Jane Eyre Character Development Essay

“Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, or creed.

In the novel, ‘Jane Eyre’ by Charlotte Bronte, setting is used throughout the novel to illustrate the development in the character. The novel is revolved around five separate locations, ; the Reed family's home at Gateshead, the wretched Lowood School, Rochester's manor, Thornfield, the Rivers family's home at Moor House, and Rochester's rural retreat at Ferndean, these settings all play a very important part in Jane’s life as they all represent the development of Jane’s character and the different period’s of her eventful life.

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)

How can a girl, who started out with nothing, blossom into a well educated, generous, blissful woman? Well, in Jane Eyre, the main character overcomes all obstacles thrown at her and makes a great life for herself. From a miserable, orphaned young girl to a happily married, well educated woman, Jane Eyre transforms immensely throughout the novel. Through her many experiences in essential locations, she grows significantly at Gateshead, Lowood School, Thornfield, Marsh End, and Ferndean.

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

Answer: in Jane Eyre one character that was pulled in conflicting directions is Jane. When searching for freedom she was being persuaded by Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers to be their mistress and she had to decide if either lifestyle was something she wanted and if she didn’t want either then shed be compromising her own freedom.

Jane does grow in the book Jane Eyre. The theme of the book is Jane’s continual quest for love. Jane searches for acceptance through the five settings where she lives: Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Moor House and Ferndean. Through these the maturation and self-recognition of Jane becomes traceable. It is not until she runs from Rochester and Thornfield that she realizes what she really wants. Jane is able to return to Rochester finally independent, with a desire to love, as well as be loved.

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.

The first passage is from when Jane Eyre is locked in the attic room by force by Abbot and Bessie. Despite her just being punished, along with her earlier treatments, young Jane sees this room as a “jail.” She feels trapped. Unable to express herself in the ways that she sees fit without being tormented by John, or scorned by Mrs. Reed, Jane is forced to accept and take the abuse. When she passes the mirror, she sees a tiny white figure. “All looked colder and darker” to her “than in reality.” She was looking at herself. It is a case of Jane’s internal feelings reflecting on her external appearance and situation. Jane wants to break free and express herself, but feels restrained by her body and her restrictions. The “glittering eyes” that she describes represent her will to be free. It shows a shimmering of hope that she holds on to. The description of “moving while all else was still” also shows how Jane is the only one in the house that is capable of this type of expression. Everything else in comparison to her

Change is not always pleasant or expected, many times it comes in unorthodox and unexpected ways. For Jane Eyre, the five key sceneries change and develop her character. In the novel, Jane begins at Gateshed Hall, with a strong sense of passion and strength of will. But as the novel progresses, her sense of self improves, revealing an inner desire to find companionship for herself. From an immature child at Gateshed to a compliant servant at Lowood, she discovers her inner values and fears at Thornfield, while determining her self-worth at the Moors.

In Charlotte Bronte’s gothic novel, Jane Eyre, she uses Jane’s changing social status as a guide of Jane’s daily life decisions. Bronte starts off Jane in Gateshead, where she is treated like a burden of the house. Then, Jane goes off to Lowood, a boarding school for orphans, where she often gets punished by strict teachers and is treated harshly. After she leave Lowood, Jane works as a governess for Mr.Rochester, who treats Jane like an equal and falls in love with her. Jane is left broken hearted when she finds out that Mr.Rochester has a wife and becomes a beggar on the streets.

As a young child, Jane is overly passionate and defiant. She is fully convinced of the rightness of her rebellion against those who wrongfully hurt her. Jane’s uncle, Mr. Reed took her into his home after both of her parents died. Before he died, he made Mrs. Reed promise that she would treat Jane as one of her own. Although she said she would, she broke her promise because of her resentfulness of her husband's favoritism towards Jane. Now Mrs. Reed takes every opportunity to neglect and punish her. She always refuses permission to let Jane play with her cousins Eliza, John, and Georgiana. Jane secludes herself behind curtains of a window seat

Jane Eyre is a story about a little orphan girl who was raised by an abusive aunt and later was sent to a charity school. Though she met further hardships, she successfully educated herself and took a job as a governess for the Rochester family. The dark history of Mr. Rochester forced Jane to abandon the bond once between them. After a series of challenges and self-exploration, Jane returned as a mature and independent woman and lived a happily ever-after life with the love of her life. Although she faces all different kinds of changes in her life, she never lost the sense of dignity and the determination for maintaining her own autonomy.

The pivotal moment that affected Jane Eyre’s outlook on life was due to her harsh upbringing by her aunt and her cousins. It is first introduced to the reader that Jane was adopted by her kind Uncle Reed, and his family, while Jane was sent to the red room as punishment and she was pondering about the past in order to pass time. The red room was a chamber, with décor that was almost all red, which could be locked from outside. The reason Jane was sent to the red room was because she had lashed out at her snobby and obnoxious cousin John Reed that on a regular basis would torment Jane. After years of pent up anger and frustration Jane couldn’t take it any longer. On regular occasion, she was outcast by her own family, although only she was only blood related to her deceased Uncle Reed and partly to his children. Before he had passed, Jane’s uncle had made a promise with his wife that she would raise Jane as if she were one of her own children. But, as time went on the Reed family’s

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre displays cases of physical and social restriction, along with instances of avant-garde emotional freedom in terms of Jane Eyre’s freedom of choice in leaving Mr Rochester and rejecting St John River’s proposal.