Summary Of Character Development In Jane Eyre

Mrs. Fairfax believes that Rochester will marry Blanche Ingram. Blanche’s family believes they are a great match, with equal social status. Rochester may not have the same plan, as social status is not what he is looking for. Jane is not happy with herself, because she fell in love with a man out of her social reach. Both Jane and Blanche Ingram have positive and negative qualities. Rochester prefers one woman based on those positive qualities.

“Jane’s relationship with Rochester in the early part of the novel is based not on love but control, manipulation and secrecy. She does well to escape”

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.

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

It instead shows Jane’s inner struggle to do what is “right” versus what she desires. The separation between the voice of herself and her thoughts exhibits her helplessness to change her path from what her mind has already decided. This displays the heavy influence society has on Jane, which is further proven by the personification of Jane’s two strongest rivaling emotions. The heavy influence of a patriarchal dominated society is evident in her “Conscience” being a strong male figure, whereas her “Passion” is a weaker, feminine figure. Similarly, the strongest reasoning for Jane to leave Thornfield is driven by the patriarchal demand for a female to remain “pure” until holy marriage, rather than Jane’s own desire to leave, further solidifying the idea that the voice given to her mind is not just her own internal thoughts, but also the demands and expectations of

In Charlotte Bronte’s’ “Jane Eyre”, Rochester uses disguise and duplicity to achieve his desire of marrying Jane. By doing so; he defies state law and divine will. Consequently, Rochester suffers physically, emotionally, and financially.

But then a voice revered me that I could do it; and foretold that I should do it. I wrestled with my own resolution... Jane wants to be weak and just love Mr Rochester and be with him yet her character was strong, leading her away from Thornfield and into a whole new perspective of the world. Penniless and hungry,

In his quest for self-transformation into a man of purity and harmony, Rochester sets his sights on Jane as the key to his renewal. Wooing her is different from any of his past lovers, though he seems to do so easily, but Rochester struggles to see that as he seduces and nearly marries Jane in bigamy, he is sullying the purity he so greatly craves. He is so blinded by the happiness close at hand, that he fails to realize Jane’s unhappiness and eventual departure. The loss of his physical vision is atonement for his lack of observing the effects of his actions, and consequently, darkens his life permanently without Jane, his moral eyes.

She would rather work for Rochester and continue being paid as an employer and earning her keep than have Rochester pay directly for her every little need. She feels that she is more in control of her situation when she works for Rochester than when she does nothing and he dotes on her constantly. She feels that the more control she has in the relationship, the more freedom she has overall. She believes that if she has to ask Rochester for every little thing she’s lost her freedom, and rightly so. So while she is happy to be getting married to Rochester because she loves him, she is also slightly uncomfortable because she feels that she will no longer have power over her own life. Later she refuses to marry St. John later for the same reason. She says, “‘I am ready to go to India, if I may go free.’ ‘Your answer requires a commentary,’ he said; ‘it is not clear.’ ‘You have hitherto been my adopted brother--I, your adopted sister: let us continue as such: you and I had better not marry.’” (p.156). We find out that really the only reason St. John wants to marry Jane is so that he can control her. He and Jane could go to India as cousins, but then he would not have as much control over her. St. John enjoys controlling Jane, but Jane wants to be her own person. A marriage where she is only married so that her husband can control her is the epitome of a relationship Jane does not want to be in. She wants to be in

Throughout the novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane had lived in many places that have helped define the person she has become. Not only did these places guide her and help her realize who she was, but they also helped shape her into someone who she was proud to be. Many of these places might have had horrible conditions and cruel people, but in the end Jane would not be the strong, independent, and mature person she was if it weren’t for them. Gateshead and Thornfield were not the only places Jane has lived in, but they were the most significant. From not being loved or belonging in Gateshead to being so loved in Thornfield, she felt as if she would lose a sense of self; they both played a pivotal role in Jane’s development and journey

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.

God directed me to a correct choice” ( Brontë 306-307). Jane would never have been truly content had she stayed with Mr. Rochester at that time, because she would be ashamed to be a mistress. Jane does go back to Mr. Rochester after his wife has died and decides to marry him since they can be equals. The last man that Jane stands up to is St. John, the man who takes her in after she runs away from Mr. Rochester. St. John asks Jane to marry him so that they can go on a missionary trip in India. Jane refuses his proposal and when asked why she will not marry him Jane answers, “ ‘ because you did not love me; now, I reply, because you almost hate me. If I were to marry you, you would kill me. You are killing me now’” (Brontë 351). Jane would have been so miserable had she married John especial after refusing him once, since he would also harbor bad feelings against her. Also, since Jane does not marry John, she is free to marry Mr. Rochester, the man she truly loves. Jane gets her happy ending, however the females in The Good Earth do not.

Her conscience was telling her to marry Rochester and join him in going to France, but her passion told her that she would just feel like his mistress; which with Jane wanting to find independence, would not be good for her. In the end, Jane’s conscience won over her passion, as she eventually reunited with Rochester and the two ended tying the knot and starting a family.

Rochester. At first Jane sees him as rude and disrespectful due to his cold and gruesome remarks, but it is her fight and how Jane stands up for herself that leads to one of the most known relationships in literature. Eventually Rochester asks Jane for her hand in marriage but at the scene of the wedding, we come to learn, that Rochester is already married to an insane woman, living in his attic, named Bertha. With this Rochester asks Jane to run away with her to Europe, this is exactly where Jane is faced with a very hard decision between following her heart as everyone wants to do, or keeping her respect and dignity. We can see the respect Jane now has from Rochester when he says to her, “I was wrong to attempt to deceive you; but I feared a stubbornness that exists in your character” (Bronte 354). This shows that Jane has gained Rochester’s respect and the ‘stubbornness’ in Jane’s character is the best thing for her, for without this trait Jane could never gain respect from others, especially men, in his novel. Knowing that Jane has decided to leave her, Rochester begins to persuade Jane to stay with him. He says, “Oh, Jane, this is bitter! This – this is wicked. It would not be wicked to love me” (Bronte 355). Jane replies, “It would to obey you” (Bronte 355), showing that she will not give into his pleading, regardless of how much she loves him because to obey him would lead to the loss

This goes well with Jane completely and she is greatly happy to have him calling her rude and playful descriptions once again. Her self-respect is most important to her, and this theme dominates the novel.