The Importance Of Religion In Jane Eyre

While Jane goes through a rollercoaster of romantic ideals, Charlotte Bronte reveals that her romanticism more fundamentally affect her own life in the future than even her religious ideals. This is to be expected, as Jane has a very depressing childhood while living with the Reeds and attending Lowood Institute. She makes the transition from Gateshead Hall, to Lowood, to Thornfield Hall, to Moor House, which equate to: Jane’s entrance to the real world (in Gateshead), the rock-bottom of Jane’s life (in Lowood), her encounter with young love (in Thornfield), and where Jane finds what she’s been after: a family (at the Moor House). All of these places come together to form the story of Jane Eyre and how she overcame her hardships to grow up to

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

Throughout the novel, Charlotte Bronte introduces characters that challenge Jane’s spirituality and impress their religious beliefs on her. However, these characters, whom of which are Mr. Brocklehurst and St. John, all live in such a way that contradicts what they claim to believe. Therefore, Jane rejects the religion presented to her and attempts to become her own savior.

Throughout the novel Jane Eyre, Jane struggles to find the right balance between moral duty and earthly pleasure, between obligation to her spirit and attention to her body, and between dedication to God and her personal sanity. She encounters three main religious figures: Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John Rivers. Each represent a replication of religion that Jane ultimately rejects as she forms her own ideas about faith and religion, and their practical consequences. The function of these character’s religious beliefs are also symbolized in their names.

In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte demonstrates how one’s Christian faith affects love, obedience and career. The morality provided by Christianity sketches an ideal life which is interpreted and executed in how one loves, obeys, or finds satisfaction in a career.

“I sincerely, deeply, fervently long to do what is right; and only that” (426). Throughout Jane Eyre, the characters struggle to live out and develop their faiths, according both to God’s will and their own. In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, faith and religion are displayed in different forms through the characters of Helen Burns, St. John, and Jane Eyre.

In Charlotte Bronte’s coming of age novel Jane Eyre, the main character Jane not only struggles with the aspects of social class deviations but also her journey to find her own faith in God and religion. On her journey she encounters three greatly different variations on Christian faith, all of which, though she ultimately rejects, help her come to her own conclusions of her own faith and spirituality. Her first true questioning of religion is with her friend and Lowood school Helen Burns. Jane finds Helen to be serenely devout in her faith in God, and Jane admires her for it. However, Jane struggles to accept Helen’s passive view, as it lacks the understanding that Jane seeks. Also, at Lowood Jane encounters the owner of the school Mr. Brocklehurst, who acts as a dictator over the girls and teachers at Lowood. His religious ideals are those of sacrifice but it is apparent that Mr. Brocklehurst takes no consideration of these ideals in his own life style. Jane immediately rejects Mr. Brocklehurst’s point of view as it is so obviously hypocritical. Finally Jane meets her cousin St. John, a minister. Upon observing him and observing one of his sermons she realizes that though he is driven and passionate his views focus on “disquieting aspirations” as oppose to the uplifting of spirituality. She realizes that St. John lacks a true understanding of what faith and spirituality really mean. In Jane’s search for spirituality her journey leads her to find her own faith through the

Charlotte Bronte created one of the first feminist novels--Jane Eyre--of her time period when she created the unique and feminist female heroine, Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel, Jane becomes stronger as she speaks out against antagonists. She presses to find happiness whether she is single or married and disregards society’s rules. The novel begins as Jane is a small, orphan child living with her aunt and cousins due to the death of her parents and her uncle. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Her cousin--John Reed--hits her and then Mrs. Reed chooses to punish her instead and sends her to the room in which her uncle

In the critical essay, “Almost my hope of heaven’: idolatry and messianic symbolism in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre,” Joshua analyzes the theme of idolatry and messianic symbolism in Jane Eyre. Joshua believes that Jane Eyre is a novel that revolves wholly on religion. He argues that, “one of the novel's purpose...is to show that human relationships are successful only if the partners in the relationship avoid the dangers of idolizing each other” (Joshua). I strongly agree with his opinion. One main reason Jane denies Rochester’s proposal is because she does not want to be inferior to him. When Rochester and Jane argue over whether or not Jane is going to let him order her around she says “‘I like to serve you, sir, and to obey you in all that is right’” (Bronte 250). From the beginning, Jane sees Rochester as a sort of messiah. Due to this, she refuses to marry him for she believes they will never truly be equals. However, as the novel progresses, Jane goes through internal developments that enable her to realize that her and Rochester can be equals. She realizes her self-worth and finds a balance between her principles and feelings. In one of the final passages of the novel, Jane says that her and Rochester have been married for ten years and she is “[her] husband’s life as fully as he is [hers]” (Bronte PAGE NUMBER). Here, we can see the Jane and Rochester are equals. This supports Joshua’s claim, for their relationship is only successful because of their equality. Rochester is no longer Janes “master” and she still remains her own-self.

In the Victorian era, writers often wrote about their doubts with Christian beliefs and portrayed clergyman and ministers as “obnoxious hypocrites” (James 51). Brontë, growing up in a Methodist household (James 52), received her fair share of pious influences, but in contrast to other Victorian writers, she chose to take a different approach to the heavily talked about phenomenon. Brontë wrote novels that mirrored Christian publications. She described these works to be,” mad...full of miracles and apparitions, of preternatural warnings, ominous dreams, and frenzied fanaticisms” (James 52). Ironically, in Jane Eyre, Jane’s see her mother in a dream, pleaing,” My daughter, flee temptation”, with Jane responding, “Mother I will”(Bronte 325). However, in the book, Jane does flee temptation, or listen to her religious conscious; instead, Jane marries Rochester. Possibly if Jane’s foundation of her religious beliefs were solidified, she would have been able to resist her desire to marry. It is evident that Jane’s relationship with God, is not a strong one, as she asks Helen Burns, “You are sure, then, Helen, that there is such a place as heaven; and our souls can get to it when we die” (Brontë 82). Jane putting Rochester before God is a simple illustration of the religious doubt in this era (James 51). Although Brontë experienced weariness in

The ability to express our intentions and have others see our point of view makes one sympathetic. “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte follows the story of a rebellious young girl who matures into a stable woman. During her life journey, Jane encounters many people including St. John. St. John is has devoted his life to God and wishes to bring Jane to India with him. St. John is a sympathetic character because he truly believes that his commitment to his religion will benefit him in the after life.

When Jane told Mr. Brocklehurst that the Psalms were not very interesting, he argued, “That proves you to have a wicked heart; and you must pray to God to change it: to give you a new and clean one: to take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Brontë 29). This statement showed that Mr. Brocklehurst was a very religious person as he became extremely sensitive about religion once it was brought up. When Jane who is a child said that the Psalms were not interesting, he became very defensive and tried to belittle and scare Jane for criticizing his religion as if he was being insulted. As a result, Jane gets a better idea of the world around her. The hatred against her was not limited to the

The theme of religion is present throughout all of the book, but most notably during the Lowood section due to the varying forms of Christianity seen in different characters. While Jane struggles to find her own interpretation of Christianity, she is subjected to a few characters including Helen Burns and Mr. Brocklehurst, who pose very different ideals and ways of acting for her to consider. On one hand we have Mr. Brocklehurst, who is extremely cruel and does terrible things to children under the guise of cleansing their weakness, yet he treats his own family like royalty, showing his true hypocrisy and the fault of his ways. Jane very obviously does not want to take up this form of Christianity, so she looks to another source, Helen. Helen

Helen Burns’s memorable, albeit short-lived role in Jane Eyre proves to be incredibly influential on young Jane during the rest of the novel. Helen serves as Jane’s first direct interaction with strong faith in someone her own age. Helen embodies an incredibly passive faith, believing that she will be rewarded in heaven for her suffering on Earth. She goes as far to say, “...do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you” (Bronte 70). And being a student at Lowood, the boarding school where Jane first makes her acquaintance, she is quite familiar with suffering. All of the students, in fact, are familiar with the sacrifice and self-deprivation present in many aspects of their life, such as their diet of “burned porridge” and “strange

The major criticisms of the novel in question to be the melodrama used by the author and the wickedness of character shown in Jane and Mr. Rochester. While most critics admired the style of writing and truth of character portrayal, they did not admire the improbability of circumstances or the characters portrayed.