Jane Eyre

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Recommended: From poverty to wealth

How can a girl, who started out with nothing, blossom into a well educated, generous, blissful woman? Well, in Jane Eyre, the main character overcomes all obstacles thrown at her and makes a great life for herself. From a miserable, orphaned young girl to a happily married, well educated woman, Jane Eyre transforms immensely throughout the novel. Through her many experiences in essential locations, she grows significantly at Gateshead, Lowood School, Thornfield, Marsh End, and Ferndean.

The novel begins at Gateshead where Jane is a young, ten year old, orphaned child who is miserable and unwanted by her aunt and cousins. At first, Jane allows her family to taunt and tease her without ever retaliating. When John Reed, one of Jane’s cousins, bullies her as he does all of the time, she doesn’t do anything to stop him. He throws a book at Jane, but Jane is blamed for it. Jane says, “Habitually obedient to John, I came up to his chair” (Charlotte Brontë 8) and “Accustomed to John Reed’s abuse, I never had an idea of replying to it…” (Charlotte Brontë 8). This shows how intimidated and scared Jane is of the consequences of fighting back. When she is blamed for John’s fault and sent to the red-room, she experiences a new feeling: one of opposition. She says, “I resisted all the way: a new thing for me…” (Charlotte Brontë 11). Jane also considers herself a rebel slave. This shows that Jane is starting to stick up for herself and take control of her life. There is another incidence where Jane learns to speak up towards the end of her stay at Gateshead. Mrs. Reed, her aunt, told Brocklehurst, the manger of Lowood School, untruths relating to Jane. By this point in the novel, Jane is tired of how she has been treated her ent...

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... because I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine. No woman was ever nearer to her mate than I am: every more absolutely bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh” (Charlotte Brontë 679). This shows Jane’s and Rochester’s love for one another. Even though they had to wait, their relationship eventually turned our near-perfect and continues to grow each and every day.

Even when life throws its worst disasters at Jane, she is somehow able to conquer these hardships and build a delightful life for herself. Such locations as Gateshead, Lowood School, Thornfield, Marsh End, and Ferndean are crucial points in her life that help her in her metamorphosis from shy and timid to bold and loving. If a girl starts out with nothing, and ends up with everything she every wanted, isn’t it possible for people to make something of their lives as well?

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