The Red House Analysis

In contrast to open windows, Bronte also blocks several windows, indicating how characters are trapped by their social positions. At Thornfield, Jane reveals her displeasure as a governess through her description of the house;“the staircase window was high and latticed; both it and the long gallery into which the bedroom doors opened looked as if they belonged to a church rather than a house. A very chill and vault- like air pervaded” (Bronte 184). Jane establishes this dismal tone after growing accustomed to her work, desiring to explore the barred outdoors and escape the restraints from her low, ambiguous role. Bronte incorporates lattices again when Jane travels to Ferndean in search of Rochester. As Jane steps in sight of the house “The

The red-room scene depicts Jane at the beginning of her life journey, and she is completely under the influence of class. The door to the room is sturdy, and “no jail was ever more secure” (Bronte 21). This scene shows her inability to act against Mrs. Reed’s isolation, and “the red room. . . perfectly represents her vision of the society in which she is trapped, an uneasy and elfin dependent” (Gilbert and Gubar 339). As a child she is subject to the decisions of her elders, and Mrs. Reed treats her as an entirely separate entity or class from her own children. However, Jane begins to grow as she moves through Lowood and Thornfield. Jane gains many life experiences at Lowood and Thornfield, and she develops a stronger understanding of herself and the society that she lives within. By the time Jane encounters the next locked door when she escapes Thornfield, she amasses enough strength to defy the will of Rochester and the society around her, but at great emotional cost; ”Drearily I wound my way downstairs: I knew what I had to do, and I did it mechanically. I sought the key of the side-door in the kitchen; I sought, too, a phial of oil and a feather; I oiled the key and the lock. . . .my strength, sorely shaken of late, must not break down.” (Bronte 611) Jane

In the action of leaving Rochester, Jane loses all of her possessions and has her first experience as a member of the poorest class. Jane previously deals with the birth and gender components of class, but her time in the countryside is the first occasion when she is segregated solely for financial reasons. This segregation leads her to go into doors to reach opportunity. In the town, Jane develops a feeling of isolation from those around her, ”What business had I to approach the white door or touch the glittering knocker? (Bronte 635). Her alienation only deepens when she tries to gain assistance outside of the town, as her attempts to gain assistance are met with distrust “the honest but inflexible servant clapped the door to and bolted it within” (Bronte 641). While she is eventually saved by St. John, the few days she spends alone provide Jane with a greater understanding of independence. Jane continues growing during her time with St. John, reaching her highest degree of social freedom. When she inherits wealth from her dying uncle and resists the demands of St. John, she becomes “literally as well as figuratively an independent woman, free to go her own way and follow her own will” (Gilbert and Gubar 367). Upon leaving