The Development of Jane's Character from Passionate Child to Independent Woman
Jane's character changes immensely throughout the course of the novel.
In Victorian England, there were distinctive boundaries of social
classes and I intend to study Jane's social elevation, from a
destitute orphan to that of a beloved wife.
When Jane was a child her parents died and she was sent to Mr Reed,
her late mother's brother.
"my own uncle - my mother's brother in his last moments he had
required a promise of Mrs Reed that she would rear and maintain me as
one of her own"
Her uncle died and she was left with Mrs Reed and her three cousins
who all despised her. They only looked after her because of the
promise to Mr Reed. It was typical in Victorian England for an orphan
to stay with relatives because if they didn't they would be sent to
the workhouse. They would either be loved or despised - like in Jane's
case.
Jane was a spirited child who was not afraid to stand up to Mrs Reed
or John Reed. She was isolated and explains how unloved and ill
treated she was at Gateshead
"if anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will
tell them the very thought of you makes me sick"
Jane is a brave, little girl and tells things as they are. She accepts
how badly she was treated and lets Mrs Reed know this just before
leaving to go to school at Lowood. When Mr Brocklehurst visited her at
Gateshead, she was forceful and told him directly "Psalms are not
interesting." This action was not typical of others in Victorian
England, as they would not have answered so bluntly.
Jane Eyre leaves Gateshead and attends Lowood School, she forms
alliances with Helen Burns and Miss Temple, and she becomes a much
...
... middle of paper ...
...character it helps to focus
and underline the thoughts and feelings of the writer without feeling
embarrassed, instead it allows the writer to get their opinions into
society through another means other than themselves.
However, I do not believe that the whole novel is feminist because a
Victorian woman's aspiration was to marry and in the end this is what
Jane ends up doing. The period when Jane is at school is when she
learns to control herself and become more "Victorian", but again in
contrast to this, it has been suggested that Miss Temple and Jane were
more than just friends up until the point when Miss Temple got
married. It seems to me that sections of the novel do point to being
'feminist', trying to get men and women on equal terms, whereas some
sections are more typical in the way that they represent Jane and a
more usual 'Victorian' manner.
Whether it is because of the obligation, out of love, pity or kindness, Jane believes she visit Mrs. Reed and fulfill her last wishes. “Forgive me for my passionate language; I was a child then; eight, nine years have passed since that day.” (253) Putting the hardships behind her Jane gives her full apologies to Mrs.
Instead, the novel begins with the seemingly disappointed statement: "There was no possibility of taking a walk that [rainy] day," and counters almost immediately with, "I was glad of it; I never liked long walks." When excluded from Christmas revelries in the Reed household, the child Jane says, "To speak the truth, I had not the least wish to go into company." Jane's defiance, which doesn't exclude childlike fears, strikes us as forthright in the way of the adolescent temperaments of other famous literary voices -- Jo March of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women," Huck Finn, Holden Caulfield and their now-countless younger siblings.
Jane makes her journey from Gateshead to Lowood at the age of ten, finally freeing her from her restrictive life with her aunt, who hates her. Jane resented her harsh treatment by her aunt. Mrs. Reed’s attitude towards Jane highlights on of the main themes of the novel, the social class. Jane’s aunt sees Jane as inferior, who is less than a servant. Jane is glad to be leaving her cruel aunt and of having the chance of going to school.
She is an orphan who lives with her aunt - Miss Reed - but is
Mrs Reed keeps Jane only because of a promise she made to her husband on his deathbed. This abuse and neglect from her relatives forces Jane to be resentful and full of hatred. Later on Jane begins to stand up for herself. Once Jane begins to rebel to the abuse done by John and Mrs Reed, it is as if an uncontrollable beast had been unleashed inside of her.
We learn that Jane is a young girl who is a victim of emotional and
In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Mrs. Reed tells the owner of Lowood Institution, Mr. Brocklehurst, that Jane has, "'a bad character, a deceitful disposition; and to let everybody at Lowood know what [she] is, and what [she] has done'" (34). Jane already despises Mrs. Reed for treating her so poorly, but now she is infuriated. If Mr. Brocklehurst describes Jane as Mrs. Reed instructs him to do, Jane will never make friends at Lowood because all of the children will fear her. Jane battles back by saying to her aunt, "'I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty'" (33). Jane...
Jane’s quest to find a sense of belonging follows her from the beginning, to the end of the narrative. Ever since Jane was a child, she was taught that she would never be accepted into society. From the start, she was never considered a member of the Reed family. They belittled her and treated her as if she were a servant, making sure she knew that she was not a part of their family. “They will
The reader first learns of Jane when she is an inhabitant of Gateshead. At Gateshead, Jane was excluded from the rest of the family. She was merely an outsider looking in on a nuclear family, excluding the father, who had died. We know that Jane’s Uncle Reed, the father and dominant figure of Gateshead, when alive, was a kind man. He was the guardian for Jane and when dying made his wife promise to always care for Jane. After his death, his wife resented the little girl and did not want to care for her. Knowing what we know of family life in the nineteenth century, we know that Jane’s life would have been much different if her uncle Reed had not died. Being the master of the home one can assume that he would have made sure that everyone in the household would have treated Jane well and with love and respect. A father’s authority was unquestioned. Once Mr. Reed had died, the masculine dominance was somewhat given to his son who did not care for Jane and made her life miserable by all of his cruelty and abuse. Although he did not rule the home, due to his young age, his authority as seen by Jane was unquestioned.
Adolescence and its impact on a character is a common theme throughout literature. Adolescence describes the period after childhood and before adulthood in one’s life. Childhood can impact one’s future course in life, whilst adulthood will receive the lasting effects of adolescence. In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre it is possible to see Jane’s adolescence as shaped by her childhood and impacting her adulthood. Jane’s difficult childhood leaves her with warped ideas of love and power. Jane’s adolescence is the first time she receives any love and learns how to love. Lastly, Jane’s adulthood decisions are influenced by her ideas on love and power that have been shaped by her childhood and adolescence.
The story begins with a young Jane Eyre who is essentially neither loved by anyone nor independent in nature. At this point in the story, the reader discovers that Jane is an orphan and is being supported by the Reed family. This discovery is made through the portrayal of John Reed when he is taunting Jane about her social status. John claims that since it is his family who supports Jane, it is their choice to dictate the circumstances under which she lives. In this case, Jane is not allowed to play with the younger Reed children or read a book that belongs to the Reeds. The fact that6 Jane is an orphan living under someone else's roof displays that she has not yet gained her independence.
At the beginning of the novel while Jane is living under her aunt, Mrs. Reed, she is treated disrespectfully and cruelly. She accuses Jane of being deceitful and a troublesome girl in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the master of Lowood School. Jane is so hurt by this accusation that she cannot stop herself from defending her well being, and she stands up to her aunt. She knows she is being treated disrespectful and has much more self-worth than ...
Reed – She is the dreadful aunt to Jane. After Jane's uncle died, he made his wife promise him that she would take care of his niece, raise her like her own. Ms. Reed however, only barely kept this promise. With resentment towards Jane, she treated her poorly, let her children abuse Jane, and reminded Jane time and time again of how little she was really apart of the family. She regarded Jane as a pesky fly on a hot summer's day.
The story begins as Jane lives with the Reed family in their home at Gateshead Hall. Here, the theme of education vs. containment develops immediately, as Jane is kept confined indoors on a cold winter day. The other children (Eliza, John, and Giorgiana) are "clustered round their mamma in the drawing-room" (Bronte: 39) being educated, as Jane had been excluded from the group. Jane tries to educate herself by reading from Berwick's History of British Birds, but once again, she is held back from her attempt at enlightenment by the abuse of John Reed, who castigates her and throws the heavy book at her. In anger, Jane cries out, "You are like a murderer - you are like a slave-driver - you are like the Roman emperors" (Bronte: 43). In this passage, Jane compares John Reed to a slave-driver because, like a slave-driver, he deprives Jane of her attempt at education and keeps her suppressed. Afterwards, Jane is blamed for the entire incident and...
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 ...