Religion in Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte addresses the theme of Religion in the novel Jane Eyre using many characters as symbols. Bronte states, "Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion"(preface v). In Jane Eyre, Bronte supports the theme that customary actions are not always moral through the conventional personalities of Mrs. Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and St. John Rivers. The novel begins in Gateshead Hall when Jane must stay away from her aunt and cousins because she does not know how to speak pleasantly to them. Mrs. Reed, possesses a higher standing in society. Due to Jane's lower class standing, Mrs. Reed treats Jane as an outcast. As Bessie and Miss Abbot drag Jane to the "red room" a most scary room for a child, she is told by Miss Abbot: "No; you are less than a servant for you do nothing for your keep"(14).She must stay in the red room after she retaliates to the attack John Reed makes upon her, her obnoxious cousin. John tells Jane "mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live here with gentlemen's children like us and eat the same meals that we do, and wear clothes at our mama's expense"(12). She receives no love or approval from her family. The only form of love that she does have is the doll she clings to at night when she sleeps. Mrs. Reed is a conventional woman who believes that her class standing sets her to be superior, and therefore better than a member of her own family. As a result of Jane's tantrums, quick temper, and lack of self-control, society classifies her as an immoral person. She speaks up for her herself when she knows she is not supposed to, and her family believes that she acts more like a "rebel" than a young woman. Her spontaneous and violent actions go against conventionality and she must suffer for being so free-spirited. Miss Abbot believes: "God will punish her: He might strike her in the midst of her tantrums"; (15). Jane's tantrums are not customary or acceptable, so during those precise moments of her tantrums, she is especially susceptible to God's punishment. Miss Abbot constantly reminds Jane that she is wicked, she needs to repent, and she is especially dependent on prayer. The Reed children, in contrast, are treated completely opposite. Although John Reed is cruel and vicious to Jane, he receives no type of warning that God will punish him.
After the death of Jane’s parents, her uncle Mr. Reed has taken her in with his family to a mansion called Gateshead Hall. Nine years after Jane uncle has past she has been trapped in Gateshead Hall while suffering the bitter treatment of her aunt Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed was resentful of her husband’s favoritism toward Jane and takes every opportunity to neglect and punish her. When Jane is punished by Mrs. Reed she would be sent to the red room by two of Mrs. Reed servants, Bessie and Miss Abbot. The red-room was “a spare chamber, it was one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion” and in this every same chamber is where Jane uncle past (8). Not only did Mrs. Reed treat disrespectfully but her own son, Jane’s older cousin John Reed. John Reed would abuse and punish Jane several times a day, in the words of Jane; “every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh on my bones shranked when he came near”(4). Everyone would ignore Jane’s plea for help especially Mrs. Reed who would act be blind and deaf on the subject. No one except for Mr. Reed show any love and care for Jane during her childhood in Gateshead Hall. Jane said “I was a discord in Gateshead Hall; I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children, or her chosen vassalage” (10). Jane continued by saying that they did not love her not if as little she loved them. Although the family mistreats her, Jane still wished for the atte...
In the beginning of the book we learn that all of Jane’s direct family was dead. Now all she had was an aunt, Mrs, Reed, and an Uncle that we do not know much about. Jane lives with Mrs, Reed and her children. Jane is not well liked by them and constantly seems to be getting into trouble. One time Jane was reading a book and was found by John. John went to punish her, but Jane went to fight back, but John immediately responded, “...mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg…”(11) This shows how the whole Reed family feels about Jane. She is showed off as poor and not able to do or become anything of worth. This may be the most important quotes in the entire book. This sets Jane in her “rightful” place in the family. Jane then feels like she does not belong, and feels this way for most of the book, leading up to an unforeseen twist in character in many different people.
of her own life as well as a critical study of characters and events during the
herself, and how she was brought up, as I think this has had a big
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.
Reed had received a letter from a John Eyre of Madeira; saying that he wanted to meet Jane and wanted to adopt her because he didn't have any family himself, he was not married and had no children. As the merciless person she was, she did not want Jane to experience the feeling of hope or contentment. The author's use of Jane being locked in the red room, as a symbol of hell. Jane is being punished for her sins and her boorishness; meanwhile, in the room, Jane becomes hysterical when she thinks she sees her dead uncles ghost, which becomes a traumatic experience for her that leads to her being unconsciousness. The red room symbolizes the death of Mr.Reed and the promise Mrs. Reed vowed to keep to take care of Jane and that she be treated and
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.
her journey, “Here it was –the reason she’d been called here in the first place” (Erdrich 309). She
...or this reason, and not just because her mother wants to serve her husband, that she delivers them. She is not willing to be a servant.
marry her to a peasant so her children will be humbly born and pose no
“He who loses individuality, loses all” (Good Reads, 2012). This quote said by Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most recognized leaders of the 19th century, can easily be used to acknowledge the importance of a society possessing unique individualistic traits and characteristics as individuality is the fuel needed to run a society. In a world, where even a mere speck of individuality is not present, that society is likely to shatter into utter destruction. Moreover, individuals should possess the ability to embrace their own uniqueness through which they will have the ability to understand distinctive phrases such as that said by William Channing, “no one should part with their individuality and become that of another”. The concept of individuality being vital to society is explored within Caitlin Tom’s essay Individuality vs. Fitting in, the American novel Little Women by Louisa Alcott, and the romantic yet empowering dramatic film Jane Eyre. The concept presented in these three works portrays how it the essence of individuality is a fundamental component for society as it aids with the recognition of societal barriers, allows the ability to empower change, and permits appreciation of the invoked change.
at the place and situation she is now in because of her servitude to her
The story begins at the Reed’s residence at Gateshead Hall. Jane is excluded from the Reed’s activities so she tries to educate herself by reading books. Soon enough though, John Reed finds her, takes away the book and strikes her with it. “You are like a slave-driver” (Bronte: 43), cries Jane. In this passage Jane compares John with a slave-driver because like one, John deprives her of her endeavor to educate herself and keeps her suppressed. In the boarding school for orphaned girls called Lowood, Jane sees that movement towards progress and knowledge is retained. Mr. Brocklehurst, the director of Lowood, wants the girls to “clothe themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel” (Bronte: 96). So he doesn’t allow for girls to be dressed neatly or with curls in their hair because to him that’s a sin of showing off. His goal it seems is not to truly educate this girls for their own improvement, but merely to educate them to serve the wealthy.
Starting off with Mrs. Reed, she was the wife of John Eyre who was asked to take care of Jane but of course Mrs. Reed secretly envied Jane and had treated her the complete opposite. The reeds had made Jane feel like and outcast to where it had lead to isolation and loneliness. In the beginning of the book the Reeds were introduced as being the family to verbally, physically and mentally abuse Jane. As Jane was left merely to herself, she was left to imagine ,visualize and wonder what it was like on the outside. This leads off to the introduction of the educational school that she will be attending called the Lowood school.
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 ...