One of the most influential and significant places Jane encounters in her life is her childhood home; Gateshead Hall.
In the beginning of the novel, Charlotte Brontë uses Pathetic fallacy in her description of the weather to set not only the mood but to reflect Jane’s own feelings of her situation. She remarks at the
‘Clouds so sombre and a rain so penetrating’
presenting the reader with a harsh and unwelcoming outlook; through the choice of such subdued and grave adjectives such as ‘sombre’ and ‘penetrating’ Charlotte Brontë immediately manages to show the reader how Jane feels about her circumstances and her life.
One place where Jane can find solitude and a sense of happiness was in the window seat. When she is there with the curtain surrounding her she remarks
‘I was shrined in double retirement’
The use of the verb shrined shows the reader that this place is very special for Jane; she feels ‘shrined’ in such surroundings. Here, again, Charlotte Brontë presents the reader with two different meanings when she talks of being in ‘double retirement’; an explicit meaning where she is retired from the world and her family, and an implicit meaning where she is retired from society and the hurtful and oppressive atmosphere she is forced into by the Reeds’.
Jane, as a young child, is afraid to go into the ‘Red Room’ as it the room in which her uncle died. Charlotte Brontë, through the choice of the colour red for the room, uses it as a symbolic metaphor to subconsciously suggest not only Jane’s anger but, at that time - as many believe it today, it was also seen as an ‘evil’ colour that represented danger and the supernatural, so when Jane is trapped in the ‘red room’, it is a metaphor for the position which she is trapped in the house; a harmful and dangerous environment.
Thus, Jane feels very powerless and upset when she is forced to stay in the red room. Charlotte Brontë writes that she is
‘Thrust upon the stool’
The verb thrust shows the reader that this violent action is against her consent, however as she is an orphan: a dependant, this abuse of power can take place and symbolises again the inferior position she holds. Through the choice of these words Brontë shows us she feels angry at the humiliation orphans had to suffer of being abused and the lack of free will experienced by someone in Jane’s position.
Through Jane’s own repression and exclusion, when she sees herself in the mirror, Brontë writes that she thinks it:
“Like one of those tiny phantoms”
The use of a supernatural noun such as ‘phantom’, to describe Jane’s own appearance is a simile for what she believes she is; the continual neglect, abuse and ‘punishment’ she has to endure has forced her to see herself as she is viewed by the others around her – unnatural. Brontë, by using such a simile, manages to explore and show not only the physical abuse orphans or dependants have to suffer but also the psychological extent to which they are abused.
When Jane leaves Gateshead Hall, she enters into a significant stage in her life: her education at Lowood school.
Throughout Jane’s school years, she remains within the confines of the school. The grounds in which she lives is described as having
‘Walls so high, as to exclude even a glimpse of prospect,’
By the use of the noun ‘exclude’, to describe the school walls, Charlotte Brontë gives us two parallel meanings - one of where all of the children inside have been ‘excluded’ from the world, because of their inferior and ‘dependants’ positions, but, also to hide the world from them, as it is a place where they will never be allowed to go because of their low social status. Charlotte Brontë uses this to show the reader the unfair and disadvantaged position, which the girls’ in Jane’s position have to face and overcome simply because of their parents or orphan state.
The classrooms, which they study in, are also placed into a double context. When Jane first sees them she remarks
‘By the dim light, the numbers seemed to be countless,’
The word ‘countless’, placed in this context suggests that there are almost too many girls and the rooms are overcrowded, again showing the poor living conditions into which they are thrown, through no fault of their own. However, placed into a universal context Charlotte Brontë highlights to the reader that, in fact, there are many children in Jane’s position, that even by ‘dim light’ or a quick glance, they are almost countless and not an odd case.
After she leaves Lowood and takes her position as a governess at Thornfield Manor; one of the most pivotal moments in Jane’s life takes place, when she meets Mr. Rochester for the first time.
When she is walking down the lane towards Hay, Jane comments that;
‘The air was still, my road was lonely,’
The use of the noun ‘lonely’ to describe Jane’s road is a metaphor again, to symbolise her lonely life, in which she has no companionship or friendship. Charlotte Brontë then describes her air as being ‘still’, again using it as a metaphor to describe the momentum in Jane’s life; she feels she is stationary and her life is not leading towards any purpose.
Again, Jane takes pleasure in her natural surroundings on the lane to hay. When she sees the few plants she remarks at how in some seasons the lane changes into completely different scenery; in summer the ’wild roses’ and in autumn the ‘nuts and blackberries’ yet now in winter it has been forced into its ‘utter solitude’. Through these descriptions of the different seasons, Charlotte Brontë uses these as symbolic metaphors to describe the different seasons of ‘life’; the best considered season being summer had the beautiful wild roses and the autumn had the bittersweet blackberries but Jane’s season, winter, considered the worst, had a few beautiful features but none that caused ‘a sound’. This symbolism was used again to show how different life could be for people of the different class’, but because of Jane’s ‘class’ she still does not receive the same pleasures as other persons.
When Jane hears of Mr. Rochester impending horse she writes the sound as being
‘A metallic clatter,’
Through the choice of the adjective ‘metallic’ to describe the sound, Jane clearly distinguishes this ‘man-made’ sound from the ‘soft whisperings’ and almost idyllic natural surroundings which Jane has been enjoying; almost as if this ‘rude’ intrusion was not meant to encounter her path – Jane is destined to walk alone on her road; lead a lonely life with no companionship as society has deemed her to have. Charlotte Bronte shows us that they are not destined to meet because of their two different positions yet that the fact that they do meet, against the social and cultural beliefs, again happens outside showing that for Jane, outside is where she can break free from the oppressive and constrained life she is forced to lead.
Then the most crucial moment in Jane and Mr. Rochester’s life occurs - he proposes marriage to Jane. Here, again, the meeting takes place outside in the idyllic and natural surroundings.
She particularly notices the trees, which are
‘Laden with ripening fruit,’
The significance of the ‘ripening fruit’ is symbolic of the relationship between Mr. Rochester and Jane, which is now about to ‘ripen’ – their relationship is about to blossom into marriage. Charlotte Brontë, using such symbolism, manages to hint cleverly at the impending proposal without the use of narrative or dialogue. The fact that this again occurs outside also follows the theme of the seasons; the cold and harsh winter, has now transpired into summer again when nature ‘comes of age’.
Pathetic fallacy is again used by Charlotte Brontë to describe the atmosphere, which the weather creates. She describes the weather as being
‘A band of Italian days,’
The use of the noun ‘Italian’ suggestively hints at the Italian characteristics and climate; the hot-blooded, intense and passionate people and implicitly even at Romeo and Juliet’s forbidden passion, which took place in Vienna, creating the atmosphere of love and daring. Brontë again using Pathetic fallacy shows how at this moment both Jane and Mr. Rochester feel about each other, although this clear affection being shown in the atmosphere, again, suggests at the happenings.
When Jane looks up into the sky she sees;
‘A rising and solitary star: soon it would boast the moon, but she was yet beneath the horizon’
This again is symbolic of the positions between Mr. Rochester and Jane; the rising and solitary star being Mr. Rochester and Jane the moon, whom was still to come to him, but whom he would soon ‘boast’. Here, again the appearance of the moon hints to the reader of change or Jane’s life taking on a new direction, as it has shown many times before e.g. when Jane left Gateshead and before she met Mr. Rochester for the first time. So, again Brontë hints at the change implicitly without the use of narrative or dialogue.
Jane also takes a look onto her life outside Thornfield Manor when she comments on how
‘it’s sole separation from lonely fields’
Here, through the use of the adjective ‘lonely’ to describe the fields Brontë shows the reader how Jane feels about her life beyond Thornfield Manor: a lonely and excluded life in which she would feel unhappy.
After the proposal, which took place underneath the chestnut tree, the lightening strikes and splits the tree. When Jane sees the tree she writes that it has not been split in half, but that while there was a hole in it and it was separated much, the roots held it together. This being symbolic of the relationship between Jane and Mr. Rochester; although they have been torn apart, their root; love, has held them together and the fact that the tree has managed to stay together through the storm is symbolic of Jane and Mr. Rochester’s’ relationship, which has weathered it’s own ‘storm’ but has still managed to stay together.
Thornfield Manor then burning down is another symbolic event; not only has it destroyed the bad memories and feelings, which were in Thornfield Hall for Jane and Mr. Rochester, but it also has meant that Mr. Rochester has paid for his crime – for trying to commit bigamy he had to be punished according to the religious and cultural beliefs, he did this by paying with the eye which he used to look at Jane (going blind) and the hand with which he held hers (the injury to his hand). The loss of the mansion and money were also symbolic as now there has been a role reversal; Jane was now of the superior and he of the lesser class.
When Jane then arrives at Ferndean manor house, after she hears of Mr. Rochester’s blindness, Charlotte Brontë writes the weather as
‘Having the characteristics of a sad sky, cold gale’
The use of adjectives such as sad and cold to describe the weather are again using the technique of pathetic fallacy to show the audience that at this moment, Jane can feel a sense of fearfulness and sadness as to Mr. Rochester’s humbled and lessened state and perhaps even a slight fear of how Mr. Rochester will now have ‘cold’ and ‘sad’ characteristics.
When Jane arrives within the grounds of the house she sees the ‘desolate spot’ in which he lives. She feels saddened and desperate to see Mr. Rochester again. Once she enters the room, she offers him a half-full glass of water. This event can again be seen as symbolic, as when Jane had first found out of Mr. Rochester’s wife, he offered her a glass of wine to revive her; he offered himself to her as the glass with the wine, a sign of wealth – so when she offers him a glass of water; she now offers herself to him, the water representing her pure and simple nature.
The descriptions of places, throughout the story, help to reveal a third and deeper dimension to the plot and characters feelings. The use of symbolism and pathetic fallacy by Brontë allow the reader to explore Jane’s feelings without the crude use of dialogue or narrative and therefore allows the reader to interpret Jane and her character in their own individual way.
Brontë uses these literary devices with flair and originality and manages to encapsulate not only the story of two lovers but also explore and reveal the wider, partly autobiographical, social issues which Jane and persons in her position have to face. The style and language Charlotte Brontë use are very effective and reveal a lot about Jane’s feelings and the turns and twists in the plot, however, in some places – particularly the proposal scene, the descriptions and Pathetic fallacy used become to obvious and spoil the enjoyment of the story. Overall, however, Brontë reveals how Jane feels to the reader successfully using her techniques to increase the enjoyment of the story.