In Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre grows up without any parental guidance. Living with her aunt’s family for her entire childhood, she often suffers exclusion and abuse because of her social status. As a child under such maltreatment, Jane learns how to speak up for herself against injustice and develops an assertive personality. After graduating from Lowood, she serves as a governess in Thornfield, where Mr. Rochester belittles her and acts insensitively towards her feelings. Instead of declaring her position in front of him, Jane becomes submissive and unconfident; however, her affections towards Mr. Rochester increase through their interactions, yet, she is hesitant to disclose her true feelings due to her own sense of insecurity. Realizing the attachment Mr. Rochester has toward her, Jane invests her trust and decides to marry him. However, upon recognizing the existence of his insane wife, she discovers herself
Beginning with Mr. Rochester and Jane’s first encounter, Mr. Rochester has not been honest about who he is. Although Jane had been working for him for a while, she never met him until an accident that forced them to unexpectedly meet. Jane right away says who she is, but Rochester does not reciprocate this action. He acts mysterious upon their first meeting by asking who owns Thornfield and if Jane knows the owner. “Whose house is it?” “Mr. Rochester’s” “Do you know Mr. Rochester?” “No, I have never seen him”(Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, p 116). He was given a perfect opportunity to explain that he is indeed Mr. Rochester,
Rochester however also began to develop feelings for Jane and decided to test if Jane has feelings for him by pursuing a beautiful woman named Blanche Ingram. Through this trick Rochester discovers that Jane does have feelings for him, and he proposes to her. Jane accepts his proposal. However, during the wedding ceremony it is discovered that Rochester is married to a crazy woman in house that he kept secret from Jane. Jane can’t accept this and runs away from Rochester and his estate, she experiences a few days of hardship and then find solace with the Rivers. While there she meets St. John Rivers, a missionary. Their relationship develops to where St. Johns is dominating Jane. Eventually, St. John proposes to Jane, however Jane hears Rochester’s voice and decides she loves Rochester and to run away from St. John. Jane runs back to Rochester’s place but discovers it has been burnt down. She learns that the crazy wife of Rochester burned it down, and that Rochester was living in a cottage on his lands. Jane finds Rochester and in the end she marries
Deception can prove to be a powerful tool—both in the real world and in literature. While it is typically viewed as malicious, some forms of deception can prove to be beneficial in the long run. This kind of deceit is very prevalent in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Mr. Rochester, specifically, spends a large portion of the story deceiving many characters, but most of his lies are directed towards Jane. At first, the façade he puts on seems questionable, but his motives behind his actions show that he had good intentions. The tactics he employs to get his way also provide insight into a major theme of the novel.
Bronte 's Jane Eyre transcends the genres of literature to depict the emotional and character development of its protagonist. Although no overall genre dominates the novel exclusively, the vivid use of setting contributes towards the portrayal of Bronte’s bildungsroman (Realisms, 92) and defines the protagonist’s struggles as she grapples with her inner-self, and the social expectations of her gender.
The titular Jane in Jane Eyre struggles to free herself from the power of others to achieve independence throughout the course of the book. As a child, she fights against unjust authority figures, and as an adult, she spurs multiple unequal marriage proposals. Bronte, through Jane asserts that a woman should be independent from others.
Jane Eyre, a diary written by Charlotte Bronte, is told by the perspective of a young, fiery woman by the name of Jane, who comes into contact with two men. Two men who ultimately guide her towards two life paths, forcing her to choose one, leaving the other behind. In the novel, Jane is faced with the choice between two potential husbands, Rochester, the fiery man for whom she loves truly or St. John, a more icey, practical choice for Jane, creating an significant difficult choice. In the end, Jane chooses Rochester leaving behind St. John, which shows how Jane is better suited for Rochester because of their similar moralities, life goals, and indestructible bond.
Jane Eyre is a novel where a modern view on gender roles get in the discourse of the traditional Victorian social hierarchy and patriarchal
Famous singer Tupac Shakur once stated that, “Reality is wrong. Dreams are for real.” Shakur may have been talking about successfully reaching your biggest hopes, but this quote reflects a different meaning in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. As Jane has recurring strange dreams, she does not realize that her dreams foreshadow her future reality. Instead of trusting her symbolic dreams, Jane disregards them and instead focuses on her current life with Rochester, as everything seems in place for their upcoming marriage. Jane’s dreams provide insight into Rochester’s puzzling behavior, foreshadowing her despair and choices she must make when Rochester’s secrets are revealed.
During the Victorian era, the ideal woman’s life revolved around the domestic sphere of her family and the home. Middle class women were brought up to “be pure and innocent, tender and sexually undemanding, submissive and obedient” to fit the glorified “Angel in the House”, the Madonna-image of the time (Lundén et al, 147). Normally, girls were educated to be on display as ornaments. Women were not expected to express opinions of their own outside a very limited range of subjects, and certainly not be on a quest for own identity and aim to become independent such as the protagonist in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre was independent passionate woman who tried to against men who repressed woman from being educated and getting own human
In Charlotte Bronte’s novel “Jane Eyre” Edward Fairfax Rochester plays a contributing role in Janes development and growth as a character and human being in the Victorian time period. Not only does he play a large role in her independency, but in her emotional and spiritual growth as well. She grows around him whether she likes it or not. Due to Edwards manipulative and seductive nature, jane has to grow and develop in a way that has her frequently questioning her own ideals, whether that be spiritually or morally, and strengthening her independence by constantly refusing her feelings for him and adapting to punishing situations. Edward also opens Janes eyes to a world that is bigger than she realized due to his company at the house, wealth, and opportunities at the favorable Thornfeild manor at which she was employed by him.
In Rochester and Jane’s first meeting, the two begin to show their blended gender roles immediately. Rochester is first described as having a “dark face” with “stern features”, with a complexion that seems, “ireful and thwarted” (146). This description first classifies Rochester as very masculine character with his dark and almost scary complexion. Furthermore, as Rochester rides down the street on his trusty steed with this “lion-like creature” gliding next to him, his
Brontë characterizes Rochester as moody and temperamental throughout the novel to show how his arrogance affected his tone as a whole. {Rochester’s feelings for Jane were more complex and unique compared to
Charlotte Bronte’s classic heartfelt novel entitled “Jane Eyre” depicts how an unloved orphan constantly wishes for affection and acceptance throughout her life. Even at an early age in life, she never truly understood what it meant to be “loved” and what it means to “love” others. With this, maturing into a young lady definitely opened her eyes to the realities of life. Moreover, the novel also depicts a patriarchal society where women aren’t respected with dignity and equality. In this coming of age novel, discover how a young woman courageously faced her fears and triumphed with love in the end. Unraveling the acclaimed novel definitely showcased how in the end “Love conquers all”. Truly, Jane Eyre will forever remain as a masterpiece of art due to its dynamic characters, insightful themes and exquisitely crafted sense of style and writing.
Charlotte Bronte takes us on a journey from the point which Jane Eyre, the protagonist lives with her aunt and cousins whom very much dislikes her in Gateshead to her going to a boarding school in Lowood, after which she becomes a governess in Thornfield where she falls in love with Mr. Rochester her employer whom she later finds out is married to a mad woman by the name of Bertha Mason, upon her discovery of this she picks up and leaves Thornfield, she then ends up at Marsh End where he meets her relatives. The novel carries us through ever important event in her life, which introduces us to new aspects of her personality, up until her eventual marriage to Mr. Rochester. The novel fits this theme as its protagonist chooses individualism as she refuses to take the role subservience as that of a traditional female of the Victorian era society, she stands up for her rights and want she believes in, she ventures in her own unique thoughts, and stands by her views even if it means disagreeing with those superior to her. Jane comments on the role of women in society and the greater constraint imposed on them.