Character Abuse In Jane Eyre

Jane's childhood trauma results as a product of her times at Gateshed and Lowood. There were a series of irreversible problems that Jane had to deal with. She was born an orphan into a house devoid of love or respect for her. It is not overly emotionally healthy to live with the "ostracism by the Reed family and the unrelenting anxiety over the chidings of the servants, the violence of John Reed, and the punishments and berating of Mrs. Reed." (Ashe 10) Evidently, Jane had this lifestyle since she was little. This can be inferred from Mrs. Reeds loving statement "I hated it the first time I set my eyes on it-a sickly, whining, pining thing" (7)

In its simplest form, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre tells the story of a young woman, Jane Eyre, who grows up poor, makes the decision to be independent, does so, and, eventually, marries rich. The novel follows her from her childhood to her reunion with the love of her life and she, throughout it, deals with classism and sexism and exhibits her own form of feminism. By the end, it becomes clear that, with this semi-autobiographical novel, Charlotte Bronte was providing a criticism on society’s discrimination toward those of a lower class, a subtle argument against the male-dominated society’s treatment of women, and an even subtler call to action for women to find their own agency outside of the men in their lives. On another end, however,

Abuse was a very consistent thing in Jane Eyre's childhood life. After her parents died she was taken in by her aunt and uncle Reed but her world turned upside down after uncle passed away and she was left under the care of her cruel aunt. Most of the abuse came from both her cousin John and her aunt Reed. Jane Eyre was a novel whose theme portrayed physical and mental abuse,forms of cruelty presented to her throughout her childhood.

Violence is the most recurrent gothic convention used in Jane Eyre, which is prominent in Charlotte Brontë's effective development of the novel and the character of Jane Eyre, who, throughout this novel, is searching for a home in which she would have a sense of belonging and love which would ultimately resolve this exact unfulfilled need she had as a child. The neglect she experienced in her childhood is manifested in the way she is treated by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, as in the first page of the novel Jane Eyre admits: ‘Me, she had dispensed from joining the group, saying, 'She regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance’’. This opening shows how there is a clear line of separation drawn between Jane and her relatives due to her complicated family background which consequently results in their reluctance to accept her into their environment. These complications lead to her maltreatment, which also adds on to the violence she experiences acting as a catalyst for the development of the character and her subconscious quest.

In the novel’s exposition, Jane Eyre, a ten-year-old child, begins to face gender injustice by his cousin, John Reed. In “In the Window-Seat: Vision and Power in Jane Eyre,” Peter J. Bellis states, “John Reed claims the house and its contents as his . . .” (641). He exerts authority on her simply because he is a male by abusing and bossing her, making it seem as if he owns her. The situation starts holding Jane back as a female, leaving her defenseless, as “the powerless victim of its oppressive force” (Bellis 641). John greatly contributed to Jane’s suffering as a child, by abusing the power he had over her. She speaks of how John harshly demanded of her, saying, “I want you to come here;’ and, seating himself in an armchair, he intimated by a gesture that I was to approach and stand before him,” referring to him as “master” (4). The simple act of her needing to call him “master” demonstrates the dominance he possesses. He deprived her of freedom such as simply reading a book by controlling her life at a young age, and it

Ever since she was a child, Jane had always been outspoken and opinionated. Even though these two characteristics were not seen to be fit for a girl or women, Jane always had the confidence to do the opposite of what was expected of her. An example of this is in the beginning of the novel, when Jane fights back to her brutal cousin John Reed. John was a bully to Jane and in one specific scene, he calls her a rat and mocks her for being an orphan. He throws a book at her and her head starts to bleed. Jane says, “Wicked and cruel boy! You are like a murderer- you are like a slave driver- you are like the Roman emperors!” This was surprising because Jane was only a small child and small girls did not normally show anger or say harsh things like she had. After this scene, my opinion of Jane’s character had already began to form: she was one tough girl.

The only time that a member of the Reed family speaks to Jane is when they are belittling her, hoping to further assert their elite dominance over the lower class. In one particular quarrel, John Reed, the oppressive “Roman emperor” and “slave driver,” throws a book at Jane’s head to physically proclaim his dominance over her, to which Jane responds by verbally firing back at his elitist oppression. (Brontë 13) The battle between the social classes concludes with Jane being banished to the horrifying red-room as punishment for attempting to overthrow the elite power, John Reed, even though John was the clear instigator of the scuffle. Jane is later condemned by the house servants for her attempt to overthrow her “young master.” Jane and John are both children, but due to the wealth and status of his parents, John is allowed to rule over Jane, making Jane, as the Gateshead servants would describe, “‘less than a servant’” because she does nothing for her keep. (Brontë 15) Jane continuously faces this maltreatment at Gateshead until an outburst directed towards Mrs. Reed causes her to be sent away to Lowood school, a place where Mrs. Reed hopes Jane will perhaps be taught to conform to the societal norm of how a young girl like Jane should act in

Charlotte Bronte created one of the first feminist novels--Jane Eyre--of her time period when she created the unique and feminist female heroine, Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel, Jane becomes stronger as she speaks out against antagonists. She presses to find happiness whether she is single or married and disregards society’s rules. The novel begins as Jane is a small, orphan child living with her aunt and cousins due to the death of her parents and her uncle. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Her cousin--John Reed--hits her and then Mrs. Reed chooses to punish her instead and sends her to the room in which her uncle

Throughout the book, Jane endures both physical and mental abuse from multiple individuals; however, she defies them by fighting back in her own way. The abuse starts at Gateshead when her older cousin, John Reed, verbally and physically assaults Jane. Brontë writes on page 12, “He bullied and punished me; not two or three times in the week, nor once or twice in a day, but continually: every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh on my bones shrank when he came near.” Jane consciously chooses to defend herself after John strikes her on page 13 and 14, “I wonder if he read that notion in my face; for, all at once, without speaking, he struck suddenly and strongly. I tottered, and on regaining my equilibrium retired back a step or two from his chair…I don’t very well know what I did with my hands, but he called me…” Jane defies John’s authority as the man of the house by fighting back when he abuses her. By doing this, Jane breaks the typical Victorian gender-based ideal that a woman must obey and be complacent to the directive of any man in a higher position than her (Olga Zeltzer, Historical Analysis: Women as the "the Sex" During the Victorian Era). Jane’s actions,

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre written during the Victorian era in the nineteenth century, stars Jane, an orphaned, isolated girl, living with a family that disapproves of her. As she grew, she exceled at school, became a governess, and falls in love with Edward Rochester her employer. Furthermore, after being deceived by him, Jane goes to Marsh End, where she reclaims her aspect and indentifies her own strength. By novel's end, Jane became a strong, independent woman. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre still raises relevant questions to readers; like (4) how abuse or unfair treatment makes a person angry or bitter? or (10) how love can transform appearances in the eye of the beholder?

Throughout Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë uses the character Jane as a tool to comment on the oppression that women were forced to endure at the time. Jane can be seen as representative of the women who suffered from repression during the Victorian period, a time when patriarchy was commonplace. Brontë herself was affected by the time period, because according to Wolfe, she was deprived “experience and intercourse and travel.” (70) Thus Jane offers a unique perspective as a woman who is both keenly aware of her position and yet trapped by it despite repeated attempts to elevate herself and escape the burden placed on by her different suitors. Although superficially it seems that Jane wants to break away from the relationships that further

Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” has captivated readers for generations. As with all coming of age novels, young adults can relate to the struggles and triumphs of Jane. Jane’s setting influences and parallel her emotions. A reader can see the novel through her eyes and perspective. In Bronte’s “Jane Eyre,” the location often parallels Jane’s emotional growth through the tone presented by the environment, resulting in the different places she lives revealing her journey through depression. Jane’s behavioral patterns and thoughts suggest clinical depression that affected her choices throughout the novel and her life at Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Marsh End, and Ferdean.

In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Jane is an orphan who is often mistreated by the family and other people who surround her. Faced with constant abuse from her aunt and her cousins, Jane at a young age questions the treatment she receives: "All John Reed’s violent tyrannies, all his sister’s proud indifference, all his mother’s aversion, all the servants’ partiality, turned up in my disturbed mind like a dark deposit in a turbid well. Why was I always suffering, always brow-beaten, always accused, forever condemned?" (27; ch. 2). Despite her early suffering, as the novel progresses Jane is cared for and surrounded by various women who act as a sort of "substitute mother" in the way they guide,

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is presented in the Victorian Period of England. It is a novel which tells the story of a child's maturation into adulthood. Jane's developing personality has been shaped by her rough childhood. She has been influenced by many people and experiences. As a woman of her time, Jane has had to deal with the strain of physical appearance. This has a great effect on her mental thinking and decision making. Jane Eyre's cognitive and physical attributes have been affected by her environment throughout her life.

As a child she often fought against her Aunt Reed and her cousin John. After John had cut her head with a book she fought back with words. “‘Wicked and cruel boy!’ I [Jane] said. ‘You are like a murder - you are like a slave-driver - you are like the Roman emperors!’” (Bronte 13). Since she wasn’t as obedient as most little girls in her time, she was often called naughty and wicked. “‘You naughty little thing!’ she [Bessie] said. ‘Why don’t you come when you are called’” (Bronte 46). Jane’s unwillingness to behave typically caused negative impacts while she was staying at Gateshead Hall.