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 who seemed to understand her and cherish her true character and nature. When happiness seemed so near, Jane was thrust into a situation that made very little sense.
Marriage for many people symbolizes a road to a new life, filled with happiness, bliss and joy. Jane was happy that she was going to spend the rest of her life with the man she truly loved and cared for. The day of the wedding seemed perfect , everything was ready and all the preparations were complete. Nobody predicted that such a perfect day could turn bad. During the wedding, before the couple promised each other their love and fidelity, it became evident that Mr. Rochester was already married, and that his wife , was still alive. Jane was horror struck, confused, and felt that the man she truly loved had been lying to her all along. Jane had to make a very difficult decision: either to stay with Rochester and live with him as his “ mistress” or respect herself enough to be able to leave him behind. Even though Rochester’s wife was literally insane, Jane couldn’t imagine living with his as his “mistress.”
Despite the happiness and the sense of acceptance that that Rochester gave her, Jane knew that staying would be a type of self-imprisonment. Jane recognized that she must respect herself enough to do the right thing. As she said herself “"I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself." Hence, as it is evident, Jane took action that defied the predicament she was thrust into. Furthermore, her actions contributed to the meaning of the work as a whole.
After leaving Mr. Rochester, Jane was forced to sleep outdoors and go hungry. However, Jane proved to herself her endurance, her strength of principle, and her ability to forge new friendships. This ultimately allowed her to make relationships with others, including her eventual marriage with Mr. Rochester, all the more significant and rewarding.
Jane’s decision of leaving Mr. Rochester shaped to a great extent the meaning of the work. Primarily, it showed that in life we must accept the good with the bad and persevere even when things are not always perfect. It showed the reader, that in life, things happen for a reason. After Jane returned to Mr. Rochester, she realized how much she loved him and how much he loved her. Their separation made them strong not necessarily physically, but rather emotionally. Lastly, it emphasized the fact that a person needs to be strong in order to overcome the obstacles that life faces us with everyday.
As it is evident, Jane Eyre in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte , was thrust into a predicament that made very little sense. However, her determination and self-respect, allowed her to make the right decision. Ultimately, the decision she made contributed not only to her character but also to the meaning of the work as a whole.