Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre feels manipulated by Mr. Rochesters sly behavior and no longer has a desire to marry him. She decides that her only option is to leave Thornfield and departs to a nearby village. This secret introduces tension to the Eyre/Rochester relationship and creates an aura of mystery and

When Rochester proposes to Jane she gives in to love. But then becomes afraid of loosing her autonomy and self image. "And then you won't know me, sir; and I shall not be your Jane Eyre any longer, but an ape in a harlequin's jacket--a jay in borrowed plumes" (Bronte 263). Jane says this to Rochester after he elaborates to Jane about giving her jewels to make her even more beautiful then she already is. But as Jane sees it, if she puts on something that isn't her, she will loose her image of herself, and in addition, her autonomy. She would loose her autonomy because she would be allowing someone to make a decision for her when she is perfectly capable of making it. Her fear of losing her autonomy motivates her refusal of Rochester's marriage proposal. Jane believes that "marrying" Rochester while he remains legally tied to Bertha, Rochester's wife at the time, would mean rendering herself a mistress and sacrificing her own integrity for the sake of emotional gratification.

When Jane arrived, the feelings he had only felt for Adele's mother before she cheated on him came to life again. Jane and Rochester's relationship progressed as did their secret feelings for each other. Finally, Rochester confessed his

Through a close reading of the selected passage of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, a reader can see that Jane attempts to separate herself from her decisions by personifying her emotions and giving them a specific voice, which strongly reflects the societal views of the time. At this point in the story, Jane has discovered, on her wedding day, that Mr. Rochester is still married to a woman named Bertha, and that woman still lives in his house. Distraught, Jane locks herself in her room and tries to decide what she should do. When she wakes up the next day, she is again confronted with what she needs to do in the wake of her discovery.

The Victorian Era was known for its propriety, and for its social standards that could be as strict as the caste system in India. Citizens in England of low social regard faced many prejudices and limitations that could be almost insurmountable to overcome. Much like the caste system, people considered to be the dregs of society were often alienated and had little room for opportunity. In Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, the main character, Jane, suffers social prejudice because she is a simple governess, revealing much about the social stigmas about the working class during the Victorian Era. Jane’s social status limits her not only from being with the one she loves, but also hinders her endeavor to achieve true autonomy.

Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre embraces many feminist views in opposition to the Victorian feminine ideal. Charlotte Bronte herself was among the first feminist writers of her time, and wrote this book in order to send the message of feminism to a Victorian-Age Society in which women were looked upon as inferior and repressed by the society in which they lived. This novel embodies the ideology of equality between a man and woman in marriage, as well as in society at large. As a feminist writer, Charlotte Bronte created this novel to support and spread the idea of an independent woman who works for herself, thinks for herself, and acts of her own accord.

“This book might have been written by a woman but certainly not a lady.” It is bildungsromane (Triska); a type of novel concerned with the education, development, and maturing of a young protagonist (Dictionary.com). Jane Eyre was a very shy, plain, and reserved person. Even though she had a very plain look she had a passion that wasn’t expected of her (Green). She also had hopes and dreams and aspirations. So I wonder, how might Jane Eyre react to the women of today?

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

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.

By having a relationship with Rochester, who is already married, she felt she would loose her self-respect along with self-confidence because she would be a mistress. She would be doing something morally wrong, just out of the weakness of will and emotional neediness, which opposes her moral character and so she pushes herself to do the right thing and leave him behind for the greater good. And so Jane becomes successful in never becoming dependent on anyone else because she learns to become independent, and can have the willpower to resist succumbing to immoral

Rochester must be addressed. Jane listens primarily to her superego, as seen when she advertises herself in order to better her circumstances and refuses to become St. John’s wife because it would offend her conscience. It is thus appropriate that her main career is as a governess, a woman who acts as a mother for and teaches morals to her charges (Bell 263-269). This job leads to her employment under Mr. Rochester, and during this time period, the voice of her id strengthens but does not have a considerable influence. As a result of the rules she adhered to growing up, she refuses to address Rochester as anything other than “Master” despite the equality she understands them to share. However, the desire for Rochester balances with the desire for propriety in the form of her ego, which allows her to love him for afar. This is an important point in her character, as a governess was a “‘tabooed woman’ for the gentlemen she came into contact with in the household in which she was employed, and also tabooed among those employed alongside of [her] in the same households” (Bell

As Jane experiences more extreme emotions she finds herself maturing and gaining a better understanding of the world which, in turn, provides her with the means to deal with problems both logically and sensitively. Jane is far more grown up than when she was a child and is able to handle things with more grace and poise than she did when she was younger. After Jane has discovered that Mr. Rochester has another wife who is still living she states frankly, “I must leave him, it appears. I do not want to leave him…” (299). Jane is finally beginning to find a balance between what her heart wants and what her head tells her is the right thing to do. She feels a great passion for Mr. Rochester and she has accepted this by admitting she does not

Jane later learns about Mr. Rochester’s wife Bertha(which he was planning never to tell her about) and it is clear she must leave him. This decision was painful to make for Jane, but she realizes that it is the best option for herself. It is necessary for her to leave Thornfield so she can find her sense of self and identity. At Thornfield her happiness came primarily from Mr. Rochester’s attention to her. By leaving she can find happiness on her own and not rely on others for happiness.

Also, even though Rochester and Jane were of different classes, Charlotte Bronte presents him as an intelligent person. Both Edward and Jane enjoy conversations with each other. However, Jane does not express her feelings as clearly as Rochester does. So he dresses up as a gypsy and tries to find out what she thinks of the marriage, which everyone assumes that he will with Blanche. Although, both Jane Eyre and Rochester have are fond of each other, Edward was deceitful to Jane. For example, when Jane found out about Mr Rochester’s first wife, he first says that they can run away as ‘brother and sister’. However Jane refuses. Rochester tries another tactic and asks her to be his mistress. But Jane was too virtuous to accept the offer and had no other alternative but to leave Thornfield.

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.