The Presentation of Mr. Brocklehurst in Bronte's Jane Eyre Chapter seven sees Jane slightly more experienced to the ways of Lowood School. She has come to accept the poor conditions laid down by Mr. Brocklehurst, however has not yet learnt to ignore them and Bronte describes Jane suffering a lot in this chapter. This lack of food and appalling living conditions are down to the head of the school, Mr. Brocklehurst. This man uses his apparent strong beliefs in Christianity as an excuse to provide the children of Lowood with the absolute bare minimum. Brocklehurst claims his “mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh”, presenting the idea that perhaps Brocklehurst is simply a man that has a immensely firm grasp of his …show more content…
Shortly after, Brocklehurst gives a short lecture to Miss. Temple ("Madam allow me an instant...starve their immortal souls!") proclaiming the righteousness behind his puritanist doctrine he forces upon the girls. He speaks to Miss. Temple in a civil tone, however he maintains a superior, self-obsessed tone throughout. His beliefs are directly spoonfed to the reader here, he simply reels them off and this is where the reader's initial interpretation of Brocklehurst simply being an immensely cruel man with no empathy whatsoever is replaced with a view of him being a religious fanatic. He is not portrayed as hypocritical at this stage, simply quite obsessive towards his beliefs. It is possible to interpret him as a decent human being here, as it appears he genuinely believes that unless the girls live a life following a set of standards like what he is putting across here they will without go to hell. The girls had recently been prepared extra food after their breakfast was spoilt. He states that a "judiscious instructor" would take this oppurtunity to refer to the "suffering of primitive christians" and the "torments of martyrs", suggesting that he genuinely believes he is creating faithful martyrs out of the girls by treating them like this. He quotes from the Bible "If ye suffer hunger...happy are ye", apparently valuing this quote and doing everything he can
During the scenes at Lowood Academy, Brontë compares Jane's strong personality to the reserved and submissive Helen Burns. The teachers often punish Helen excessively, yet she never once objects or even questions their discipline. When Jane asks her about this self-discipline, Helen simply explains that it is her "duty" to bear the punishment submissively (58). Although Helen's "proper" female behavior does not entirely
In the society in which Jane lives, men are believed to be superior to women in any circumstance. Mr. Brocklehurst declares, "I have a little boy, younger than you, who knows six Psalms by heart" (28). During Jane’s early years, she is constantly surrounded by male figures such as John Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst,who always belittle her and assure she remains in a submissive position. When Jane answers to Mr. Brocklehurst that she does not like the book of Psalms, he compares her to his son. He makes it very apparent that his son is better than Jane due to his love of Psalms, and also expresses his belief that Jane obtains a wicked heart. The situation in which Jane experiences the immediate comparison to Mr. Brocklehurst’s son prompts her to realize that she will always remain less than any man, despite the situation. Later on in the novel Jane expresses, “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts just as their brothers do..." (108). In this section of the text from the novel, Jane expresses her frustration on the fact that women are constantly pushed into situations where their predominant worries are based on simple things such as cooking, knitting and cleaning. She believes that women have a right to express their feelings just as much as men do.
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
Jane Eyre’s second home at Lowood spans a period of eight years during the beginning of which she continues to face an inner battle between passion and reason. Still a young girl, Jane is unable to comprehend the lack for insubordination. This perpetuates when Mr. Brocklehurst denounces her in front of the school:
Brocklehurst’s visit to Gateshead Hall. This is just after Jane has discovered that she is being sent away to Lowood. She confronts her aunt in a fiery argument, unleashing the feelings of rage that emerges from her assertive personality and powerful ego.
The Brocklehurst family is one of hypocrisy, contrasting the beliefs of Lowood, where girls should be ugly and plain, but in his family, everyone must live lavishly and be beautiful. The school’s uniform dictated “they were uniformly dressed in brown stuff frocks of quant fashion”, while Brocklehurst’s own family was fashioned in the most luxurious clothes and accessories (Bronte 77). The girls are forced to live in rags and are provided with less than is required for basic survival. Brocklehurst restricts all basic needs and anything that could create individualism between the girls. He does this as a command from God, arguing his point that deprivation and strengthens their faith. Gilbert and Gubar provide harsh insight to Lowood, “the apdy
At Lowood Jane is repulsed by Mr. Brocklehurst and his “two-faced” character. Even so, Jane fines her first true friend. Helen Burns, another student at the school. By instruction, Helen is able to prove her messages. When Jane is punished in front of the whole school, she tries to accept it. But Jane still dreams of human affection and is deeply hurt when she is scolded. Jane goes as far to say, “If others don’t love me, I would rather die than live.” Helen’s response, “You think to much of the love of human beings,” (69). Through example Helen teaches Jane too. Helen is punished by, Miss Scatcherd because her finger nails were not clean. Jane wonders why she just took it and did not fight back. Jane says, “When we are struck without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should . . .” Helen replies, “Love you enemies; bless them that curse you . . .” (56). When Helen is dying of Typhus she reminds Jane, “I believe: I have faith: I am going to God,” (82). Jane is able to draw strength from Helen’s faith, making her stronger. Helen’s messages guide Jane through her turbulent life. This is how Jane learns not to worry so much how other think of her.
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 Importance of Jane's Early Life at Lowood to Shaping Her Character in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
The nineteenth century Victorian era woman needed wealth or position to avoid a life of drudgery. Women were viewed as trophies or possessions men owned. They were not permitted to develop nor expected to, and even venturing out on their own was considered inappropriate. During the era in which Jane Eyre was published the home and family were seen as the basic unit of stability in society. At the middle of this foundation stood a wife and mother representing the sum total of all morality - a Madonna-like image. This image was reinforced by social institutions such as mainstream religious and political beliefs. Women were steered away from independence, confidence, and
In 1911 Italy fabricated pretexts flimsy to occupy Libya and claimed to the world and the Libyan people as you want to edit from Turkish rule and directed a warning to Turkey that the lack of security in Libya was threatening the economic interests.. and then was able to occupies the Libyan coast easily as a result of the weakness of the defence capabilities of Turkey and because Turkey was facing the Balkans war and announced by the concern in the war in Yemen, as the British did not allow ground troops to enter Turkey through Egypt, which was occupied at the
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.
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.
"red room" she is told by Miss Abbot: "No; you are less than a servant
The Gothic Features of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte A Gothic novel is a type of literature, which became very popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In this time, society was governed by strict moral codes. The "Gothics" would escape into a world of dark, supernatural and wild passions. The word 'Gothic' meant barbarous and wild and many writers liked to involve these elements in their novels.