Theme Of Fallacy In Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre was published in 1847. Originally titled Jane Eyre: an autobiography, the novel is about title character, Jane Eyre, and her journey from girlhood to wife of Rochester. The book contains many elements of the gothic, including the supernatural, the horrific, and other gothic forms and elements. The excess contained in the book includes that of sexual excess, as Jane is attracted to Rochester by sexual passion, as well as that of the romantic, there is also what Rochester considers Bertha's sexual excess. This essay will aim to discuss how these are contained by the Christian framework of the novel.

Jane Eyre contains many Gothic techniques. Pathetic fallacy features quite heavily in various parts of the book. Pathetic fallacy is a personification of nature, that is often used as a foreshadowing of coming events, or perhaps a way of expressing an emotion the character is not able to express themselves. For instance, what could be argued as the first instance of the Gothic in the novel, the red-room. Jane has been sent to the red-room as punishment following an incident with her cousin, and is locked in.

'Daylight began to forsake the red-room; it was past four o'clock and the beclouded afternoon was tending to drear twilight. I heard the rain still beating continuously on the staircase window, and the wind howling in the grove behind the hall; I grew by degrees cold as stone, and then my courage sank'1

The change in time, and in temperature, foreshadows the change in atmosphere that is about to happen, the red-room is about to go from somewhere Jane has just been sent to be punished, to a frightened, haunted room that Jane is scared of, after she believes the ghost of her dead uncle was in the room- though her older, n...

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...the sensible, 'moral and right' side, is not always the best side. That we can remain sensible in choosing passion.

The story is not so much anti-Christian but anti-intolerance. It shows the differences in people that must be understood, and that we cannot all conform like Mr. Brocklehurst would want us to.

'In the largest sense, Jane Eyre is a protest novel. It is a protest against all that would stifle or repress the individual-against the inhuman treatment of human beings.'11

In conclusion, the Gothic and excess in Jane Eyre not only is contained by the Christian framework of the story, but aids it's Christian message, that conformity is not Christian, but rather 'Churchly'; a method of religious establishment to repress it's people. There is a strong message, not only of love and tolerance but of understanding of others, of their needs, beliefs and desires.