester, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you.” (257-258). Jane wanted to let Mr. Rochester know that she can make her own decisions. Jane knew that the only thing she could do was leave, even though it would have been easier to stay. Jane chose what was right and had to make some hard decisions but she benefited from going her own way. Jane always tried to help those in need, and those she could teach. Jane was so kind and loving and that is why St. John wanted to marry her and bring her to India with him to do mission work. Jane knew that St. John didn’t love her and she only loved him like a cousin not a wife. Jane said no to him but eventually he persuaded her to say that she would marry him. Jane knew that it was not right for her to move to India and marry someone who didn’t truly love her, so she went in search of Rochester who loved her unconditionally. Jane made the right decision by following her heart and leaving St. John for the person she truly wanted to be with. Jane did everything she believed to be right and never went against her
In the novel, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses symbolism and characterization to show the theme of independence.
Pain, misery and disappointment are all a significant part of this world’s concepts of both life and love. A prime example of this is displayed in Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, where the protagonist, Jane, suffers through a particularly difficult life; her love is constantly stripped from her the moment she is relishing it most. With Bronte’s introduction of Bertha Rochester, Jane’s never-ending cycle of disappointment and loss of love.
While she was there, she was presented with a proposition that would fulfill her spiritual journey in life. “Jane come with me to India: come as my helpmeet and fellow-labourer...God and nature intended you for a missionary’s wife.” (Bronte, 404 & 405). St. John offered to marry Jane so that she could go with him to preach the word of God and help convert India’s inhabitants. St. John was very influential on Jane, as a result of his strong religious beliefs and compelling rhetoric. Even his cold attitude was transmitted to her. Consequently, Jane greatly contemplated the decision. Ultimately, she decided that she would be willing to go on the trip with him, but as a sister rather than a wife. She did not feel any adoration between her and St. John, only a sense of servitude. Thus, forming the ultimate bond of love would be treacherous and empty. She would not only be without independence, but also the possibility of finding love. When St. John is confronted with this idea, he harshly rejects it, insisting on the necessity of the marriage. After a week of frigidity
During the era were Jane lived it was thought to be a selfish for women to show desire, it was a bad emotion that women were expected to control and keep quite. To perform one's duty to society was thought to be respectful and should be put before anything else. Desire is a term to want something or someone very strongly no matter what the outcome is. Duty in contrast, is a moral obligation to something that somebody is obliged to do for moral, legal, or religious reasons , which is thought to be selfless. The decisions made regarding these emotions are significant throughout Jane Eyre. Charlotte Bronte shows us Jane’s integrity helps her find the balance between duty to herself, and desire to stay.
Poverty is known as the state of being extremely poor. Many people think that the days of extreme poverty have come and gone, but the real reality is that poverty is still a major issue. Jacob Riis noticed an extreme issue with housing conditions back in late 1800’s and unfortunately these kind of issues have not left our cities. Most people know of the struggles Detroit, Michigan has been going through since the steel industry left, however Milwaukee has been dealing with its own hardships of poverty.. Poverty has a number of trigger points in America that can launch citizens into a never ending struggle. A number of triggers that Milwaukee has are high unemployment, a decline in the manufacturing sector, and violence.
In the novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses Jane Eyre as her base to find out how a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with her responsibilities. . Mistreated abused and deprived of a normal childhood, Jane Eyre creates an enemy early in her childhood with her Aunt Mrs. Reed. Just as Mrs. Reeds life is coming to an end, she writes to Jane asking her for forgiveness, and one last visit from her.
In the novel, Jane Eyre starts as a young girl of ten years old; she lives with her aunt Mrs. Reed and her cousins John, Georgiana, and Eliza. At Gateshead, Jane has undergone betrayal in the acts that the Reed family does not treat her as a part of their family. Mrs. Reed treats Jane unkindly and as if she was a victim to put it, in other words, Mrs. Reed says “ take her away to the red-room and lock her in there” (Brontë, Ch. 1). Mrs. Reed
Actually, well into this book I was afraid it was going to be another one of those English countryside, woman-gets-married novels. I was reminded of a friend's comment a few years back to "avoid the Brontes like the plague." But of course there is a little more than courting going on here. For example, if you compare Jane with one of Jane Austen's young women coming into society, you have a bit more adventure, roughness, and connection to nature. I don't think a Jane Austen character would wander around the forest, sleeping without cover in the wilds of the night to prove a moral point. Jane Eyre can get dirt under her fingernails--that's the difference. You also get more emotion in Jane Eyre, you feel with her, deep hate (for Mrs. Reed), religious conviction (with ...
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 Eyre’s continuous search for love, a sense of belonging, and family are all thoroughly displayed by Charlotte Brontë. Jane starts off as a despised orphan who is captivated by the thought of love, believing that it will help her achieve happiness. Throughout the novel, Jane attempts to find different substitutes to fill the void in her life.
Jane Eyre has been acclaimed as one of the best gothic novels in the Victorian Era. With Bronte’s ability to make the pages come alive with mystery, tension, excitement, and a variety of other emotions. Readers are left with rich insight into the life of a strong female lead, Jane, who is obedient, impatient, and passionate as a child, but because of the emotional and physical abuse she endures, becomes brave, patient, and forgiving as an adult. She is a complex character overall but it is only because of the emotional and physical abuse she went through as a child that allowed her to become a dynamic character.
At the start of Jane Eyre, Jane is living with her widowed aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her family after being orphaned. Jane is bitterly unhappy there because she is constantly tormented by her cousins, John, Eliza, and Georgiana. After reading the entire book you realize that Jane was perfectly capable of dealing with that issue on her own, but what made it unbearable was that Mrs. Reed always sided with her children, and never admitted to herself that her offspring could ever do such things as they did to Jane. Therefore, Jane was always punished for what the other three children did, and was branded a liar by Mrs. Reed. This point in the book marks the beginning of Jane's primary conflict in the novel. She feels unloved and unaccepted by the world, as her own family betrays her.
She is strong willed, smart, responsible, and knows what she deserves in her life. That’s why Jane Eyre can be viewed from a feminist lens. She is unique and does not conform to the social standards set for women in her time. In Jane Eyre, the male and female characters share many traits, and it causes unresolved conflict in the story. Mrs. Reed and St. John shared some similarities, in my opinion.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre represents the role of women in the Victorian era by giving the reader an insight into the lives of women from all social classes. Jane Eyre therefore represents figures of the Victorian time yet the character of Jane Eyre, herself, can be seen as very unconventional for the Victorian society.
At the beginning of the book, Jane was living with her aunt Mrs. Reed and her children. Although Jane is treated cruelly and is abused constantly, she still displays passion and spirit by fighting back at John and finally standing up to Mrs Reed. Even Bessie ‘knew it was always in her’. Mrs. Reed accuses Jane of lying and being a troublesome person when Mr. Brocklehurst of Lowood School visited Gateshead. Jane is hurt, as she knows she was not deceitful so she defends herself as she defended herself to John Reed when he abused her, as she said “Wicked and cruel boy! You are like a murderer – you are like a slave driver – you are like the Roman emperors!” to John Reed instead of staying silent and taking in the abuse, which would damage her self-confidence and self-worth. With the anger she had gotten from being treated cruelly, she was able to gain ...