jane eyre character development essay

Charlotte Brontë

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions, edward fairfax rochester, st. john rivers, bertha mason.

Character Analysis of Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre

Character Sketch of Jane Eyre

Table of Contents

Jane Eyre’s Personality

The portrayal of the heroine Jane Eyre  is one of  Charlotte Bronte ’s greatest achievements in the arena of  English fiction .  Jane Eyre  has been made to live before us in the pages of the novel; and the manner, in which an account of her life and her actions has been written by the author, would leave an indelible mark upon the mind of every reader.

Jane Eyre’s Spirit of Defiance and Revolt

The first trait of Jane Eyre’s character , which we note at the very outset and which she continues to display throughout her career, is her spirit of defiance and revolt. Jane Eyre , as a ten-year-old girl, rebels against Mrs. Reed’s cruel treatment of her. Subsequently, she has to endure the degradation and the humiliation to which she is subjected by Mr. Brocklehurst at Lowood School. She is in no position to defy the director of the school, but she begins to detest and abhor this man. At Thornfield Hall, she tells Mr. Rochester that he has no right to give her orders and commands just because he pays her a salary. At Moor House she refuses St. John’s repeated proposal of marriage and does not surrender to him despite the pressure which he exerts upon her.

Jane Eyre’s Passionate Nature, and Constancy in Love

Jane has a passionate nature ; and, when she falls under the spell of Mr. Rochester’s magnetic personality, she becomes deeply devoted to him. Her love for him is so intense that he seems to her to be the most handsome man, even though he is, by his appearance, one of the most unattractive males. Here she aptly says to herself that beauty lies in the eyes of the gazer or the beholder. She finds Mr. Rochester to be a fascinating man, and her love for him becomes profound. Here we also perceive Jane’s unconventional attitude to life, not only because she has fallen in love with a physically unattractive man but because she has fallen in love with a man who is twice her age. Her love for him is not a passing fancy as would have been the case with a girl of a superficial nature. Her love has an abiding quality, and it continues even after she leaves Thornfield Hall and forsakes Mr. Rochester under the compulsions of her conscience. Eventually, of course, she is united with him, and finds perfect bliss in her conjugal life with him.

Jane Eyre’s Sense of the Dignity

Jane has a strong sense of her dignity, and this sense of her own dignity actually shows her sense of the dignity of her sex. This sense of the dignity of her sex shows that she does not regard woman as a commodity whom a man can acquire by his status or wealth. Here is voice of Jane charged with strong piece of feminism :

“Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal — as we are!”

When Mr. Rochester urges her not to forsake him but to live with him as his companion or his mistress, she declines this proposal and quits Thornfield Hall even though she has not ceased love Mr. Rochester. In taking this step, she appears to us as an upholder the dignity of her sex and as a champion of the rights of women.

Jane Eyre’s Sympathetic Nature and Her Generosity

Jane is basically a sympathetic person. In fact, she is large-hearted generous . Her friendship with Helen Burns at Lowood School is based on her sympathy for that girl who is the very embodiment of piety and humility. The manner, in which Jane distributes her legacy of twenty thousand pounds equally among her three cousins and herself, shows her generosity as well as her desire for family affections and attachments.

Jane Eyre’s Courage and Fortitude

Jane goes through the vicissitudes of her life with great courage and fortitude. An ordinary girl would have given way to despair, and would have sunk beneath the weight of her misfortunes. An ordinary girl would certainly have succumbed to the temptation of living with  Mr. Rochester  as his mistress or subsequently, have agreed to marry St. John in order to lead a financially viable, if not prosperous, life. But she gives evidence of her extraordinary powers of endurance under all circumstances. She proves herself to be an enterprising girl capable of taking initiatives.

• Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre as a Feminist Novel

Emily Montegut , a critic has expressed the view that  Jane Eyre , Rochester, and  St. John River ‘s are three characters drawn from human nature at its grandest. Superior to her sorry outward appearance, superior to her humiliating situation, and superior to the blows of fate, Jane is one of those women who are equal to all the vicissitudes of life. She loves only strength, energy, and freedom. Another critic describes  Jane as one of the most unforgettable heroines of all times , adding that she is a penniless orphan of sharp wit and independent spirit, although outwardly of plain appearance.

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Jane Eyre Characters

Characters are integral to a narrative ; whatever genre it may take. They play an important role in the evolution of social issues and themes . Charlotte Bronte ’s Jane Eyre was written during the Victorian Era. During those periods, there was too much class separation and gender bias too. It was a predominantly male-led society. Hence, the voice of Jane Eyre was a sound of rebellion and the beginning of the feminist movement. Some of the characters from Jane Eyre have been analyzed below.

Characters in Jane Eyre

Character #1.

Jane Eyre is the protagonist and the main narrator of the novel . She grows into a highly sensitive, independent woman. Her journey is filled with hardships as she faces stiff resistance from everyone she meets. Her poverty , social class crushes her desires, and she is treated cruelly by the Reeds and others. Surprisingly, she continues to grow her spirit independently and strengthen her beliefs. After leaving Mr. Rochester, she becomes destitute and continues to be fully independent. At the Moor House, where she is valued but refuses to go to India with St. John. Finally, she reconciles with Mr. Rochester and marries him. She refuses to bow down in front of people like Helen Burns and St. John. She chooses spirituality, preferring love, and empathy. Her empathetic and rebellious character is considered as the beginning of feminism, where women start demanding for their rights.

Character #2

Edward Rochester

Mr. Rochester is the owner of Thornfield Manor. He exhibits Byronic qualities of a hero having appeal and attraction in his character. He is sympathetic. He’s forced to confine Bertha Mason, his first wife due to her mental state. Mr. Rochester loved Jane despite vast social differences. He provides the sense of being loved to Jane and gives her a family. He is left broken when Jane rejects to marry him on the wedding day. After Bertha’s death and he is partially blinded due to the fire. He mansion is in ruins. During his lowest time, Jane reconciles with him. He gains his eyesight and is happily married to Jane by the end of the story ., A fact that proves Jane’s superiority in ethical as well as an emotional relationship.

Character #3

St. John Rivers

John Rivers addressed as St. John, is Jane’s cousin and brother of Diana and Mary. Though he comes as a genuinely nice person, he is cold. Jane refuses to marry him to go to India. His Christian evangelical teachings influence her, but she believes his religious doctrines are cold, strict, and stoic devotion. He wishes for an obedient wife who can influence efficiently and is surprised at Jane’s rejection. Later he leaves for the missionary work to India and other countries. He works hard for ten years and then dies still young and single.

Character #4

Helen Burns

Helen is Jane’s schoolmate at Lowood School, who demonstrates tolerance and other Christian values opposite to Jane. She holds a doctrine that her faithfulness and patience would win a reward in the life hereafter. Despite facing torture from Mrs. Scatcherd, she does not fight back or wavers in her belief that she would meet her family in Heaven. Helen dies due to consumption. Before dying, she expresses that she is glad to leave the world of suffering.

Character #5

Mr. Brocklehurst

Mr. Brocklehurst demonstrates his hypocritical Christian morals . He is known for torturing his students mentally and with cruelty at Lowood School. This behavior is contrary to his evangelical sermons. Poor conditions at the school and very low-quality food show contradictions in his actions and teachings. It later proves that he stole funds from the school for his own family, an act which leads to his expulsion.

Character #6

Bertha Mason

Bertha Mason is Mr. Rochester’s first wife. The major purpose of her marrying Mr. Rochester is to consolidate the family wealth. Her violent outbursts and her mental condition leads to her confinement at Thornfield. Grace Poole keeps watching on her. Eventually, her insanity costs Rochester his eyesight and causes a fire in the mansion. Bertha leaps into that fire and dies. Her death leads to the reconciliation of Mr. Rochester and Jane.

Character #7

Mrs. Sarah Reed is Jane’s aunt. Despite her promise to her husband, Mr. Reed, to raise Jane as her own, she ill-treats her. Mrs. Reed often locks Jane up but simultaneously spoils her own children by favoring. She continues to torture Jane mentally. Her worst comes out when she lies about Jane’s death. However, she reveals her hatred toward Jane even on her deathbed and refuses to feel guilty. Before dying, she gives the letter of inheritance to Jane, which was from her Uncle John Eyre.

Character #8

Miss Temple

Miss Temple is a kindly lady at Lowood who takes the responsibility of feeding the orphans. She is very kind, especially towards Helen and Jane. Miss Temple supports the children through thick or thin. Her kind act has been shown as she continues to care for Helen when she is on the deathbed. Jane is indirectly influenced by her character and continues to help others in the future.

Character #9

John Reed is Jane’s cousin and brother of Georgiana and Eliza. His behavior is obnoxious, and he is a typical bullying man. Even though he is a cousin, Jane, does not leave a good impression on him. John Reed takes after his mother and mistreats Jane. He locks her in the red-room when she lives with them. He becomes a drunk, and a gambler in his adult life and kills himself to escape growing debts.

Character #10

Grace Poole

Grace Poole is a caretaker of Bertha Mason, Mr. Rochester’s first wife at Thornfield. Grace is an alcoholic and cannot live without gin. She falls asleep when she is drunk. During one of her lapses, Bertha escapes and sets the house on fire that blinds Mr. Rochester. She is also accused of all the troubles caused by Bertha during Jane’s stay.

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Jane Eyre - How has the character changed throughout the novel?

How has the character changed throughout the novel?

        The character of Jane Eyre evolves and changes even as an actual woman would throughout the course of her life. Jane Eyre becomes self-sufficient; firstly as a governess, and then as the headmistress of her school and lastly as a wealthy woman by her inheritance. She has also formed her own values, and gained her own set of morals, by learning from the people she met and the adversities she endured. Lastly, she has matured, and become content with herself and her position, become what she views as an equal to Mr. Rochester.

        Jane Eyre grows more self-sufficient as the book progresses. She needs to do this, as it is a part of her becoming an adult, and because her own self-sufficiency is something she feels she needs to achieve before she gains self-assurance, and a clear sense of her own worth.  At first, in the novel, she is obviously completely reliant on others, as a child. She thinks "Speak I must: I had been trodden on severely, and must turn: but how? What strength had I to dart retaliation at my antagonist?". These thoughts were just before Jane Eyre's outburst to her aunt about how cruelly she feels she has been treated, and how much she hates her aunt. The words are very reminiscent of the literature of the time; too grand and righteous for a child, but successfully expressing the anger the author feels the child should feel. Jane Eyre, here, obviously thinks that by being put down by her aunt to the headmaster of the school she is to enrol in, she has been wronged more severely than before, and has an ideal opportunity to reply to her aunt with criticisms of her aunt's behaviour. The fact that she does reply is a step forward for her ability to support herself; she has the confidence in herself she needs to defend herself, an important part of her self-sufficiency.

        Another example of when Jane Eyre becomes more self-sufficient is when she is finished with Lowood, gaining the skills needed to become a governess, and therefore support herself financially. Just before leaving Lowood, having been offered the position of governess at Thornfield, she is visited by Bessie, her childhood nurse. Bessie inquires about her skills, and tells her something of how her aunt's family are faring, but one statement sums up Jane Eyre's achievements at Lowood quite well - "Oh, you are quite a lady, Miss Jane! I knew you would be; you will get on whether your relations notice you or not.". In Bessie's remark that she is now 'quite a lady', we realise that Jane Eyre has grown self-disciplined and is quite proper and decorous, which is necessary for her to be accepted as a suitable governess for children. Also, Bessie's statement that she will get by, relations or none, she affirms that Jane is now able to manage for herself, and has discarded her need for her relatives' aid. The need for Jane Eyre to be ladylike, and the reference to needing one's relations is also very much a reminder of the time of the novel, because at that time in the past, relatives and the respectability of a person was of extreme importance, whereas it is far less appreciated today.

        The last affirmation that Jane Eyre has become very self-sufficient is when she inherits a large sum of money from her uncle from her father's side of the family, who she had never met. She is told this by her cousin, St John Eyre Rivers, after he has discovered her true name. He says "Merely to tell you that your uncle, Mr. Eyre of Madeira, is dead; that he has left you all his property, and that you are now rich - merely that - nothing more.". This is, of course, a great shock to Jane Eyre, as she has been working as a schoolmistress, and was reduced to begging before being fortunate enough to find that job. It establishes Jane's position as a self-sufficient young woman, wealthy enough to support herself as long as she needs to, providing that she is careful with the way she spends her money and maintains some form of income.

        Jane Eyre has fully attained her goal of being a self-supporting, respectable person, and laid certain self-doubts to rest. Her self-sufficiency is also innately tied to her self-reliance. She feels she is more able to rely on herself; that she is more stable and secure as her financial status is stabilised.

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        Another way in which the character of Jane Eyre has matured is in the knowledge she has gained from her world. By experiencing everything from poverty to wealth, and meeting people ranging from the terribly devout St John Rivers, to the arrogant noble ladies who so looked down on governesses, and indeed, nearly everyone who was not noble. She has had many diverse experiences in life, and they have shaped her character to the woman she becomes by the end of the book.

        The first main stage of Jane's life is her time at Lowood school. She is forced to endure much hardship there, but she also meets two very unique people - her friend Helen Burns, and the fanatical headmaster, Mr. Brocklehurst. Helen Burns introduces the young, impulsive Jane to the idea that what seems cruel may have a purpose - "But that teacher, Miss Scatcherd, is so cruel to you?" "Cruel? Not at all! She is severe; she dislikes my faults." Both girls know that Miss Scatcherd dislikes Helen, and punishes her excessively for every small error, but Helen decides she deserves such punishment, and must use it to try and rectify her behaviour, while Jane automatically feels that Miss Scatcherd is simply mean, as a child might. Helen explains to Jane why punishment should be taken, in her view; that God has a reason for everything that happens to a person. Mr. Brocklehurst, in his turn, speaks of one of his beliefs to Jane's class - "-: My mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh, to teach them to clothe themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel; and each of the young persons before us has a string on hair twisted in plaits which vanity itself might have woven: these, I repeat, must be cut off -". Jane has been confronted with this extreme view, and she must come to her own conclusions about it; why he is wrong; how he has become so against any possible form of vanity. Also, if she had been slowly introduced to the views of Mr. Brocklehurst, she might not have set herself against them, but as it is, she has felt immediately that he must not have the right of it.

        The second main stage of Jane's life is her time at Thornfield as a governess. The people there are quite kind to Jane, and she feels that it is home, as Lowood was not, even after Mr. Brocklehurst's influence was lessened. The first main incident of influence on Jane is the time when the Ingram ladies staying at Thornfield discuss governesses, and their failings, knowing they are within Jane's hearing. The eldest Lady Ingram states "I noticed her; I am a judge of physiognomy, and in hers I see all the faults of her class.", when told that the governess of Adele has heard her denounciate all governesses. Jane must accept the criticism without retaliating; however, she has had some of her passionate impulsiveness taken from her at Lowood, and in any case, she is quite nervous of beautiful ladies, seeing them as somewhat above her. However, she is forced to see by their own belief of their superiority that they are not superior to her at all; and their appraisal of governesses is far from true. Later, as the young women comment on how they plagued their governesses as children, Jane must recognise they cannot even see how foolish they are, and are far from superior to her. The second main incident is much more significant to the storyline: as Jane discovers that Mr. Rochester is already married, and chooses to leave him. This is a very hard decision, and Jane has obviously matured and grown out of the passionate idealism she had as a child, to decide that she must leave, and Mr. Rochester should settle his affairs himself - "Sir, your wife is living; that is a fact acknowledged this morning by yourself. If I lived with you as you desire - I should then be your mistress. To say otherwise is sophistical - is false." She says clearly to Mr. Rochester, though it pains her. She is very formal, and though the novel states her distress, as is fitting in that time, she attempts to be as proper and unemotional as she can. Jane Eyre has been placed in a position where she has a clear opportunity to do what her society views as right; or what they view as wrong. It takes much strength and character for her to overcome her personal wishes to follow her conscience, and shows her great personal strength.

        The third and last main stage of Jane's life is when she lives with her cousins as a schoolmistress. In this stage, she is learning to live without Mr. Rochester, having resigned herself to a life without him. There is only one main incident here which she must learn from; her proposal of marriage from St. John Rivers, which she finds quite an unpleasant surprise.

        St. John Rivers is Jane Eyre's cousin, and she views him as family, after she finds out that he and the sisters Diana and Mary are her cousins. He has expressed previously an intent to go to India as a missionary, and that Jane might accompany him in going there. She does not refuse; in fact, she agrees to be his assistant, and help him, but he wishes her to marry him, in order for him to decently be with a young woman alone, or 'only among savages'. She cannot understand his feelings, and is dismayed at the thought of marrying him - "- Can I bear the consciousness that every endearment he bestows is a sacrifice made on principle? No, such a martyrdom would be monstrous. I will never undergo it. As his sister, I might accompany him - not as his wife: I will tell him so." The short speech is very reminiscent of Jane's passion and righteousness; the way she speaks of it is dramatic; much the passionate part of Jane Eyre speaking, a strong part of Jane that has survived since childhood, through Lowood and Thornfield. She states her inability to cope with such hardship, and that she could not bear it; it would be extremely hard on the character of Jane, because, as a romance character, she has an innate need for love, and St John would simply go through the motions, as if he loved her, but Jane would be incomplete, and unhappy with this. Overall, Jane learned from this situation of being presented with a person so determined to be perfect in the eyes of God; to repress all human faults, and again, being forced to assess him; to evaluate him against her morals, and she finds that he is, in fact, virtually free of sin, as it is defined by the Bible, but she herself finds it hard to accept him as the perfect person, sees him as too devoid of emotion, and the very human imperfections that she sees as good qualities in a person. This differing of standards between the Bible and her own views is somewhat difficult for her to comprehend, but she does understand.

        To conclude this part of Jane's life, she has learned from many things; all of these incidents have helped shape her perceptions of life; whether by providing a new conception of an incident that may make her feel it is not as wrong as it appears, or by presenting her with an opinion so extreme that she must build her own ideas regarding it, and strengthen them so she may oppose it, or providing her with a view that she cannot share; but nor can she oppose as wrong, or immoral, such as that of St John Rivers. This has been a part of the way she changes throughout the book by the way she is forced to change her own views as she understands others' reasons for their own views; however much they disagree with her own, and in whichever way.

        The last, and possibly the most important way in which Jane Eyre has matured and developed in the novel is that she has gained self-confidence, and a lack of doubt in herself and her position. By the end of the novel, she is no longer reliant on Mr. Rochester for money; as she has now inherited a fair amount, she need not be dependant on him, which was a source of discontent for her. Also, as Mr. Rochester's wife at the end, she is completely content with herself and her place with him, and there is no inequality in their marriage, as there might have been should she have gone directly from his charge's governess, and his 'paid subordinate' as she refers to herself, to his wife.

        The inequality between Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester, as Jane sees it, becomes a minor obstacle between them. One part of this is Jane's lack of money, while Mr. Rochester is wealthy. Jane feels uncomfortable that he is almost completely supporting her; as mentioned earlier, she places a fair amount of importance on being self-supporting. An example of this is when they go shopping for Jane's wedding dress - "the more he bought me, the more my cheek burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation...it would, indeed, be a relief, if I had ever so small an independency; I never can bear being dressed like a doll by Mr. Rochester...I thought his smile was such as a sultan might, in a blissful and fond moment, bestow on a slave his gold and gems had enriched,". Jane, again dramatising, exaggerates both the situation and her feelings about it, but essentially, it is a fair summation of how she feels. She thinks of herself as still his governess; worries that he sees her only as an employee that has caught his eye, to be showered with gifts and romance for a time, then discarded, which is probably not completely untrue. The later inheritance she comes into gives her security; she can view herself as a respectable woman in her own right, not as a dependant of Mr. Rochester, and he, in his turn, no longer supports her fully, and so cannot be superior to her.

        Also, Jane had to leave behind any thoughts of herself as unequal to him in order to truly be his wife; if she had married him with both Mr Rochester and herself viewing her as his governess and dependant, she would have been wife in only name, and mistress in everything else. Jane states her fears once to him, "Do you remember what you said of Celine Varens? - of the diamonds, the cashmeres you gave her? I will not be your English Celine Varens. I shall continue to act as Adele's governess; by that I shall earn my own board and lodging, and thirty pounds a year besides. I shall furnish my own wardrobe out of that money, and you shall give me nothing -". She has tried to correct matters here, by refusing to accept his gifts, and become his mistress. But this was not quite the best way for her to go about it; she could not go on working as his governess and then make the sudden transition to his wife, not and gain the equality between them that she so desires. Going immediately from subordinate to equal would have simply made the shift even more difficult. However, neither could she have accepted every gift he offered, and acted as if she was his mistress. Although not the most pleasant way for Jane and Mr. Rochester to become equals, Jane's departure and the experiences she gains are really the best way for them to be balanced partners.

        Jane's development in becoming, in both her and Mr. Rochester's eyes, an equal to him, has been vitally important to her growth in life. She could not live happily with him without removing the barrier of superiority; even if she had not returned to Mr. Rochester, she would have always been discomforted by her view that she was somehow not as important, or equal to, a noble, or rich person. That view would have encumbered her, and made her less strong and sure of a person.

        To conclude, Jane Eyre's evolution throughout the novel has been a very necessary part of the story; the way in which she views herself in relation to others, the development of her morals, her personal strength and her self-reliance. It has decided her actions, and is an inherent part of the direction of the storyline. Jane Eyre has become self-sufficient, formed her own values and morals by life's lessons, and matured into her finishing role as the wife of Mr. Rochester. She has grown strong and secure in herself, and it is very unlikely that she will ever lose this. Her knowledge, and her morals and values can never be taken from her; her money, and thus her self-sufficiency and some of her self-reliance may disappear, but she cannot lose her skills as a governess, and thus will always have some means of finding employment and re-establishing self-sufficiency. Her belief in her equality to others cannot be taken from her, because it is an inherent part of her knowledge and values. Overall, she has grown from an impassioned, undisciplined, and hasty child, into a mature, strong, careful woman, secure in her belief in herself.

NB: Page numbers for quotations are not mentioned because I wrote this essay using a different edition of the book to the one used in class.

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• Subject English

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• Jane Eyre: Examining Themes of Freedom and Oppression (Essay Sample)

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Themes of Freedom and Oppression in Jane Eyre

Introduction

In response to the Jane Eyre piece of literature, there are various forms put in place to create an insight on the major overview of the intention of the story. It is understood that there are words, statements, passages and phrases which are delving into the development of the clear intention of the author. However, from my understanding, I pick on the phrase set forth by Jane Eyre that ‘like any other rebel slave, she felt resolved in her desperation to go all lengths in which even the starkest punishment cannot quell the mood of a revolted slave’. In the response herein, there is an endeavor and a comprehensive analysis on the small excerpt highlighted above with the aim of refuting the claims that Jane Eyre is a perfect romance escaped.

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There is the element of slavery which makes the whole idea out of touch with the concept of love or romance as may be looked at from the analysis perspective. From the passage above, Jane was more inclined and dedicated as seeing into it that she moved out of the bondage which characterized her life. It is precise that Jane was in a bondage and was in her mission of breaking even and get off the shackles of slavery. Jane first strikes back at her young tormentor after which she verbally attack her aunt Reed (Mardorossian p.6). Even though there is conflict between Jane and some of the characters, it is not in the context of romance or love. Instead, contestation is crave for freedom in which the main character is committed to change the whole narrative. The center of conflict which brings about antagonism between these characters is off the grid of the romantic theme which might have taken the epicenter of discussion as insinuated in the better part of the text. From my understanding, I can assert that the protagonist and her supposedly antagonists are more embroiled in a conflict which is brought about by hatred and contempt from each other.

From the text above, there are historical connections and connotation both from political and social spheres. Specifically, there are point outs regarding slavery and the determination of the main character to break the chains on the same. From the text on the introduction paragraph, it is highlighted that Jane was more determined to see into it that she earned freedom. In connection to the political aspects of patriarchy and male imperialism, there is observed resemblance on the same. On a sympathetic balance, feminists from the United States have remarked that some of the authors are not showing the required justice to Jane in the story (Spivak p.244). The text has a historical significance especially on the political and social perspectives. The text represents the fight women undergo to ensure they turn tables of oppression. From the argument on the passage, the author asserts that Jane was determine as a slave in the verge of seeking for her freedom. Further, there are claims that Jane wanted to launch an all-out assault in changing the social and political narrative which raked her society. When freedom and oppression is highlighted in any story or literature, there is inevitability of attraction of political and social commentaries. The review of the story create the impression that there are limited connection of romance and the content of the passage above.

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Essays on Jane Eyre

Prompt examples for jane eyre essays, jane's journey to independence.

Trace Jane Eyre's journey to independence and self-discovery throughout the novel. How does she evolve as a character, and what challenges and obstacles does she overcome on her path to finding her own voice and identity?

The Role of Social Class

Analyze the role of social class in "Jane Eyre." How do class distinctions affect the characters' interactions and choices? Discuss the significance of Jane's lower social standing and her relationships with characters like Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers.

Gothic Elements and Atmosphere

Examine the use of gothic elements and atmosphere in the novel. How does Charlotte Brontë create a sense of mystery and suspense in the story? Discuss the role of Thornfield Hall and the character of Bertha Mason in contributing to the gothic ambiance.

Feminism and Gender Roles

Discuss the feminist themes in "Jane Eyre." How does Jane challenge traditional gender roles and expectations? Explore her relationship with Mr. Rochester in the context of gender dynamics and power struggles.

Religion and Morality

Examine the themes of religion and morality in the novel, particularly in Jane's interactions with characters like Mr. Brocklehurst and St. John Rivers. How do these characters' beliefs and actions influence Jane's own moral development?

Romantic Love in the Novel

Analyze the portrayal of romantic love in "Jane Eyre." How does Jane's relationship with Mr. Rochester evolve, and what obstacles do they face? Discuss the idea of love as a source of strength and vulnerability in the novel.

Settings in Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea

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Jane Eyre: Complex Character in Development

The symbolism of fire and ice in jane eyre by charlotte bronte, jane eyre's personal development through experience, symbolism of fire in "jane eyre" and "wide sargasso sea", let us write you an essay from scratch.

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Jane Eyre as an Independent Woman in 19th Century

Jane eyre and the search for independence, "jane eyre" by charlotte bronte and the women of the victorian era, the evolution of rochester's character in jane eyre, get a personalized essay in under 3 hours.

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Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: Resolving The Issue of Equality and Women’s Role in Society Through Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory, Feminist Theory and Marxist Classism

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October 16, 1847, Charlotte Bronte

Novel, Victorian Literature

Jane Eyre, Edward Rochester, St. John Rivers, Mrs. Reed, Bessie Lee, Mr. Lloyd, Georgiana Reed, Eliza Reed, John Reed, Helen Burns, Mr. Brocklehurst, Maria Temple, Miss Scatcherd, Alice Fairfax, Bertha Mason, Grace Poole, Adèle Varens, Celine Varens, Sophie, Richard Mason, Mr. Briggs, Blanche Ingram, Diana Rivers, Mary Rivers, Rosamond Oliver, John Eyre, Uncle Reed

1. Beattie, V. (1996). The Mystery at Thornfield: Representations of Madness In" Jane Eyre". Studies in the Novel, 28(4), 493-505. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/29533162) 2. Bossche, C. R. V. (2005). What Did" Jane Eyre" Do? Ideology, Agency, Class and the Novel. Narrative, 13(1), 46-66. (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236760140_What_Did_Jane_Eyre_Do_Ideology_Agency_Class_and_the_Novel) 3. Andersson, A. (2011). Identity and independence in Jane Eyre. (http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A463653&dswid=7105) 4. Griesinger, E. (2008). Charlotte Brontë's religion: faith, feminism, and Jane Eyre. Christianity & Literature, 58(1), 29-59. (https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/014833310805800103) 5. Sternlieb, L. (1999). Jane Eyre:" Hazarding Confidences". Nineteenth-Century Literature, 53(4), 452-479. (https://online.ucpress.edu/ncl/article-abstract/53/4/452/66369/Jane-Eyre-Hazarding-Confidences) 6. Stoneman, P. (2017). Jane Eyre on Stage, 1848–1898: An Illustrated Edition of Eight Plays with Contextual Notes. Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781315251639/jane-eyre-stage-1848%E2%80%931898-patsy-stoneman) 7. Beaty, J. (1996). Misreading Jane Eyre: A Postformalist Paradigm. The Ohio State University Press. (https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/6286) 8. Bodenheimer, R. (1980). Jane Eyre in Search of Her Story. Papers on Language and Literature, 16(4), 387. (https://www.proquest.com/docview/1300110761?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true)

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