Jane Eyer and Charlotte Bronte

     Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is a coming-of-age story about an unconventional woman's development within a society of strict rules and expectations. At pivotal moments in Jane's life, she makes choices which are influenced by her emotions and/or her reason. Through the results of those choices, Jane learns to balance passion and practicality to achieve true happiness.

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.

Throughout Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre is afflicted with the feud between her moral values, and the way society perceives these notions. Jane ultimately obtains her happy ending, and Brontë’s shrewd denouement of St. John’s fate juxtaposes Jane’s blissful future with St. John’s tragic course of action. When Jane ends up at the Moor House, she is able to discover a nexus of love and family, and by doing so, she no longer feels fettered to Rochester. Moreover, Rochester is no longer Jane’s only form of psychological escape, and thus Jane is in a position to return to him without an aura of discontent. At the end of the novel, Jane is finally able to be irrevocably “blest beyond what language can express” (Brontë 459) because she is “absolutely bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh” (459).

In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte, builds up a sense of isolation and a sense of constraint through Bronte’s diction. Bronte as well invokes us to feel what the main character, Jane, feels by giving us the feeling Jane is imprisoned by everyone at the orphanage, through imagery. Although the emotions are not clearly stated in the excerpt, they are felt as the reader reads the excerpt. The felling of isolation is manifested as Jane speaks of how “mamma” would not let Jane join the rest of the group.

Furthermore, Jane says “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Chapter 27, Bronte.) This statement greatly represents the growth that Jane has undergone. She no longer dreads the solitude that once haunted her because she respects herself enough to realize that she did not deserve to experience such great dismay. Through independence and self-recognition, Jane has discovered the importance of loving oneself. Without the reliance on the thoughts of others, the once extremely troubled girl found bliss through a lack of outside control. In regards to her relationship with Mr. Rochester, Jane understands that she must leave him behind to maintain her own well-being. She does not allow the wealth or proclaimed love from Rochester to skew her decisions and she does not linger to dominate the life of her lover. Instead, she moves forward to continue her endless pursuit of happiness and independence.

God directed me to a correct choice” ( Brontë 306-307). Jane would never have been truly content had she stayed with Mr. Rochester at that time, because she would be ashamed to be a mistress. Jane does go back to Mr. Rochester after his wife has died and decides to marry him since they can be equals. The last man that Jane stands up to is St. John, the man who takes her in after she runs away from Mr. Rochester. St. John asks Jane to marry him so that they can go on a missionary trip in India. Jane refuses his proposal and when asked why she will not marry him Jane answers, “ ‘ because you did not love me; now, I reply, because you almost hate me. If I were to marry you, you would kill me. You are killing me now’” (Brontë 351). Jane would have been so miserable had she married John especial after refusing him once, since he would also harbor bad feelings against her. Also, since Jane does not marry John, she is free to marry Mr. Rochester, the man she truly loves. Jane gets her happy ending, however the females in The Good Earth do not.

The first event that breaks Jane out into expressing that she deserves more, is when she denies Mr. Rochester’s marriage proposal, stating “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Bronte 302). This indicates Jane taking her feelings into consideration before the feelings of others, who would have made her compromise her convictions. Then, Jane further asserts her independence by refusing to marry St. John, but conceding to go to India, “if I may go free” (Bronte 412). His loveless marriage proposal would have trapped her into being subservient, which is not at all what she wants. What truly ties things together for Jane is the realization that she has inherited twenty thousand pounds from her uncle (Bronte 364). This detail plus the fact that St. John pushed her away with his cold marriage proposal, brought Jane to the conclusion that being with Mr. Rochester would satisfy her emotional needs, and she would finally be his economic equal. In the end, Jane and Rochester are married, and seem to be in love, which is what Jane wanted; to be surrounded by love and be treated as the equal she knows she

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.

Brontë, Charlotte, Fritz Eichenberg, and Bruce Rogers. Jane Eyre. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.

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.

In the novel, Jane Eyre, the author Charlotte Brontë’s real life experiences influence the novel heavily throughout. Some of Brontë’s life events are paralleled through the novel and are morphed to fit the main character, Jane Eyre, with a similar but better life compared to Brontë’s. There are three major experiences that Jane encounters through her life in the novel that have a few correlations with Charlotte Brontë’s which are their childhood life and her experience in an impoverished school, and her work as a governess.

Charlotte Bronte, born in 1816 at Thornton, Yorkshire, England, is an English writer who is one of three sisters, who are also famous for their writings. Bronte wrote Jane Eyre based on her own life experiences, which is why the novel is subtitled “An Autobiography”. Much of the romantic appeal in Jane Eyre comes from Bronte’s own personal history. Many critics argue that the novel is simply a reflection of Bronte’s life. Furthermore, there are several ways in which, Bronte’s life is similar to the life of Jane and the events that take place in the novel.

Jane’s approach could be considered romantic and embodies conventional feminist concepts; she remains headstrong and stubborn in the face of injustice. The representation of Jane as a strong, independent woman upholds the belief that woman can achieve their goals. Jane does precisely this; she marries Rochester, becomes a part of a family as well as gains financial independence. The way in which Bronte represents Jane is emphasized through her narrative stance. The reader is presented with a firm and rebellious character, her diction is simple and assertive. She addresses the reader directly and is able to identify and challenge the problems she faces with determination. Furthermore Jane is able to identify and comment on how she feels woman are subjugated by their society; she denounces that “woman are supposed to be very calm generally: but woman feel just as men feel […]” (Bronte

Jane Eyre, a novel by Charlotte Brontë, contains several notable themes and messages sent to its readers. Jane Eyre is a coming of age novel that is a story of a girl's quest for equality and happiness. A common theme that recurs throughout the novel is the importance of independence.Charlotte Brontë utilizes several techniques to convey this message, incorporating her personal experiences, as well as including symbolism and motifs. Charlotte Bronte subjects Jane to several conflicts that occur because of Jane’s desire for independence and freedom, such as love, religion, and gender inequality.