Examine the theme of Imprisonment in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - with specific references to Jane, Bertha, Rochester and St. John Rivers
Examine the theme of Imprisonment in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - with specific references to Jane, Bertha, Rochester and St. John Rivers There are many times in Jane Eyre where the characters feel imprisoned. Each of the characters experience it some time, and in the following essay I will explain how imprisonment played a big part in the book. In "Jane Eyre", Jane suffers the most from Imprisonment. She was imprisoned from a very young age; for as long as she can remember. Brought up feeling as though she was a burden is enough to make her feel unhappy and imprisoned. She feels she can't speak her mind because if she does, she could be beaten by her cousin John Reed. At one stage in Gateshead Jane is physically imprisoned when she is made to sit on a stool, while she is locked in the Red room. Terror overcomes her, as she is a young girl and a victim of her own imagination. Jane wanted to go to school because it would mean her leaving Gateshead. 'If I had anywhere else to go, I should be glad to leave it.´ When Jane is sent to Lowood I think she sees this as an escape, but herself, Helen Burns, and the other pupils at Lowood are all, in fact, imprisoned. I don't think this is as mentally bad as Gateshead, because Jane is happier and enjoys her friends company, especially Helen Burns. However, physically, Jane is imprisoned, because there is nowhere for
Jane Eyre - Reviewed.
Maurin Huq Period 1 AP English Jane Eyre: Essay In every work of literature there is a journey and an adventure that plays an important role in the development and growth of a literary character. Often times, certain events take a literary character by surprise, and force him to choose the right path. The decision however, is not always easy, and characters struggle to make the right decision. In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the main character is thrust into a predicament that makes little rational sense. Jane Eyre, is forced to make a very difficult decision; either concede to the situations absurdity or take actions that defy it. It is evident, that the struggle and the decision of Jane Eyre , not only shaped her as a person, but also contributed to the meaning of the work as a whole. The protagonist of Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre is Jane Eyre. The novel describes certain stages of Jane Eyre's life, ranging from childhood to adulthood. Jane is an intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. From the early stages of her life she was always pushed aside, scorned, and mistreated by those around her. She went to a charity school, became a teacher, then a governess, and finally found what she truly needed in life, love. She fell in love with Mr. Rochester, a man
Jane Eyre- Analysis.
Jane Eyre - Analysis Immediately the reader is positioned on Jane's side through careful novelistic craftsmanship. From the first page, Jane is oppressed, sent off while her cousins play. We learn through exposition from John that she is a penniless orphan, dependent on the heartless Reed family; indeed, social class will play an important role in the rest of the novel. She is also a sensitive girl given to flights of fancy while reading, but she also displays her strength in her defense against John. All the elements are in place for a classic "Bildungsroman," the literary genre originating in the German literally as "novel of formation" or, as it is generally known, the "coming-of-age" story. In the Bildungsroman, classic examples of which are Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther, Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, and J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, the young protagonist matures through a series of obstacles and defines his or her identity. The red-room has both deathly associations (red as the color of blood, the room's containing a miniature version of the dead Mr. Reed, and Jane's belief that she sees a ghost in it) and is a clear symbol of imprisonment. Throughout the novel, Jane will be imprisoned in more metaphorical ways, particularly relating to class, gender, and religion. Ironically, although John is the root cause of Jane's imprisonment here, the three
Jane Eyre- Analysis of the character 'Bertha Mason' and her importance in the novel 'Jane Eyre'
Analysis of the character 'Bertha Mason' and her importance in the novel 'Jane Eyre' Bertha Mason is quite possibly the biggest antagonist in 'Jane Eyre'. Although Master Reed and Mrs Reed are emotionally and physically cruel to Jane, Bertha potentially does the most amount of damage to her, intentionally or indirectly. The scene in which Bertha is revealed is arguably the most important scene in the novel. Occasionally referred to as the 'madwoman in the attic', she is not only a huge part in Jane Eyre but a massive part of literature as well. Although Bertha only appears a few times in the novel, Charlotte Bronte has managed to invent a character that essentially creates the stories conclusion and all the unfolding drama surrounding it. Bertha is an unknown character throughout the beginning of the novel, yet even when Jane and the reader are finally introduced to her, we still know very little about her. Although Mr Rochester tells us the story behind his and Bertha's marriage and how she ended up locked in the room on the third floor, there is still an air of mystery around her and when she is first described by Jane's own eye, the reader cannot help but be fascinated and appalled at the same time. Jane describes her first experience of seeing Bertha as '...at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being,
Jane eyre gothic conventions
Discuss how Charlotte Bronte develops the Gothic Features of Jane Eyre Gothic literature refers to a period in the 18th 19th century when writing included supernatural or horrifying events. The word Gothic relates to the Middle Ages when stories commonly depicted courtly love, and villainous characters. 'Gothic' is also seen as a derogatory term for the Middle Ages used by the Victorians to describe an immoral and spiritual way of life. 'Jane Eyre' has been described as a Gothic novel, and portrays many characteristics of this particular style of writing. Charlotte Brontë was influenced as a child by the literature, which surrounded her. As a child, she gained an intense interest in the Gothic style, which is reflected in her novels. A new form of writing was discovered which explored the dark side of the human soul, wild romantic yearnings, and deep passions. Many Gothic novels include detailed description, and add reference to the intimate feelings, and passionate love of their characters. The authors of these novels wanted to entertain and to enlighten their audiences. Many stories were written with imaginary coincidences, mysterious characters, supernatural, unexplained, or dramatic events and adventures between a hero or heroine and their lovers. The imagery and description in these novels creates an illusion of time, space, and people. The settings for many of the
A study of Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre Essay The first ten chapters of 'Jane Eyre' look at the journey of this eponymous heroine in the early stages of her childhood. The themes of violent bullying and extreme isolation are paramount in the opening of the novel. The audience are immediately subjected to her experience at Gateshead, that is the family home of Jane's very cruel aunt Mrs Reed. The name Gateshead in itself, suggests some kind of imprisonment. We soon identify that the treatment of Jane Eyre has much to do with the societal values and ideologies of the Victorian era. The lifestyle Jane Eyre is expected to live is typical of the top or upper class person in Victorian society. Jane lives in a wealthy estate that was her uncle's. She lives with her aunt Mrs Reed and her three cousins who are called John, Eliza & Georgiana. They are treated almost like royalty; they are pampered and have everything to their hearts desire. In the novel the protagonist is Jane Eyre. She is a ten year old girl who is abused, bullied and alienated by her three cousins and aunt. Her cousin John Reed is the worst of all as he treats her like a piece of dirt. It's like she is the piece of dirt and he is the Hoover sucking up all her desires and ambitions. He also physically abuses her, for example, in the first chapter Jane has an outburst and expresses her true feelings towards John, as a reaction he turns and
Explore Bronte's use of symbolism in Jane Eyre
Olivia Cooper Explore Bronte’s use of symbolism Jane Eyre is a romantic novel in which gothic imagery and the genre of romanticism play significant roles that continue right through Bronte’s bildungsroman novel. Throughout the novel, Jane Eyre, Bronte embeds symbolism to assist conveying the story through giving certain aspects deeper context. This is seen when Bronte uses symbolism to aid the reader’s perception on certain aspects of the novel, for instance representing Jane and Rochester’s love through manipulating the object, the Chestnut tree, converting it to become symbolic of their adoration. The Red Room and Bertha are also other aspects where symbolism is significantly portrayed. Eyre escapes through the imaginative world of interpreting stories told in the ‘Berwick’s History of British Birds’. Bronte uses this to symbolise how Jane herself yearned to fly away. Despite Jane’s strong will, her traumatic experiences at Gateshead had left her with fear of “enslavement”. Jane is continuously referred to as a bird throughout the novel which assists the readers view on Jane’s subjugation. This is quite ironic as during the Victorian era (when Jane Eyre was published) as Parakeets were a common pet amongst the upper class. As the upper class are physically symbolic of the Reed family, while the bird is symbolic of Jane. The red room merely symbolises
Jane Eyre
In the novel, when asked if she is "book learned" Jane replies "yes very" explore how, despite her early experiences at Lowood and the attitude towards schooling for girls in the nineteenth century Britain, Jane manages to immerge as an educated, young woman by the end of the novel. At Gateshead as a child, Jane is a sensitive, loving, intellectual and thoughtful character, she is keenly aware of her status as an outsider. Jane accepts the disapproval of both John Reed and his mother for their cruelty towards her. "No; you are less than a servant"(page 14), Although Jane is ill-treated by John, she is mostly disturbed by the fact that she is abused without Mrs. Reed caring, moreover, if she does try to speak out she is directly abandoned or ignored, once again. In addition to this Jane shows some knowledge of history throughout her reading, especially when she expresses her feelings towards John Reed, throughout her anger. "Wicked and cruel boy!"(Page13) You are like a murderer-you are like a slave drive-you are like the Roman emperor's!"(Page13) Jane Eyre shows some understanding about the Roman history even though she is living in the nineteenth century and has never been to school. She is fully aware of what and how the Roman emperors were, and their cruelty towards most people. Also as Jane gains confidence from her reading, she can fight back to John immediately, this
Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte's 'Jane Eyre' was first published in England in October, 1847, and it made a huge splash among the Victorian reading public. The novel was subtitled, "An Autobiography," and readers through the years have been charmed by the strong voice of the heroine who tells the story of her life. The story of the young heroine is also in many ways conventional, the rise of a poor orphan girl against overwhelming odds, whose love and determination eventually redeem a tormented hero. Yet if this all there were to 'Jane Eyre', the novel would soon have been forgotten. Her book has serious things to say about a number of important subjects: the relations between men and women, women's equality, religious faith and religious hypocrisy, the realization of selfhood, the nature of true love, and importantly the treatment of children and of women. Its representation of the underside of domestic life and the hypocrisy behind religious faiths drew both praise and bitter criticism, while Charlotte Bronte's striking expose of poor living conditions for children in charity schools as well as her poignant portrayal of the limitations faced by women who worked as governesses sparked great controversy and social debate. 'Jane Eyre' uses a first-person narrative strategy strongly emphasizing the correctness of the narrator's views. Since this narrator is a governess, the focus
Jane Eyre
Mutha 1 Mutha Rushabh Ferns Sylvia English language 06 November 2008 JANE EYRE -BY CHARLOTTE BRONTË Self Reflection /World Connection Personal response to the novel - According to me the author of the novel, Charlotte Brontë has articulated herself to the fullest. She has described the plot, theme, and the setting in such a good way that it is very easy for the reader to create a picture in his mind. In my opinion the themes that provoked my interest mainly are -Confidence and Independence, Morality, Social Class, Atonement and Forgiveness, and of course Love and Passion .Throughout the book Jane Eyre demands to be treated as an independent human being, a person with her own needs and talents. The story is not only a love story; but recognition of the individual's worth. Jane refuses to become Rochester's wife because of her "impassioned self-respect and moral conviction." She also rejects John River's purity as much as Rochester's liberty. Instead, she works out a morality expressed in love, independence, and forgiveness. In terms of social class Jane herself speaks out against class prejudice at certain moments in the book, for e.g. "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
