Life at Gateshead for Jane Eyre

Life at Gateshead for Jane Eyre From the beginning of the novel we are told about Jane's isolation at Gateshead. She is an orphaned child after the death of her parents and is forced to live with her cruel hearted aunty who sees her as nothing but a poor beggar who should be grateful for her aunts hospitality. Our introduction to Jane and the Reed family begins with Jane's isolation in contrast to the Reed children's spoilt ways. She appears to be shut out in the cold from the rest of the family as they sit together by the fire and she sits beside the window looking out into the cold afternoon reading a book in which she observes 'The isolated rock in the stormy sea' perhaps reflecting her position and how she feels in the family. Throughout her life in Gateshead she often appears to be sitting by herself cold and hungry. Sitting by herself shows us her loneliness followed by her hunger for love and attention. Mrs Reed rejects Jane because in her eyes she is nothing but an orphan with no wealth she is affronted by her 'plainness'. She greatly favours her own children paying no attention to Jane's needs or wants. Mrs reed sees that Jane is constantly put in her place, reminding her and without her generosity she would be a penniless orphan in the poor house. That Jane having no money meant that she had no social status that she was a charity in her aunt's home ruled by the

  • Word count: 720
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Discuss the Theme of Isolation in the Gateshead section of Jane Eyre.

Discuss the Theme of Isolation in the Gateshead section of Jane Eyre Jane Eyre is the eponymous heroine and involved narrator of this novel. She is a small, dejected girl who lives with her middle-class aunt and cousins, as her parents died when she was young. Although she may not be suffering physically from hunger or disease, she is suffering emotionally. Jane is depressed, unloved, and constantly isolated from the family group who clearly resent her presence. It is this theme of isolation within the Reed family that I will endeavour to discuss below. This mood is immediately established in the opening paragraphs when you see at once that Mrs Reed does not like Jane - 'she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contented, happy, little children.' A technique that is used convincingly to convey Jane's isolation is pathetic fallacy. This is frequently used with great effect throughout the book. In the opening paragraphs, it is employed to set the mood and reflect the theme of isolation that prevails throughout the Gateshead section. This is cleverly accomplished in the description of the weather in the opening of the book - 'the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating,' which also tells us about Jane's feelings at the time. Pathetic fallacy is used again during the book and does not simply relate to the weather,

  • Word count: 2024
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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The Themes of Jane Eyre In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Jane struggles against Bessie, the nurse at Gateshead Hall, and says

The Themes of Jane Eyre In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Jane struggles against Bessie, the nurse at Gateshead Hall, and says, I resisted all the way: a new thing for me..."(Chapter 2). This sentence foreshadows what will be an important theme of the rest of the book, that of female independence or rebelliousness. Jane is here resisting her unfair punishment, but throughout the novel she expresses her opinions on the state of women. Tied to this theme is another of class and the resistance of the terms of one's class. Spiritual and supernatural themes can also be traced throughout the novel. Soon after Jane is settled at Lowood Institution she finds the enjoyment of expanding her own mind and talents. She forgets the hardships of living at the school and focuses on the work of her own hands. She is not willing to give this up when she is engaged to Rochester. She resists becoming dependent on him and his money. She does not want to be like his mistresses, with their fancy gowns and jewels, but even after she and Rochester are married, she wants to remain as Adele's governess. She is not willing to give up her independence to Rochester, and tries to seek her own fortune by writing to her uncle. In the end, when she does have her own money, she states, "I am my own mistress" (Chapter 37). Jane not only shows the reader her beliefs on female independence through her

  • Word count: 1122
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre Social protest is an act of express opposition through words to do with social issues. This is what charlotte Bronte did by writing this book, 'Jane Eyre'. Mainly Charlotte Bronte was protesting against the position of middle class women, social inequality between the rich and the poor and marrying above or below status. These issues were very important in the Victorian times. Charlotte Bronte was very critical of the Victorian society. To her everything was not fair. The book 'Jane Eyre' is based on a true-life story. It is just like a reflection of Charlotte Bronte's life and the way she was treated. People were divided into different classes: upper, middle and lower class. All these classes were treated differently and unfairly. The upper class were the highest of the classes; they were treated with the most respect and honour. Middle class then was divided into, upper and lower middle class. Upper middle class were treated more or less the same as upper class individuals, they were respected and people below them obeyed them. Lower middle class middle class mostly consisted of orphans who were dependents; people who were of a higher class then raised them. Working class was the lowest class of them all; the majority of them were treated like slaves, and were not given any self-respect. Nearly all of them had jobs even the children. Women of that age were not

  • Word count: 2418
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre Orphaned at birth, Jane Eyre was left to live at Gateshead Hall Manor with her aunt-in-law, Mrs. Reed. Jane remained at the estate for ten years, subjected to hard work, mistreatment, and fixed hatred. After a difficult childhood, the shy, petite Jane was sent to Lowood School, a semi-charitable institution for girls. She excelled at Lowood and over the years advanced from pupil to teacher. Then she left Lowood to become the governess of a little girl, Adele, the ward of one Mr. Edward Rochester, stern, middle-aged master of Thornfield Manor. At Thornfield, Jane was comfortable with life - what with the grand old house, its well-stocked and silent library, her private room, the garden with its many chestnut, oak and thorn trees, it was a veritable palace. Mr. Rochester was a princely and heroic master, and, despite his ireful frown and brusque, moody manner, Jane felt at ease in his presence. Rochester confided that Adele was not his own child but the daughter of a Parisian dancer who had deserted her in his care. Still, even with this forthright confession, Jane sensed that there was something Rochester was hiding. Off and on, Jane heard bizarre, mysterious sounds at Thornfield. She finally discovered that Rochester kept a strange tenant on the third floor of the mansion. This hermit-like woman, once employed by Rochester - or so he said - often laughed

  • Word count: 1269
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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IOP-jane eyre

The story of Jane Eyre is a Bildungsroman, a novel that details the growth and development of a main character through several periods of life. Jane Eyre is the protagonist and the narrator of the story. Through this novel, she has gone through many different stages and times through life, experiencing a little bit of everything. She stands out as a woman who runs against the Gothic stereotype of the submissive woman in distress. Jane is an intelligent, honest, plain-featured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Her character develops throughout the novel and undoubtedly becomes central to the novel, this makes us observe and interpret the changes which the whole story falls on. Her integrity is tested throughout the novel, and she adjusts to all the new situations that take place. She adjusts to them and changes her attitude towards them. I'm doing this IOP to uncover the progression of Jane's characteristics throughout different stages of her life. So, there are many important events in her life, but I'll just focus on 3 of them. The first is, "At Gateshead"; the second is, " At Thornfield"; and the third is , "back at Gateshead". There are more events that take place, but from what I've read, Jane's characteristics don't really progress, they just become more mature. This maturing gives the illusion that there is character

  • Word count: 1816
  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Languages
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Jane Eyre.

Jane Eyre Authors use different types of literary devices such as setting in their works to reveal theme. Setting can be described as the time and place in which an event occurs. It is a major factor in revealing plot and showing character development. The setting in The Grapes of Wrath allows the reader to see the poor conditions in the dust bowl that the Joad family was forced to live and the opportunities they had in California; however, they were unable to obtain them. Charlotte Bronte sets her story, Jane Eyre, in the 1840's, a time often refereed to as the Victorian age. By doing this, the reader can get a sense of how women are treated, and what responsibilities they were required to uphold in society. They rarely held important jobs if they were not married. Instead, they basically had two options either as a governess or a schoolteacher. If they were married they were mothers and hostesses for their husband's parties. Jane was a very strong woman for her time, as she did not allow people to mistreat her. She is on a constant search for love and goes many places to find it. As Jane travels through each place, starting at age ten in Gateshead Hall till she was nineteen in Ferndean, she matures as a result of the experiences that she has, which in turn allows her to become a strong woman. In the beginning of the novel, Jane, age ten, lives in Gateshead Hall, a house

  • Word count: 1890
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Jane Eyre Summary

Jane Eyre Précis Jane Eyre is a girl growing up in the home of her rich Aunt, Mrs. Reed, who, along with her children, mistreats Jane. One day after Jane's cousin, John Reed, knocks her down, she is punished for fighting with him by being sent to the room where her uncle died. There, she swoons in fear that that room is haunted, and wakes back in the nursery with a kind servant, Bessie, and an apothecary, Mr. Lloyd, at her side. After Jane confides in Mr. Lloyd about how unhappy she is at Gateshead, he recommends to Mrs. Reed that Jane be sent to school. Mrs. Reed soon has a meeting with the superintendent, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Jane is sent to Lowood school. At Lowood, Jane finds that the girls are given only the most basic amenities needed to survive. Jane is frustrated when her friend, Helen Burns, takes unjust punishment from teachers, but uses the example Helen sets to endure the humiliation Mr. Brocklehurst causes her when he calls her a "liar" in front of all the students. Mrs. Temple, a kind teacher, soon clears Jane of these charges. Many of the girls in the school become ill with the typhus fever, and Helen dies of the consumption. Mr. Brocklehurst is blamed for the illnesses, and he is soon replaced by a kinder group, who creates a much more pleasant environment for the girls. After six more years of schooling and two years as a teacher, Jane takes a

  • Word count: 934
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Jane Eyre

Explore Ways In Which Charlotte Brontë Uses A Variety Of Settings And Language To Convey The Characters Different Ideas And Feelings In Jane Eyre. During the early 18th century there were many changes in society which meant people were drifting away from the strict norm of neoclassicism and conforming to the Romantic and the Gothic movements. These movements were reflected in the publications of novels such as Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen which broke the male stronghold of neoclassicism in literature. Times were tough for women, for example they could inherit no money and they had to dress appropriately with no ankles exposed as well as expressing no sexuality. Jane Austen pioneered the struggle against male supremacy in literature. Other authors followed such as Charlotte Brontë who wrote Jane Eyre although she used the pseudonym of Currer Bell. Jane Eyre contains elements of Romanticism and The Gothic throughout and also reflects Charlotte Brontë's own life. The Gothic elements exploit the mystery, supernatural and the fear felt by the main characters and the Romantic (which is commonly misunderstood to show love, romance and passion) shows the rebellion against neoclassicism and its strict norms. Jane Eyre is also written as a Bildungsroman which illustrates a person's development through life; in this case the main character Jane Eyre herself, the strong female

  • Word count: 2360
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Jane Eyre

Sekariya Sultan English Coursework How does Charlotte Bronte convey Jane Eyre's state of mind in chapter two of the text 'Jane Eyre'? Charlotte Bronte was born on April 21st 1816, at Thornton, in Yorkshire. Bronte had a hard childhood trying to keep healthy and had been very unhappy at school, and the setting of the novel is in Victorian Times, when a woman's place was at home and the husband's earning money by being a landowner or pursuing a profession. Bronte has created a heroine but has still made the character, Jane, to have a difficult childhood like herself (orphaned and penniless Jane being treated unfairly by her relatives) but to make something of her life as an independent woman. The novel, Jane Eyre appears to draw on her own life and experiences in various aspects. The novel begins in Gateshead, where a ten-year-old orphan named Jane Eyre is living with her mother's brother's family. The brother, surnamed Reed, died shortly after adopting Jane. His wife, Mrs. Sarah Reed, and their three children John, Eliza, and Georgiana neglect and abuse Jane, for they resent Mr. Reed's preference for the little orphan in their midst. In addition, they dislike Jane's plain looks and quiet yet passionate character. Thus, the novel opens with young John Reed bullying Jane, who retaliates with unwonted

  • Word count: 1054
  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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