How Does Bronte Present Jane Eyre In The Novel

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Explore how Charlotte Bronte presents the character of Jane Eyre in the novel of the same name, noting the effects of social and historical influences on the text. Jane Eyre was a plain and insignificant unloved orphan, she was cared for by her aunt Reed, who did not like her but was obliged to look after her because it was a request of Mr. Reed who was also Jane's uncle. Eventually she was sent away to school after fighting with her bullying cousin John and getting locked in the room her Uncle died in, and she fainted. The school was awful with a horrible owner and bad conditions; there was a typhus epidemic in which her friend Helen Burns died. She made friends with a teacher Miss Temple who helped her when Helen died. The …show more content…

He misleads her by supposedly courting a beautiful woman and then proposes to her even though they are in different classes and she is amazed but accepts. On the day of their marriage it is discovered that Mr. Rochester already has a crazy wife, Bertha Mason locked upstairs, which explains some strange goings on at Thornfield. Jane leaves Thornfield knowing she can't be with Mr. Rochester. She wanders about with nowhere to go and no money until she meets three relatives of hers whom she wasn't aware of and they take her in. One of these, St John Rivers finds Jane a job teaching at a charity school. He then surprises her by telling her that her uncle has died and she is rich and he is also her cousin, knowing this she shares the inheritance equally with him and two other cousins. St John wants to travel as a missionary and he wants Jane to go with him as his wife, Jane wants to go but not as his wife because she doesn't love him, she nearly gives in but then hears Mr. Rochester's voice calling her. She hurries back to Thornfield but it has been burnt down by …show more content…

She doesn't want to be his possession to dress up or loose her individuality. She knows she has always been plain and sees that no matter what she is dressed in, it will not suit her or make her beautiful so she prefers to just wear her usual black or grey dresses and be herself. The Reeds all saw Jane as below them because they felt they were doing her a favour that she didn't deserve, Jane dislikes the Reeds because they show her no love and see her as a burden when she tries her best to please them or at least stay out of the way and not aggravate them. They constantly remind her that if they were to disown her she would have nowhere to go "you are under obligations to Mrs. Reed: she keeps you: if she were to turn you off you would have to go to the poor house" They act as though she is ungrateful to them when she is not, and Mrs. Reed believes that Jane will be a bad influence on her own

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