Jane Eyre Research Paper

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Recommended: The portrayal of women in 19th century literature

Jane Eyre’s journey through life is very similar to that of a train ride. She gets off to experience the world around her, for the good and the bad, but will learn from every stop. In the novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, Jane will go on a journey she will never forget. All of the people that cycle in and out of Jane’s life contribute to forming her complex personality over the course of the novel.
The role of women in the Victorian Era held restrictions to their roles, but women still found a way to change the world around them. Through the harsh treatment that Mrs. Reed had Jane suffer through, it forms Jane's cautious character. Jane adopts a fiery personality as a result of being around the Reeds who treat her as a discord. Mrs. Reed favors John, …show more content…

Later when Jane makes a stop at Lowood, she meets Helen Burns who helps form her into a proper young lady. Helen has a very unique philosophy of life that clashes with the viewpoints of young Jane. She teaches Jane to accept punishment as a teaching moment and to move on with her journey. Jane’s first response to Helen’s idea is, "If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse." (Brontë 57). While Helen was still alive, Jane rejected these ideas but after her death began to instill them into her daily life. Helen empowers Jane as a woman, and gives her hope for her future beyond the doors of Lowood. During her next stop at Thornfield, Mrs. Fairfax welcomes Jane and helps her to become adjusted to this new lifestyle.

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