The family see Jane as an outsider. They don’t think Jane deserves to be with them and they treat Jane like an animal.
Even people working in the house constantly threaten Jane. Bessie, the nurse, said “If you don’t sit still, you must be tied down”. A servant once said to Jane “No; you are less than a servant, you do nothing for your keep”. Even the servants treat Jane in a bad way because they do something for their keep.
With everyone in the house, even the servants, treating Jane like she doesn’t belong with them the reader gives Jane a lot of sympathy.
She is bullied especially badly by her cousin John who is older and bigger than her. He verbally and physically bullies Jane everyday and gets away with it. All the time people in the house think Jane is bullying John. The lady’s-maid said “to strike a young gentleman, your benefactress’s son! Your young master!” The lady’s-maid blames Jane even though she is the victim. As punishment for fighting her cousin Jane is locked in the red room. Jane’s Uncle Reed died in this room for this reason it is very rarely used. This is why it is a very cruel punishment for a young girl to be left in this unused ghostly room. Her Uncle lay in this room for quite a long time. In the book it said “here he lay in state; hence his coffin was borne by the undertaker’s men; and, since that day, a sense of dreary consecration had guarded it from frequent intrusion.” This shows that because her Uncle lay here dead for so long the room has a spooky feeling to it. That’s why it is seldom entered.
Bronte uses language to create atmosphere. She also uses language to make it more exciting and keep the reader interested. When Jane was being forced into the red room it said “their two pair of hands arrested me instantly.” Bronte uses this metaphor to tell the reader how Jane’s hands were grabbed. The reader knows from this that Jane was grabbed aggressively. Just before she was grabbed the lady’s-maid said “she’s like a mad cat.” From this simile it sounds like they can’t seem to handle Jane. From the last two quotations Jane also gets sympathy from the reader because the atmosphere created by the language shows Jane being abused again. A lot of the language used towards Jane is also very threatening. One of the servants once said “if she were to turn you off, you would have to go to the poor-house.” This sort of language builds up atmosphere as it is very insulting because it’s a servant that is threatening Jane and telling that she may have to go to the poor-house.
Bronte also uses language to tell the reader what Jane is feeling. The book said “very painful and crushing.” When Bronte uses language like this it doesn’t only build up an atmosphere, it also makes the reader give Jane more sympathy.
The modern reader would find Bronte’s 19th century England very different to how it is now. In 19th century England religion was very different. The only religion was Christianity and religion was a much bigger part of life. More people went to Church and what children were taught in schools was linked to religion. In the book Jane was told that she would go to hell if she didn’t do what she was told. Nowadays people are less religious and don’t believe in hell. Less people go to church and what is taught in schools is not based on religious views as much.
Gender relations have also changed. Men are not seen as superior to women and women have a lot more rights. Women like Jane Eyre were very uncommon back in 19th century England because she did not let anyone boss her around.
Social class is also very different. In 19th century England upper class almost certainly married upper class and working class almost certainly married working class. In those days if their family was of a certain class then that person was of that class even if they became really successful and got a good job. In the book Jane was seen as working class scum by her Aunt and cousins because they were of a higher class.
