There are certain feelings that persuade writers to do what they do best. Of course, that feeling could be something different for each author, such as love, loss, peace, hatred, etc. The examination of these feelings is what makes an author’s work a piece of art and at the same time something humanly conceivable (since a majority of the time art is neither humanly conceivable nor understandable to those who merely observe it). And so when a writer decides to let these emotions that they have once felt, that perhaps they have felt for others, be translated into something perfectly tangible and comprehensible, an understanding is born between them and those they preach to. In John Gardner’s Grendel, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Joseph …show more content…
Often in the event of solitude one finds that the individual put under such conditions feels the need to strike back at the forces holding them, however, that does not usually serve them well. Now, this is perfectly understandable looking at humans, and most other creatures, from a more animalistic view. It is natural to either fight or run from the things that one finds uncomfortable or altogether frightening. In Jane Eyre, Bronte uses a younger, more naïve version, of her heroine to depict this instinct as Jane attempts to attack her aunt with words saying that “[she] will never call [Ms. Reed] aunt again as long as [she] lives…” and promises to “tell anybody who asks [her] this exact tale…” that “people think [Ms. Reed] is a good woman, but [she is bad]; hard-hearted” (Bronte 41). In Jane’s case, solitude is her enemy though she may claim later it is but a friend. However, fighting back against this foe is not to Jane’s advantage and furthers her own isolation. Bronte utilizes this factor to mark, later in the piece, a progression of her character, but also in that moment of …show more content…
While isolation may help some with different processes of healing, or finding one’s self, it can also be quite maddening to be solitary for long periods of time. Since humans are social creatures it is imperative that we have some form of positive interaction with other humans. Bronte again examines her theme of solitude but from a darker perspective as she creates her character the estranged Bertha Rochester, wife of Jane’s love interest Mr. Rochester. Bertha is described rather negatively physiologically and behaviorally throughout the novel: “The maniac bellowed: she parted her shaggy locks from her visage, and gazed wildly at her visitors. I recognized well that purple face, --those bloated features…the lunatic sprang and grappled his throat violently, and laid her teeth to his neck: they struggled” (Bronte 71). Bertha was supposed to have lost her mind shortly after Mr. Rochester and she married, yet the fact that Mr. Rochester locked her in a room (while understandable since mental institutes at the time were nothing but torture chambers) did not aid in her health or betterment. Solitude can drive people to extremes, and while she is locked in that room she is described in a more monstrous and animalistic way than she is when out of the room as she “removed [Jane’s] veil from [her] gaunt head, rent it in two parts, and flinging both on
Jane Eyre’s inner struggle over leaving an already married Rochester is the epitome of the new "lovemad" woman in nineteenth-century literature. Jane Eyre is the story of a lovemad woman who has two parts to her personality (herself and Bertha Mason) to accommodate this madness. Charlotte Bronte takes the already used character of the lovemad woman and uses her to be an outlet for the confinement that comes from being in a male-dominated society. Jane has to control this madness, whereas the other part of her personality, her counterpart, Bertha Mason, is able to express her rage at being caged up. As what it means to be insane was changing during Bronte’s time, Bronte changed insanity in literature so that it is made not to be a weakness but rather a form of rebellion. Jane ultimately is able to overcome her lovemadness through sheer force of her will.
In the book, Jane Eyre, isolation is one of the main themes. Isolation affects Jane in many ways. Jane has been affected mainly throughout her family; especially by her aunt as Jane says “Me she had dispensed from joining the group saying, ‘she regretted to be under necessity of keeping me at a distance’” (Bronte 11). Jane had lost her mother, father, and uncle Reed, leaving her with her aunt Reed and cousins Eliza, John, and Georgiana. Janes aunt has not necessarily favoured Janes joining of the family, and with this she tends to leave her out of family events. With Janes aunt isolating her comes her cousin’s, John’s, abuse. Jane is used to this type of isolation she has become “Accustomed to John Reed’s abuse, I never had an idea to replying to it: my care was how to endure the blow.” (14). Jane’s cousins don’t think much of her, not only because she’s not from the same set of parents, but because they pick up on their mother dividing her from the rest of the family. As alienation is a main theme this abusive relation increases how much she is isolated from her family.
Charlotte Bronte utilizes the character of Bertha Rochester to interrupt Jane’s potential happy ending with Mr. Edward Rochester. Bertha is announced by Mr. Briggs as a way to stop the wedding and it also shows how hopeless Jane’s situation is. “That is my wife “said he. ‘Such is the sole conjugal embrace I am ever to know—such are the endearments which are to solace my leisure hours! And this is what I wished to have,’” (312) and “’I wanted her just as a change after that fierce ragout,’” (312) are quotes that express Mr. Rochester’s reasons for trying to remarry while he already has a wife, meanwhile showing his disposition towards said wife. Had Mr. Briggs and Mr. Mason not been present for the ceremony, Jane may have lived happily in ignorance. Due to Bertha’s involvement however, Jane could never truly call herself Mr. Rochester’s wife. She says, “’Sir, your wife is living: that is a fact acknowledged this morning by yourself. If I lived with you as you desire—I should then be your mistress: to say otherwise is sophistical—is false.’” (323) This quote shows that as a result of Bertha’s exposure, Jane refuses to marry Mr. Rochester. The influence that Bertha’s brief debut had on Jane’s life was significant enough to hinder the growth of her relationship with Mr. Rochester.
In the novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte shows us that all people have a feeling inside of them to recognizing what their personal desires and what their duty to others is. In Jane Eyre, the endless theme of unforgettable war between a passion and responsibility always appears, with a strong set of principles Jane is able to decide what is right. Throw out the book Charlotte Bronte show us that Jane’s integrity to her self is more important than what anybody else thinks of her. Duty and desire plays a huge role in which Jane has to learn to control her desire of her anger outburst and her duty to herself.
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.
"The Buried Life of Lucy Snowe" and "A Dialogue of Self and Soul: Plain Jane's Progress" in The Mad Woman in the Attic, Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar (2000).
The Novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte took a surprising twist when Bertha "Mason" Rochester was introduced. Bertha leaves a traumatizing impression on Jane’s conscious. However, this particular misfortunate event was insidiously accumulating prior to Jane’s arrival at Thornfield. Through Bertha, the potential alternative dark turn of events of Jane’s past are realized, thus bringing Jane closer to finding herself.
Jane Erye Jane Eyre - Analysis of Nature Charlotte Bronte triumphs in many arenas with her masterpiece "Jane Eyre". She develops a beautiful setting and endearing characters, that sometimes overshadows some of the more subtle aspects of her novel. One very important element that is sometimes overlooked is the use of nature imagery and comments on the human relationship with the outdoors and human nature. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines "nature" as "1. the phenomena of the physical world as a whole. .
Jane Eyre, written in 1847 by Charlotte Bronte, relates a tale of tragedy, mystery, and gothic romance. Covering the multiple issues of England in that time, Bronte writes of orphan treatment, social class, and Britain’s controversial law of prohibiting divorce in all circumstances. Orphaned at a young age and unwanted by her guardian Mrs. Reed, Jane searches for higher prospects in education at Lowood, eventually earning a position as a governess at Thornfield. Complications disrupt her life, when she becomes engaged to her employer, Mr. Rochester, and soon after discovers that he is already married to a lunatic. Leaving Thornfield, Jane finds a home with St. John and his two sisters. Eventually, she returns to her former employer, discovering Thornfield in ashes, Mrs. Rochester dead, and Mr. Rochester blind and free from wedlock. Flooded with motifs, Jane’s continual struggles between her passions and responsibility prevail as the main theme of Bronte’s entrancing narrative.
When Bertha Rochester is first introduced in the novel she is much of a mystery. Her name isn’t stated and it isn’t really clear if she is the one causing trouble. Jane has assumptions of who might be committing all these problems. Bertha tries to kill Mr. Rochester by setting the curtain around his bed on fire. Jane is hearing things inside her room and wished she kept her candle on so she could see. Jane says, “This was a demoniac laugh-low, suppressed, and deep-uttered, as it seemed, at the very keyhole of my chamber door. The head of my bed was near the door and, I thought at first the goblin-laughter stood at my beside-or rather crouched by my pillow: but I rose, looked around and could see nothing; while, as I gazed, the unnatural sound was reiterated: and I knew it came from behind the panels. My first impulse was to rise and fasten the bolt; and my next again to cry out, who is there?” (155) Jane stated that “Something gurgled and moaned. Ere long, steps retreated up to the gallery toward the third-story staircase: a door had lately been made to shut in that staircase; I heard it open and close and all was still.
With the death of Bertha, Jane is now able to live with the man she loves. Bertha's death precedes a successful union between Rochester and Jane. When they are finally reunited, they are equal (Showalter 122). When Rochester and Jane finally get together, their relationship succeeds due to the fact that he has learned how it feels to be helpless and how to accept the help of a woman (Showalter 122).
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. In other words; conform to the people around you or face standing out. Despite the excessive number of motivational posters in modern classrooms, repeating the unending importance of going against the flow and staying true to one 's own beliefs, there is something to be said for fitting in. Lawyers wear suits, yodeling is inappropriate in a theater, and one certainly never starts a food fight in the cafeteria. Society has its expectations for how people should behave and to act outside those parameters is grounds for ridicule; the England of the 1800 's was no different. Jane Eyre was an outcast from the start; born to a estranged couple, housed by an Aunt who despised her, and raised in a world where she lacks
Brennan, Zoe. "Reader's Guide: Bronte's Jane Eyre." Ebrary. Continuum International Publishing 2 2010. Print. April 28, 2014
Immediately from the start Bronte’s character Jane is different. She is an orphan, mis-treated and despised by her family. She has no clear social position, is described as “less than a servant” and treated like one. A protagonist who one would assume had no characteristics worth aspiring too. Jane is displayed perfectly in her hiding behind the curtain. She is placed by a window, which beyond is icy and cold, contrasting immensely from the inside of the fire and warmth. A clear statement of the icy coldness of the family she has been put to live with, and her fiery and passionate nature which we discover th...
Jane Eyre vs Mary Wollstonecraft There is no doubt that Charlotte Bronte knew the works of Mary Wollstonecraft, and she knew them well. Although Wollstonecraft's ideas were written a hundred years beforehand, many women did not read her work because it was not easily attainable. Many women were not educated to read this piece of literature, and many men deemed it unimportant to their education. Bronte's works were cleverly disguised in women's entertainment, the novel. The main themes both women discuss are education, love, and marriage.