Hannah

“Independence is happiness” (Susan B. Anthony). In the novel Jane Eyre, Jane is a young orphan girl living with her relatives. She is sent to a stringent boarding school and later gains occupation under the mysterious Mr. Rochester, with whom she falls in love. Through unusual circumstances and tragic events, they are separated. In the end they are reunited as changed people. In Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre, the desire for independence is evident in the characters of Jane and Rochester, who find that interdependence, not independence, results in true happiness.

Jane, from the reader's first introduction to her, has an independent nature. Jane first resides at Gateshead with her Aunt Read and spoiled cousins. It is here that her desire for independence is planted when her cousin John tells her she is a “dependent.” When she finally gains independence from her relatives, she ends up at Lowood School. Lowood is just as confining a place as Gateshead, and Jane struggles within its confines. She observes: “I tired of the routine…in one afternoon. I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer.”

When Jane leaves Lowood, she is finally an independent woman, but she soon becomes employed under Mr. Rochester. At her first meeting with her new master Jane declares her intentions of remaining as independent as possible: “I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.” At first Jane chafes under Rochester’s domineering authority, but this feeling lessens as her love for Rochester grows. As Jane is consumed by her affection for ...

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...Jane returns, he is blind, crippled, and dependent on others: “Then he stretched his hand out to be led…I served both for his prop and his guide.” Rochester must now rely on someone else for help—a strong blow to his independence.

Jane and Rochester have similar natures, but they must learn to give up their self-sufficient inclinations. Jane relinquishes her independence, submitting to Rochester as his wife. Rochester loses his independence through the loss of his sight and arm. Jane relies on Rochester for protection and comfort, and Rochester relies on Jane for support and assistance. Charlotte Brontë draws a striking parallel between Jane’s desire for independence and Rochester’s same desire. However, in the end they both must surrender some of their independence for the sake of each other. They find depending on one another is better than lonely independence.