How does Charlotte Bronte Use setting to convey the experiences of her characters?

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Amy Gomer 3048                                                      Stroud High School

How does Charlotte Bronte Use setting to convey the experiences of her characters?

        Jane Eyre, a romantic novel by Charlotte Bronte was published in 1847. Bronte uses different techniques to develop the readers understanding of her novel. She uses a variety of techniques such as, foreshadowing, imagery and symbolism.

The opening chapter is a good example of how Charlotte Bronte uses setting to convey Jane Eyre’s experiences in childhood. She uses pathetic fallacy, when she writes about the ‘cold winter wind’. Jane is feeling unhappy and the weather outside is portraying her mood and is an example of how she is treated by her family. Another example of pathetic fallacy in the opening chapter is the rain; the rain is described as ‘so penetrating’ this can be recognised as the family cruelty. Bronte uses other methods to convey Jane’s experiences such as symbolism. Examples of this is when everyone’s gathered round the fire, in the drawing room, but Jane’s not allowed by the fire, this reflects the way that she’s not in the family warmth, she’s shut in the cold. A further instance of symbolism, appears in the sixth paragraph, at this point Jane shuts herself in the drawing room…’Folds of scarlet drapery shut in my view to the right hand; to the left were the clear panes of glass, protecting but not separating me from the dreary November day’ Jane has shut herself away in a room, drawn the curtains so she’s further away, she’s separated herself from the rest of the family but she can see the grim weather outside, however it is not effecting her. The panes of glass imitate the fact that Jane can see through the glass but can’t quite get there. Glass is fragile and can break, but Jane cant break through the glass can’t get away from the family. Foreshadowing is another technique that Bronte uses to express the experiences of the characters, an example of this is when Jane is sat in the window, reading her book, Bronte relates the book that Jane is reading to the future. For example ‘two ships becalmed on a torpid sea’ this illustrates that the sea at this point is calm, but it has the potential to be dangerous, which could reflect Jane’s life in the future. This is another instance of foreshadowing; ‘its two trees, its low horizon, girdled by a broken wall’ this could represent Jane and Mr Rochester’s love affair, ‘girdled by a broken wall’ not protecting them, they’ve got an unstable relationship.

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        The red-room can be viewed as a symbol of what Jane must overcome in her struggles to find freedom, happiness, and a sense of belonging. In the red-room, Jane’s position of exile and imprisonment first becomes clear. Although Jane is eventually freed from the room, she continues to be socially disliked, financially trapped, and excluded from love; her freedom of self-expression is constantly threatened. The red-room’s importance as a symbol continues throughout the novel. It reappears as a memory whenever Jane makes a connection between her current situations. The Red Room can also illustrate Jane’s anger for living at Gateshead. ...

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