Jan Eyre

425 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Jane eyre essay question

Throughout the novel, Jane struggles to find the right balance between moral duty and earthly pleasure, between obligation to her spirit and attention to her body. She encounters three main religious figures: Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John Rivers. Each represents a model of religion that Jane ultimately rejects as she forms her own ideas about faith and principle, and their practical consequences.
Mr. Brocklehurst illustrates the dangers and hypocrisies that Charlotte Brontë perceived in the nineteenth-century Evangelical movement. Mr. Brocklehurst adopts the rhetoric of Evangelicalism when he claims to be purging his students of pride, but his method of subjecting them to various privations and humiliations, like when he orders that the naturally curly hair of one of Jane’s classmates be cut so as to lie straight, is entirely un-Christian. Of course, Brocklehurst’s proscriptions are difficult to follow, and his hypocritical support of his own luxuriously wealthy family at the expense of the Lowood students shows Brontë’s wariness of the Evangelical movement. Helen Burns’s meek and forbearing mode of Christianity, on the other hand, is too passive for Jane to adopt as her own, although she loves and admires Helen for it.
Many chapters later, St. John Rivers provides another model of Christian behavior. His is a Christianity of ambition, glory, and extreme self-importance. St. John urges Jane to sacrifice her emotional deeds for the fulfillment of her moral duty, offering her a way of life that would require her to be disloyal to her own self.
Although Jane ends up rejecting all three models of religion, she does not abandon morality, spiritualism, or a belief in a Christian God. When her wedding is interrupted, she prays to God for solace (Chapter 26). As she wanders the heath, poor and starving, she puts her survival in the hands of God (Chapter 28). She strongly objects to Rochester’s lustful immorality, and she refuses to consider living with him while church and state still deem him married to another woman. Even so, Jane can barely bring herself to leave the only love she has ever known.

Show More
Related

  • The Importance Of Religion In Octavia Butler's The Parable Of The Sower

    1244 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the Earthseed religion “God is Change” and it does in fact demand reverence (Butler, 1993). According to Merriam Webster, Religion is “the belief in a god or in a group of gods; an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods; an interest, a belief, or an activity that is very important to a person or group; a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices”. When measured against this definition of religion, Earthseed does meet the criteria for consideration as a religion. Earthseed has a God, a system of beliefs and specific practices. According to Clifford Geertz, an anthropologist from Princeton: Religion also has aspects “that give meaning to the practitioner 's experiences of life through reference to a higher power, God or gods, or ultimate truth” (Julita, 2011) The Earthseed religion gives meaning to their follower’s actions by rationalizing that the future of the human survival depends on their ability to be self-sustaining and exercise accountability. Earthseed also touts reverence and those who are not respectful of Change will be subject to negative changes, which they are unprepared for and do not know how to cope with. Lauren’s argument for the creation of Earthseed as a religion is further strengthened by the similarities Butler draws between Lauren and her people and Jesus and his followers. The title of the book is similar to the New Testament parable (Luke 8: 5-8) “about a sower who sows seed, some of which falls by the wayside, or on rocks or thorns, or is eaten by birds, but some falls on fruitful ground and springs up and bears fruit”( Parable of the Sower: Metaphor Analysis). In Lauren’s case her followers are like seeds, and some listen to her message and flourish while others fall to the wayside. This biblical likeness also adds merit to Lauren’s new religion. Earthseed is centered around

    Read More

  • Jane Eyre

    2710 Words  | 6 Pages

    St. John Rivers makes some very intriguing choices in Jane Eyre. He is constantly faced with difficult decisions to make. Whether it be refusing his true love or moving to India to give his life serving others, there is always an interesting twist where St. John is concerned. His importance in the novel may be evident to readers, but they may not always understand his decisions and his actions. The choices he makes are exemplary of a man who has given his life to serve God and His people.

    Read More

  • Dworkin's Legal Positivism

    1539 Words  | 4 Pages

    The focus of this essay is to examine the extent to which Dworkin provides a convincing alternative to positivism. The central claim of legal positivism states that "in any legal system, whether a given norm is legally valid, and hence whether it forms part of the law of that system, depends on its sources, not its merits". Dworkin completely rejects the positivist approach because he believes that "no combination of source-based rules, no matter how broadly construed or how carefully crafted can ground a theory of law". Dworkin is evidently making a big move away from positivism. The first part of this essay will explore how Dworkin 's rejection of positivism has led him to formulate an alternative theory of law. The final part of the essay will analyse how Dworkin has failed in getting an

    Read More

  • Theme Of Moral Ambiguity In Jane Eyre

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...conflicts generated by the characters’ moral ambiguity. In Jane Eyre, as St. John Rivers’s passion for spiritually superior life, abiding by the principles of God, ultimately encourages him to coerce Jane into marriage, Jane finds the love without desire equally appalling as the love without principles. Nevertheless, at the same time, Jane acknowledges that her self-respect can be accomplished when she avoids neglecting her inner desires and accept herself in her entirety. St. John Rivers, the morally ambiguous character, plays a pivotal role in the novel as he reveals the meaning of the text through the conflict with the protagonist and develops the overall theme of the novel: the self-respect arises from appreciating oneself as a whole, not from concealing the inner Feeling from others.

    Read More

  • The Documentary: An Analysis Of The Documentary Babies

    769 Words  | 2 Pages

    Bayar grows up around herds of cattle and goats and spends much of his time out in the yard with the animals. In contrast, when Mari has the chance to visit a zoo in Tokyo, seeing the tiger makes her cry almost automatically. However, this experience then goes on to pose the question of how would Bayar handle the city of Tokyo? Would it make him feel uneasy? This was one of the things I found surprising about this film mostly because I had never spent much time truly thinking about how the environments we grow up in effect what seems natural to

    Read More

  • Jane Eyre

    794 Words  | 2 Pages

    Independence, the capacity to manage ones own affairs, make one’s own judgments, and provide for one’s self. Jane Eyre herself is a very independent woman. Throughout her life she has depended on very few people for very little. Charlotte Brontë wants the reader to learn that independence can open many doors of possibilities.

    Read More

  • Third Wave Feminism Analysis

    908 Words  | 2 Pages

    In that time, more and more social constructs were being dissected and societies perceptions of gender, sexuality and heteronormativity were being tested. Whereas the second wave of feminism rejected traditionally feminine things (which were seen as symbols of oppression made by men) such as lipstick and high heels, the third wave feminists readopted those same feminine symbols. The reasoning behind it was that you shouldn't have to choose between being beautiful or smart, you could be both. They A lot of the women in the third wave also refused to identify as "feminists." They found the term to be limited and even exclusionary. Some have even equated the word with misandrists. Third-wave feminism recognizes diversity. It recognizes race, ethnicity, class, sexual orientation and gender identity and these differences are celebrated (Rampton,

    Read More

  • Essay On Intersectional Feminism

    480 Words  | 1 Pages

    The third wave of feminism is readopting the second wave by young women, for young women. the main goal for third wave was for women to reclaim their bodies for themselves and fighting the patriarchy.

    Read More

  • Jane Eyre Through Bronte's Eyes

    3631 Words  | 8 Pages

    Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, was published in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Company, in London. This year is exactly ten years into Queen Victoria’s sixty-four year reign of the British Empire. The Victorian Era was renowned for its patriarchal Society and definition by class. These two things provide vital background to the novel, as Jane suffers from both. Jane Eyre relates in some ways to Brontë’s own life, as its original title suggest, “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography”. Charlotte Brontë would have suffered from too, as a relatively poor woman. She would have been treated lowly within the community. In fact, the book itself was published under a pseudonym of Currer Bell, the initials taken from Brontë’s own name, due to the fact that a book published by a woman was seen as inferior, as they were deemed intellectually substandard to men. Emily Brontë, Charlotte’s sister, was also forced to publish her most famous novel, Wuthering Heights, under the nom de plume of Ellis Bell, again taking the initials of her name to form her own alias. The novel is a political touchstone to illustrate the period in which it was written, and also acts as a critique of the Victorian patriarchal society.

    Read More

  • Leadership Styles in Professional Nursing

    1383 Words  | 3 Pages

    In healthcare it is very important to have strong leaders, especially in the nursing profession. A nurse leader typically uses several styles of leadership depending on the situation presented; this is known as situational leadership. It is important that the professional nurse choose the right style of leadership for any given situation to ensure their employees are performing at their highest potential. Depending on which leadership style a nurse leader uses, it can affect staff retention and the morale of the employees as well as nurse job satisfaction (Azaare & Gross, 2011.) “Nursing leaders have the responsibility to create and maintain a work environment which not only promotes positive patient outcomes but also positively influences teams and individual nurses” (Malloy & Penprase, 2010.) Let’s explore two different leadership styles and discuss how they can enhance or diminish the nursing process.

    Read More

  • The Issues Facing the Third Wave Feminism Movement

    2108 Words  | 5 Pages

    The origins of Third Wave feminism are highly debated, as there is no clear commonality that this wave uses to differentiate between the First and Second waves that occurred prior. Emerging during the 1990’s, Third Wave feminism sought to build upon the achievements and ideas that were accomplished during First and Second wave’s, by increasing the significance and accessibility of its ideas to a greater spectrum of people.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Independence In Jane Eyre

    962 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jane’s perspective of love is based upon a mutual understanding and equality. Jane’s equality in a relationship is derived from her desire of independence. Jane reveals her need of independence in her relationship with Mr. Rochester when she told him she would always call him master but she would not be inferior to him. Haiyan Gao asserts in her article “Reflection On feminism in Jane Eyre,” “Jane loves Rochester with all her heart and Rochester’s status and wealth make him so high above for Jane to approach, yet she never feels herself inferior to Rochester though she is a humble family teacher.” It is also notable that Jane does not pursue a relationship with Mr. Rochester with the intention of gaining money. Her love is solely based on equality and independence and not status, power, or property. As Heidi Kelchner proclaims in her article “Jane Eyre,” “Although she ranks far below Rochester in social rank and wealth, she feels equal to him in soul, understanding his true nature.” Jane has pure intentions in her marriage with Mr. Rochester as she believes he is her equal and true love. Jane proves that she seeks true love once more when she rejects St. John Rivers marriage proposal. St. John had offered Jane an invitation to become his missionary wife in India. Jane acknowledges that he does not seek marriage for love but instead for religious purposes. Therefore, Jane proposes an alternate plan that allows her to serve as a single, independent missionary and co-worker of John. As Heidi Kelchner affirms Jane’s thoughts in her article “Jane Eyre,” “As St. John’s wife, she fears she would be restrained, and always checked forced to keep the fire of her nature continually low.” She would not be degraded to an object but rather wanted to stand as a strong independent woman. Jane would not accept the humiliated marriage to please St. John’s wishes. She would continue to look for true love based upon

    Read More

  • I Am The Third Wave Feminism Analysis

    651 Words  | 2 Pages

    “I am the Third Wave,” Rebecca Walker declared in an article for Ms. in 1992 and, thus, coined the term and introduced the idea of third wave feminism (41). In her article, she addresses the devaluation and mistreatment of women and stated her definition of feminism:

    Read More

  • Passion vs Reason

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jane continually advocates for herself throughout her narration. She pushes aside her ache for Mr. Rochester's affection in order to maintain her values. She does not let passion interfere with reason, arguing that if she broke her values, "What would they be worth?" a. The number of a. Jane "plants her foot" at the thought of leaving with Mr. Rochester, leaving him to travel to the unknown.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jewelry By Guy De Maupassant

    1056 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lantin become a betrayer, which leads her to exchange her body and allegiance for expensive jewelry. M. Lantin often advises his wife to pick up herself with natural beauty and her own charm instead of the fake jewelry, but his wife isn’t in favor of his kindly suggestions. She loves jewelry very much (par.9). From Mrs. Lantin’s attitude, she is a vanity woman and likes pursuing material comforts. It’s hard to change her nature. Therefore, she is willing to become another man’s mistress so that she can get a lot of jewelry to flatter her vanity. However, Mrs. Lantin doesn’t dare to tell a truth that her jewelry is real. Sometimes, Mrs. Lantin takes out false jewelry to examine and appreciate it with passion and circumspection, as though she undergoes private delight; and she always takes a pleasure in putting a necklace round M. Lantin’s neck (par. 12). The plot of Mrs. Lantin appreciating jewelry profoundly delineates that she can obtain gratification as long as enjoying her jewelry. This is a forceful irony that Mrs. Lantin openly shows up jewelry and recalls sweet memories of her lover. Although Mrs. Lantin cheats on her husband, she doesn’t look guilty at all. Maybe it’s more important for her to gratify her vanity. But on the contrary, M. Lantin really loves Mrs. Lantin. His love is so obvious that his hair turns white in a month because of Mrs. Lantin’s death. However, their marriage has been destroyed by the betrayal, vanity and

    Read More

More about Jan Eyre

Open Document