Jane Eyre has the virtues of this method; most readers accept Jane's interpretation and explanations of herself, the other characters, and events
Jane's emotional intensity and openness cause the reader to identify with her, so that her experiences and feelings temporarily become those of most readers.
Conflicts and Struggles
This novel presents a number of conflicts and struggles within Jane and between Jane and other characters, conflicts which must be resolved for her to achieve self-fulfillment and happiness:
- Reason and common sense range against feeling and imagination. Jane must learn to subordinate her passions to her reason. She must also learn to control imagination, which may take the form of superstition, as when she is locked in the Red Room. When she is a child, her passions erupt unchecked, with both positive and negative results.
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Jane's need for love is so great that, according to Charles Burkhart, "Love is a religion in Jane Eyre." A closer scrutiny of Jane's romantic relationships raises the question of whether they are really power struggles for control and, perhaps, show some sado- masochistic tendencies.
- She must also learn to adapt her desire for experience and independence to her dependent position.
- An orphan, she suffers the humiliations of being dependent on the charity of wealthy relatives. Though as an adult she supports herself as a teacher and a governess, she insists on her status as a lady and struggles with feelings of inferiority. She alternates between submission and rebellion, between passivity and self-assertion, between restraint and freedom.
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Jane's quest for self-fulfillment is tied to her spiritual growth. When divine love and human love prove incompatible, Jane is forced to choose between them.
Other Characteristics
Jane as child and adult is the outsider who searches for family and place. She can also be seen as .
At least part of the appeal of Jane Eyre comes from its fulfilling common fantasies and wishes. According to this theory, we feel that we are orphans, that the family we are living with is not our real family; we want to punish the parents who thwarted childhood desires by saying "no" to us; we desire wealth and the perfect mate. Jane Eyre fulfills these desires and dreams, and it justifies the punishment of cruel authority figures like Aunt Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst, who deserve what they get. Think about this theory as you read the novel and decide whether you agree with it.
The image clusters running through this novel are fire, the moon, the weather, windows, and mirrors. Jane's paintings serve to characterize her and her situation.
