The book is written in the first person, the older Jane retelling her childhood. She explains it clearly and vividly as if it were yesterday, showing how much this part of her life affected her. She is honest about it and hides nothing that happened to her, even if thee events were embarrassing or if they relive moments in Jane’s life that she found saddening.
Jane grows up in a very male-oriented world, and if she had been a boy growing up her lifestyle and treatment by her family would probably be completely different. She rebels when the world around her demands completely obedient women. Jane is clearly concerned about women’s rights and is prepared to fight for the cause, showing that she is a feminist (much like the author Charlotte Brontë herself). Equality is not known in the house she stays in, and it appears that all the servants and housemaids are females. The females in those days were looked down upon. Equality wasn’t a word often spoken of and women had not yet made a stand for their rights. This puts Jane in a very difficult position, as she is also made to work for the household, although she is only ten years old.
The head of the house, and Jane’s kind uncle, Mr Reed, dies before Jane’s memoirs begin so, although Mrs Reed promised to take good care of Jane, it seems like she has broken her promise as Jane is treated as if she does not belong in the house, and the fact that she is not outside in the cold is Mrs Reed’s act of charity. Jane is dealt with very poorly by Mrs Reed, even though she spoils her own children, illustrating the huge division between the Reed children and herself. We are shown that Jane is willing to break the rules to stand up for what is right at the end of Chapter 1 as she is forcibly put in “the red-room.” She fights back, as she knows that justice is not being served and it is unfair on her, when her cousin John has been bullying and mistreating her for so long. This chapter illustrates to us that Jane isn’t all fun and games, she has a temper, and she is not afraid to show it. She has had enough of John’s constant harassment, and fights back, symbolising her fighting for the rights thatof men and women being equal. She feels that she deserves to be valued more than she is, so struggles against the people carrying her to the red-room.
““Take her away to the red-room, and lock her in there.” Four hands were immediately laid upon me, and I was borne upstairs.”
The red-room symbolises different things. It is, at the beginning of the book, just a room to imprison her and discipline her for her ‘wrongdoings’. In the next few chapters we begin to see that certain events begin to recur, since she was locked in and released from the red-room, like having to overcome struggles she faced with the sense of belonging, love, and freedom.
Jane’s intelligence is shown in the book by the complex language she uses when she is remembering her upbringing. She uses long, unusual words that, although not used as commonly anymore, still show the reader the her intellect. The references she gives to countless books she has come across in her youth, and a variety of Biblical references she provides shows us also how clever she is and how much effort she must have put into her schooling.
The older Jane describes herself as “poor, obscure, plain and little”. Bronte took a big risk making the heroine and the main character of the book plain looking, as authors around her invented beautiful men and women to take the roles in their novels. The fact that Jane is not beautiful may possibly be a reason why the people in her life are so judgemental and look down on her so often. The servants may not take pity on her because she doesn’t look as though she deserves it. Jane’s simple looks do not stop her from being strong-willed, however.
To conclude, I think that Chapter One is very effective as an introduction to the methods and characters of the young heroine. It explains thoroughly the highs and lows of her life so far, and the environment she is in at the age of ten, where the first chapter is set. The chapter shows how feministic she was, as well as the fact that she was willing to fight for what she believed was right. It also gives us an insight into her vast intellect and the fact that she is undermined and mistreated by everyone involved in her life.