Religious Foreshadowing in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Essay

Once again, Jane is unfairly judged and it appears to her that the new life she seeks is long gone. She’s labeled as the outcast, similar to the way she’s treated at Gateshead. (Moseley 3) Jane is stricken; however, Helen Burns assuages the pain. Jane’s friendship with Helen Burns plays a crucial role in controlling her zealous manner. Helen is the archetype of a pure-hearted, caring person with genuine intentions. Her ability to withstand unfair treatment while she maintains her composure provides a role model for Jane to look up to. It’s this persona that Jane desperately needs at this point in her life, especially following the humiliation by Mr. Brocklehurst concerning her fate at Lowood. She teaches Jane the importance of self-control and

Faith and religion rests in the core of Jane’s character and actions, but also causes tension with her independence. At Lowood, she struggles to reconcile her desire to rebel against oppression and injustice with the words of Helen saying to submit like Christ. She chooses to submit, experiencing an “extraordinary sensation”, feeling “as if she was a martyr” (67). Through her submissions, she learns to be virtuous. This virtue is challenged when she must choose either to be Rochester’s mistress, or to forsake the man she loves, jeopardizing her happiness. Abiding by God’s law, she leaves, believing that “God directed [her] to a correct choice” (366). Jane faces her fiercest tension when she faces St. John’s proposal to marry him and become a missionary’s wife. She desires to continue in God’s will, telling St. John that “I will give my heart to God”, but knows that marrying him goes against her every desire. She wishes to be free from St. John; she desires her independence. She nearly submits, were she “but convinced that it is God’s will” that she marry St. John (426). She prays for Heaven to “show [her] the path” (426). Jane truly seeks God’s will, and in return, “seemed to penetrate very near a Mighty Spirit” (427). Her devotion to God is rewarded as she prays in her “different way to St. John’s” (427). God releases Jane from a life married to St. John and allows her to return to Rochester and become his wife. Jane’s faith in God allows her to make virtuous

Symbolism is often inserted into written works in order to represent certain ideas, as pertaining to specific objects, people, or places. In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, Brontë uses numerous concepts to convey to the reader ideas that either further understanding of the story or the recurring themes seen in the book. Moreover, symbolism in Jane Eyre can be characterized by the use of objects that add depth to the story of Jane’s development as the story progresses. Brontë utilizes vivid images as the vessels of her symbolism, and numerous examples of that same imagery can be found all through the book. In Jane Eyre, critical points of Jane’s life are presented through the red room and the broken chestnut tree.

Throughout the novel Jane Eyre, holds a masterful command of syntax, and makes frequent use of imagery within her text. Bronte’s fanciful and intricate descriptions and linguistic imagery serve to establish setting, build tension, and provide a realism to her characters. Bronte delights in crafting a world within the reader’s mind so realistic that one falls under the impression they are alongside Jane in the world of Thornfield and Lowood. Not holding back, Bronte’s imagery seamlessly slides from one page onto the next, often spending more time establishing a depiction of the setting and sensory description than actual plot and dialogue. Bronte’s heavy reliance on sensory description within her novel serves to draw the reader into the world

Hence, Bronte used bird imagery to imitate human behaviour and feelings, allowing a connection between emotions and nature; she also used Birds to describe Jane’s progression over time. However, in contrast the images Jane looks at are not of pretty birds, but bleak shorelines. Jane is like a bird, she longs to fly away, but she is not beautiful she is plain and bleak, and feels trapped like a caged bird.

In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bonte, Bronte utilizes diction, imagery, point of view to demonstrate how Jane Eyre feels constrained and imprisoned by Mrs. Reed and her family. Charlotte Bronte uses diction to portray how Jane Eyre is mistreated. It demonstrates, "Jane, I don’t like cavaliers [people who find fault or criticize] or questions, besides there is something truly in a child taking up her elders in that manner. be seated somewhere; and until you can speak pleasantly, remain silent.” Jane Eyre is excluded and mistreated.

Bronte effectively uses the archetype of nature to furthermore portray Jane’s emotions and tell the audience how Jane truly feels in her current situation.

In Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte intertwines various religious ideas in her mid-nineteenth century English setting. Throughout the novel, Jane Eyre blends various religious insights which she has learned from different sources. While Jane was young, she had only a Biblical textbook outlook on life combined with the miserable emotional conditions of her surroundings. This in turn led to Jane being quite mean with Mrs. Reed. When Jane eventually goes off to Lowood and meets Helen Burns, she learns of her religious philosophy far more than the words would mean. Over the course of many years Jane then applies the basis of Helen's religious philosophy and adjusts it for herself in relation to the

Clarke analyzes the symbol of the hearth which is a central theme in both stories, and as she suggests points to pre-Christian religious symbolism of the goddess or the divine mother. The hearth in Jane Eyre is associated with homecomings and precious caregiving qualities of the hearthkeepers, as well as family, emotional intimacy, intellectual companionship, and even life. Clarke suggests more concisely that hearths are symbols of all that is needed, desired, and inspiring. The hearthfire also contains a potential for devastation and destruction as Clarke points to in the examples of Helen Burns dying by fever as well as Rochester’s bed of fire. Also, Clarke emphasizes that the hearth is associated with domesticity which within Jane Eyre is associated with a resistance to the life-denying principles of a tainted social system and with this spirituality that seeks to reintegrate ancient maternalist principals in Christianity. Clarke states the in a world like Jane Eyre’s or Cinderella’s where women become competitive and cruel or are swallowed up because it does not value them the hearth is representative of an alternative or choice for life as well as a sacred space.

As a child, Jane encountered hypocrisy under the label of Christianity with Mr. Brocklehurst. Her first meeting with him consisted of him condemning her for not ‘liking the Psalms.” Mr. Brocklehurst specifically tells her in response to her comment, “That proves you have a wicked heart; and you must pray to God to change it…” (Bronte, 21). At this point, it could be inferred that Mr. Brocklehurst is simply a devout Christian and has a harsh view of immature faith. However, as their relationship progresses at Lowood, his true motives become prevalent. He is not interested in the well-being of any of the girls’ souls, but, he is truly interested in his own personal wealth. Instead of using the school’s money to provide

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.

(Bronte 113). This quotation symbolizes the progression of Jane’s childhood in Gateshead, to Lowood, to a new turning point in her story. She is moving away from the dark and confined childhood and adolescence to an

To start, Charlotte Bronte experienced many hardships from a young age, and rather than letting them hinder her, she grew from them. Bronte experienced loss at a young age, losing her mother and two of her sisters, and she illustrated almost the exact same loss through Jane and Helen at Lowood (Bock). She effectively portrays her life’s setbacks through her works in which we can see many of her misfortunes paraphrased into Jane’s own. In Jane Eyre, Jane was sent to the school, Lowood, where they believe in “plain fare, simple attire, unsophisticated accommodations, (and) hardy and active habits” to teach young girls how to conform to society’s views (Bronte 42). Charlotte Bronte herself was sent to Cowan Bridge to learn how to present herself in any situation a lady may come to, and the school basically taught women how to become governesses and teachers because that’s all they could be, much like in the book (Bock). Bronte went through tough times in her life, but readers know how well she used those tough times to influence her work and end up finding a will to live through her writing. For example, in “The Wife’s Will” when the wife is talking about her hard times, making her cry, she states how the tears never lasted that long with the help of her husband (Bronte). This can be taken as a poem Bronte wrote

The purpose of Bronte's novel is to demonstrate that women could go beyond the oppressive limitations of their environment and find fulfillment.  Jane's cries for love are mistaken as evil outburst by those who wish to keep women repressed.  Oppression of women was so great that women even in the home were expected to be nonproductive.  The ideal or perfect Victorian women were ones who adopted an image of repose or idleness, basically to show the world they could.  Nervousness and fainting were expected in women, and certain disagreeable topics or bad news could cause such traits to erupt.  By trusting in her passion, by trusting in her own abilities, and by making her own decisions, Jane is able to overcome the agony all around her.  Homeless, starving, and misjudged, Jane is

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.