LOVE
Jane Eyre is the tale of a quest to be
loved. Jane not only searches for romantic love, but for a sense of belonging
and purpose. As a orphaned child, she was neglected and bullied by her aunt and
cousins, which lead to her friendship with Helen Burns and quoting ‘to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or
any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my
arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let
it dash its hoof at my chest’ (Chapter 8)(Bronte, 1847). This clearly shows
that Jane was simply looking for affection and a sense of belonging, her
tormented childhood drove her to search for her meaning in life, in which she
could feel loved.
Bessie Lee is the first person
in Jane’s life, who occasionally gives her a sense of belonging. Bessie looks
after Jane, singing to her and reading to her. When Jane leaves for Lowood,
Helen Burns and Miss Temple fill the roles and are seen to her be true friends
and role models. They give Jane a purpose and sense of belonging, but Jane
still searches for romantic love. She leaves for Thornfield Hall, where she
finds her love Mr. Rochester, but her integrity and independence won’t let her
fall easily.
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LOVE VERSUS INDEPENDENCE
Jane lived with her Uncle Reed (until he
died), Aunt Reed and their 3 children. Jane could never express herself and was
broken down every time she tried to stand up for herself. When she moved to
Lowood to gain an education, she found herself through her friend, Helen Burn
and role model, Miss Temple. Her independence at Lowood drove her to apply for
a governess position and received a place at Thornfield Hall. There she fell in
love with the master of the house, Mr Rochester. After discovering that he is
already married, she refuses the marriage and his proposal for them to live in
the south of France together as husband and wife, though they cannot be
married. This shows that by refusing the marriage and proposal to live
together, she is keeping her integrity and independence.
After rejecting the proposal, she is
forced to beg on the streets for food. This exemplifies that she would rather
be independent, relying on what she can get herself, than live of a man who’s
already married.
Jane also refuses the marriage proposal
from St. John. Although they enjoy each other’s company, and have a
relationship built on common grounds, Jane keeps her integrity by rejecting
him, as she knows the marriage would remain loveless. She searches for love and
belonging, so entering a loveless marriage would take away her integrity and
independence.
She rejects his marriage proposal, but
agrees to travel to India with him as brother and sister. This proves to
herself that she can be loyal to Mr. Rochester, her first love, and still reply
on herself. This also shows that she refuses to enter a loveless marriage, as
she searches for true love. Mr. Rochester was her true love, but her rejection
of him shows she will not sacrifice her independence.
RELIGION
RELIGION
Jane
struggles to find the balance between earthly pleasure and moral duty. She
encounters three main religious figures throughout the novel; Mr. Brocklehurst,
Helen Burns and St. John Rivers.
Mr.
Brocklehurst seems to be doing a good thing, supplying children with a place to
stay and feeding them and educating them, but in fact he greed’s over the money
he receives from them, living his own wealthy life-style, while the children of
Lowood walked in ragged and thin clothing, eating poor meals and waiting to
fall ill and die. He constantly humiliates the children, which in itself is
un-Christian.
Helen
Burns takes a passive approach to Christianity, one of which is too submissive
for Jane to adopt for herself.
Lastly,
St. John Rivers takes great pride in himself, and what he does. He is driven by
ambition and glory, which lead to his proposal to Jane. He knows that she will
have to let go of her emotions and pleasure needs, so she is fully committed to
her moral duties. Jane refuses, as she knows this will consist of her destroying
her integrity and being disloyal to her own needs.
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SOCIAL CLASS
Jane is a figure of indefinite class
hierarchy. Her manners, sophistication and education are that of a lady, as her
position of governess, tutoring children, meant she had to act of a higher
class. Although she was a paid employee, her ‘fake’ status left her powerless
and penniless and Thornfield Hall, which meant if she was to marry Mr.
Rochester, she would not be his equal. Jane was of the same intelligence to
him, but not the same social class, and by marrying him, he would still remain
her master. It was only after Jane inherited the money from John Eyre, could
she marry Mr. Rochester as his equal.
It is clear in the novel, that Jane tries
to speak out about social class and tried to fight against it. In Chapter 23
she says to Mr. Rochester: ‘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’ (Bronte, 1847).
GENDER RELATIONS
GENDER RELATIONS
Throughout
the novel, Jane fights against the patriarchal society, trying to overcome
oppression and achieve equality. Three main characters in the novel constrain
Jane and try to keep her powerless, putting her own needs aside.
Mr.
Brocklehurst after publicly humiliating Jane, tried to keep her in a submissive
position at Lowood. Once she left Lowood, St John challenged her independence
and integrity by asking for her hand in marriage, knowing she would have to
dismiss her own needs and pleasures, focusing on her moral duty. She eventually
married Mr. Rochester, her first and true love, ensuring they could marry as
equals.
