Examples Of Isolation In Jane Eyre

We first see Jane; vulnerable and lonely at Gateshead, where the orphaned little girl resides with her bitter widowed aunt and her children. Jane is sent to the ‘Red Room’ for retaliating when her

As a young girl, she is essentially trapped in Gateshead. This sprawling house is almost her whole world. Jane has been here for most of her ten years. Her life as a child is

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)

The novel in which Jane Eyre stars in can be seen criticizing many aspects of those times such as the role and nature of women, child negligence and social hardships for those in a lesser class. Jane Eyre’s alienation from society allows for a greater reveal of the story’s culture, values, and assumptions. It’s presented through the use of gender, class and character conflicts throughout the story. On multiple occasions, Jane is judged for the presented factors reflecting the type of society Jane lives in and what the times were like at that time.

Furthermore, this demeaning and negative attitude Jane is exposed to is further instigated when her cousin, John Reed, expresses her situation by saying: "You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen's children like us". The truth of Jane's unfortunate situation is expressed against her which results in her feeling no true support from this family and confides only in her childhood nursemaid- Bessie, who although behaves inconsistently and has “a capricious and hasty temper”, is the closest mother figure to her. Furthermore, the friction between Jane and John is further emphasised when the first physical aspect of violence is introduced to the reader through a graphic portrayal, further showing the ultimate rejection Jane experienced

It instead shows Jane’s inner struggle to do what is “right” versus what she desires. The separation between the voice of herself and her thoughts exhibits her helplessness to change her path from what her mind has already decided. This displays the heavy influence society has on Jane, which is further proven by the personification of Jane’s two strongest rivaling emotions. The heavy influence of a patriarchal dominated society is evident in her “Conscience” being a strong male figure, whereas her “Passion” is a weaker, feminine figure. Similarly, the strongest reasoning for Jane to leave Thornfield is driven by the patriarchal demand for a female to remain “pure” until holy marriage, rather than Jane’s own desire to leave, further solidifying the idea that the voice given to her mind is not just her own internal thoughts, but also the demands and expectations of

has a soft spot for Helen Burns and appears to be one of the strongest

I should say I loved you, but I declare I do not love you: I dislike

Abandoned, abused, alone – three terrible words in today’s culture, especially when grouped together. In her classic novel, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte crafts a character that is all of these; however, Jane Eyre is able to overcome all the difficulties of her childhood. Throughout the character of Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte reveals even when left abandoned, abused, alone and exiled from familiar surroundings, one can still discover happiness in a life of one's own.

In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, the heroine is portrayed as a neglected individual who desperately wishes to learn the skill of escaping the imprisonment of the troubled mind. Literary critic Nina Baym claims that Jane’s goal is to assert her dominance rather than to gain independence. However, in several parts of the novel, Jane is vocal about her desire to make it on her own without the assistance of money, love, or affection. She would rather be freed of any restraints that may hold her hostage than dominate the life of another.

While at Lowood, Jane experiences frozen aspects like having the “pitchers frozen” and therefore turning “the contents of the ewers to ice” (63). The frozen pitchers of water that greet the girls each morning, mirror Jane’s sense of psychological exile, as she feels closed off from the rest of the world, almost frozen at Lowood. Jane tries to explain the situation, as it was the day ceremony of washing, to the teachers; however they would not listen mimicking her placement in the society, stuck, and had to always abide by those above her despite the conflict she may face. After the interrupted wedding in Rochester, Jane describes her state of mind as “(a) Christmas frost” during “mid-summer” like a “white December storm had whirled over June” making “ice glazed the ripe apples” and the “drifts crushed the blowing roses” and as a result her “hopes are all dead” (341). The imagery depicts how much Jane was affected emotionally, relating the weather to her psychological state, providing how the uncommon weather shows her confused mindset. The weather pattern illiterates her loneliness and isolation in the world, providing a way for her emotions to escape her inner self without releasing them, her emotions, to the outer area. When St. John fights

The theme of isolation is explored in Bronte’s novel; Jane Eyre. This theme is also developed in The Wide Sargasso Sea, by Jean Rhys. Both pieces present different types of isolation, such as isolation due to location and the isolation of a character due to their social status, such as Jane’s status as a governess. The various ways in which isolation is present in each of the texts show how inescapable and unavoidable isolation is for the characters in both Jane Eyre and The Wide Sargasso, with it being present in such a large way in their lives.

The scene is described as a dark night, but with an open deep blue sky. She says on the way to her new house that the scenery is less romantic. The and repeated use of “lingered” and “paced” makes the reader think that Jane is bored in some way. Why would she be lingering around if she had some place to be? She even says few pages before that she is constantly restless. “It is vain to say human beings out to be satisfied with tranquility; they must have action;” She finds herself in a safe and accepting environment and she gets bored. Jane tends to get lost in her imagination. She always looks for somewhere to escape. It is strange, however, that while she gets caught up in her fantasies, she believes that it is the “little things” that bring her back to earth. No matter how far away her visions take her, she always decides to come back to her “bored”

Parallel to many of the great feministic novels throughout literary history, Jane Eyre is a story about the quest for authentic love. However, Jane Eyre is unique and separate from other romantic pieces, in that it is also about a woman searching for a sense of self-worth through achieving a degree of independence. Orphaned and dismissed at an early age, Jane was born into a modest lifestyle that was characterized by a form of oppressive servitude of which she had no autonomy. She was busy spending much of her adolescent years locked in chains, both imaginary and real, as well as catering to the needs of her peers. Jane was never being able to enjoy the pleasures and joys that an ordinary and independent child values. Jane struggles

Jane in her younger years was practically shunned by everyone and was shown very little love and compassion, from this throughout her life she searches for these qualities through those around her. Due to Jane’s mother’s disinheritance she was disowned by Mrs. Reed and her children, and was treated like a servant consistently reminded that she lacked position and wealth.