The novel Jane Eyre expresses the idea that everyone is capable of being their own hero.
This idea shows through Jane’s character development and the irony of her situation, as she establishes a future for herself that she was never intended to experience.
Jane suffered silently through an abundance of reprimanding during her childhood, that was often unmerited and unjust. Nevertheless, Jane refused to fall victim to her family’s actions by remaining tolerant of their lack of respect towards her. When Jane finally confronted her aunt after receiving unfair punishment and the false title of being a liar, she showed for the first time her pent-up emotions and the toll living in that household had created. Jane refused to allow her aunt to control
Jane begins her life in isolation at Gateshead, abused and misunderstood by her Aunt Reed and cousins. She is constantly reminded of her worthlessness to them and the fact that they view her as a burden, and is literally
As a feminist, Jane is able to protect herself when she is in a situation where she needs to be defended. For instance, when her brutish older cousin John hurls a hardcover book at her head, she pounces back by attacking him in defense. She also faces no difficulty in successfully defeating her cold-hearted aunt in a verbal fight, just at the tender age of ten. Jane is surely unafraid of the consequences that she has to face on actions that she believes as rightfully done. This amazing trait remains even as she proceeds into adulthood and meets the love of her life. She is able to deal with, and even stand up to Mr. Rochester’s unreasonable verbal attacks directed at her. She clearly shows her dauntless side of her personality, by speaking her own mind when Mr. Rochester demands for the money that he had given her. Jane refuses clear cut, and Mr. Rochester asks to then at least let him see the cash. Jane refuses again by retorting that he is “not to be trusted.” Jane has an honest and truthful soul who knows how to speak for herself, unlike many women during this period of time. Jane is never concerned about what other people would think of her if she tells them the exact truth about everything. She is able to inform her departure by cancelling off the wedding between herself and Mr. Rochester after what she had witnessed and experienced. Jane cries out “you are a married man-or as good as a married man, and wed to one inferior to you- to one with whom you have no sympathy- whom I do not believe you truly love; for I have seen and heard you sneer at her. I would scorn such a union: therefore I am better than you- let me go!” Jane is able to truthfully utter her thoughts, her true opinion without being afraid; even if it was to someone she dearly loved. When Mr. Rochester angrily cries out, “Jane, be still; don’t struggle so, like a wild frantic bird that is rending its own plumage in its
One would think that she would grow up to be unforgiving, but Jane explains that she “must resist those who punish [her] unjustly. It is as natural as that [she] should love those who show [her] affection, or submit to punishment when [she] feel it is deserved” (Bronte 119). Jane saying this to her young friend, Helen, exemplifies how Jane was beyond her years and how she grew into being a young woman of wisdom. Her development throughout the novel is shown by her beginning as an isolated orphan in her society, yet she ended as an heiress with a family of her own. Jane who creates her own family and happiness by being independent, remaining curious and maintaining self-respect.
“Can I talk with you for a little while, Myra?” asked Miranda. “Before we part company, I have something to get off my chest.”
In the novel Jane Eyre, Jane is often taken forced to make life changing decisions. Her decisions not only affect her own life and those around her, but also provide a model of a modern woman who is free from the social expectations for women living in her era. From a young age, Jane was taught the mindset that she must be independent and fight for her place. She was neglected as a child while living at Gateshead and often left to fend for herself. She was frequently locked by herself in a room for hours on end and continually accused of being a liar. From fighting John Reed to leaving Rochester moments before their marriage, Jane always emerges as an individualistic figure that refuses to conform to anyone’s wishes except her own. The tough decisions she makes for herself end up benefitting her in her pursuit to break the cultural norm of women in society. Jane Eyre, though often oppressed and looked down upon by figures in authority over her, emerges as a symbol of freedom albeit facing manifold obstacles in her life.
Our interest in the parallels between King Richard III and Looking For Richard is further enhanced by consideration of the marked differences in textual form. Evaluate this statement in the light of your Comparative Study of King Richard III and Looking For Richard.
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
Her aunt never treated her with respect, instead she used Jane as her own personal punching bag. She was constantly
After finishing chapter 27, I feel that Jane is making the right choice. Yes she may be tormented and saddened right now but if she stayed she would have had to deal with the mental guilt of only being a mistress. Jane is a religious woman, and has morals she is obligated to withhold; these morals would be pointless if she had stayed there, she would have eventually become angry with herself for living a lie.
Jane and Antoinette are both ostracized by their respective communities as a direct result of their social positions. Jane is an orphan with no money and no close relatives. Although she is clearly a bright and unique girl, she is treated as an outcast due to her orphan status. She refuses to accept their low opinion of her however, and maintains “The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God, sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not mad--as I am now”, illustrating her desire to persevere through
As a child, Jane lived with the Reed family, and they were anything but kind hearted towards Jane. While Jane created a solid and trustworthy relationship with Bessie, the whole rest of the Reed relatives still harnessed a strong hatred towards the young girl. Jane went into detail on how John Reed would go out of his way to bully her on the daily. He was depicted as a boy around four years older and of a bigger stature. He had size powers over Jane, yet he would play the victim to make sure that Jane would be the one who was punished. Jane told about her encounters with the vile boy saying, “He bullied and punished me; not two or three times in the week, nor once or twice in the day, but continually: every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh in my bones shrank when he came near.” ( Brontë Chapter 1) There was a specific time, where John had accused Jane of stealing from him. Since she was reading a book that belonged to the family library, John did not approve of Jane reading it. Jane told the story of being physically abused as, ““ I saw him lift and poise the book and stand in act to hurl it, I instinctively started aside with
The moral development of Jane throughout her life is pivotal to the novel. Her moral integrity is repeatedly put to test through the course of the novel, and Jane must find her place in a conflicted world
Then she was taken to talk with her aunt who shunned her and gave her a punishment of going to stay in the red room for a while. Before Jane was given her punishment she yelled at her aunt in anger and stood up for herself for a chance. These events from her younger life affected the values she set for herself for the rest of her life.
Instead of worrying about why her relatives treated her so cruelly, Jane now dreams about her future and has hope for happiness. Hence, Helen’s radiance and zeal have impacted Jane’s outlook on life and provoked her to become more
Often in literature, a story tells of a brief portion of a person’s life, often only spanning a few months to a year’s time, however, sometimes, a story will follow a character from their youth into their adulthood, allowing the reading to see how the character develops over the course of their life. Such as story is called a Bildungsroman; it follows one main character from their youth into adulthood. Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre follows the story of Jane Eyre as she goes from a young orphan being sent to school for the first time, into her time as a governess, dependent on her boss for survival, and eventually ending as an individual of equal standing as her husband. Jane Eyre is a clear example of a Bildungsroman as it illustrates the story of Jane's life, beginning with her as a young child being abused by her aunt and following as she goes through school and work as a governess until she ends the story as an independent, grown woman.