Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Essay

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

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre can be characterized in many ways as a variation of Cinderella. There are several versions of this popular fairy--tale. At the time Bronte’s novel was published, the Grimms’ book of tales, which included Cinderella, was very popular. According to Sally Mitchell, "The serious interest in folklore was spurred by the translation, in 1823, of the stories collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm." A version of Cinderella was also written by Charles Perrault. Both Perrault’s and the Grimms’ tales have a place in Bronte’s narrative. There is no specific evidence of her reading these yet, "Bronte could easily have known two versions of the Cinderella tale: the

In the early stages of Jane's life she was a very autonomous girl. She grew up in a hostile environment in the home of Mrs. Reed and her three children, John, Eliza, and Georgiana that is known as Gateshead. The Reed family showed no love or any sort of affection towards Jane in any way, shape, or form; for they all despised her. She spent most of her time out of contact of others. The most contact she had with someone was a

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.

Those living in the Victorian period,consider it normal to treat people with cruelty. As a child, Jane constantly faces oppression. Jane faces constant abuse while living with her aunt at Gateshead. Bronte illustrates this point through Mrs. Reed, the Aunt Jane is sent to live with, who says, “Take her away

In the first few opening chapters Jane Eyre is seen as a mentally and physically abused child, during her years at Gateshead Hall. John Reed displays violence towards Jane in the first chapter. He punishes and bullies Jane; it is not known why the Reed family resent her so much. Her situation is seen as desperate within the first few paragraphs. Her cousins and Aunt make her life impossible and unbearable, she is not seen as a member of the family. Jane is simply seen as ‘’less than a servant’’ as she does ‘’nothing for her keep’’.

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

Following this dramatic scene, there are many situations in which her individualism can again be sensed. During her stay at Lowood Jane is emotionally subdued and her personality is in many ways suppressed. It is not until after Miss Temple, the person that seemed to shine light on the school, leaves that Jane realizes the restrictions that she is under. It is at his point that she has the sudden urge to leave the confinements of the school, seek a job as a governess, and experience the “varied fields of hopes and fears,

Charlotte Brontё’s Jane Eyre stresses a variety of important premises. Three of the most important underlying themes in the novel are: prejudice, religion, jealousy. The prejudice aspect of the novel is seen most prominently. There are several notable examples, and Jane is witness to this notion throughout the novel. The first time Jane experiences prejudice is at Gateshead.

The Reeds take care of Jane because both of her parents died at a young age, making her an orphan. While living here, Jane’s extended family subjects her to neglect, abuse, and hate. This caused Jane to feel as if she were alone at Gateshead. Bronte’s naming of the residence shows how Jane feels like she cannot move beyond the “gate” separating her from the others living at Gateshead, stating “I was clearly a discord at Gateshead Hall; I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children, or her chosen vassalage.” (Bronte 17).

When the story begins, Jane is ten years old and lives with her aunt at Gateshead. She was constantly terrorized by her relatives. In her description of her life at Gateshead, she said, “John Reed was a schoolboy of fourteen years old, four years older than me, as I was but ten” (Brontë 12). His superiority in both age and size led him to constantly harass Jane while they lived together. Eventually, Mrs. Reed decided to send Jane to Lowood school where she would spend the rest of her youth. After being there for a bit of time, she stated,

While at Gateshead, Jane is trapped by her relationship to the Reeds, which is reflected in the environment around her. At the beginning of Jane Eyre, Jane states that “there was no possibility of taking a walk that day” (Brontë 6). This beginning immediately puts Jane in her own bubble and exemplifies that she has no other form of positive interaction in her life. Initially, Jane is “[connected to] the natural environment, but also separate[d from it] with an unnatural boundary” (Fuller 152). Thus, this begins the recurring symbolism of how Victorian women were held back by gender roles in society. During her time at Gateshead, Jane is restrained by her

The second issue raised in the novel is that of Jane’s isolation. Bronte utilises Jane to address isolation overtly, which was uncommon in Victorian literature. Jane openly refers to her struggles with isolation is due to her traumatic childhood. This feeling of loneliness is especially present while Jane lives with the Reeds as a child and when she enters Lowood boarding school. In the Victorian era and today, childhood is a fragile stage when bullying, peer pressure, and self-consciousness surge both at home and at school. Jane experiences terrible isolation and loneliness at Gateshead, her childhood home, she mentions, “I was a discord in Gateshead Hall; I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children, or

The story took place somewhere in the north of England, during the story it’s goes through a lot of places like for example, Jane's childhood at Gateshead Hall when she was bullied by her aunt and cousins, to when her Dr. Lloyd suggested to go to school, she

Jane Eyre is an orphaned girl who lives with her aunt and cousins. They are known as the Reeds. Her cousins countinously torment her and many of the servants remind her how poor she is. After being harrassed, she finally tells them off. She is then punished and sent to the “red room”. This is the room that her uncle had died in. She has a panic attack and believes that she has seen a ghost. She awakes to find Mr Lloyd, a doctor looking over her. He suggest that she be to Lowood institute. It’s a school that is fifty miles away from Gateshead. So they send her off. At Lockwood, a man named Mr. Brocklehurst runs the school. Jane can not stand him and finds him hypocritical. The students are often not given enough food or warm clothing. They live in bad conditions. During an inspection, Mr. Brocklehurst embarrasses Jane by forcing her to stand on a chair in the middle of class. She is accused of being a liar in front of everyone. But another teacher known as Miss Temple defends Jane. So Jane befriends her and trust her. Miss Temple encourages her to continue on with study despite what has happened. Jane also befriends another girl named Helen Burns. Jane loves how Helen is able to turn the other way when mistreated by teachers. She tries to be that way herself. But then a Typhus fever breaks in the school. Helen contracts it and ends up dying in Janes arms. Mr Brocklehurst is discovered to have been using school funds for his personal rather than providing things needed to