The description of the curtains as “deep red damask”, and the fact that the carpet is red, along with the room being referred to as the Red Room really reiterates the vivid and highly Gothic colour red. It is a Gothic colour because it is the colour of blood, which is not something that you would expect to be mentioned in a fine room in an upper class house. The Red Room is a “spare chamber, very seldom slept in”; this would make it have that unlived in, stillness about it. It is described, as “chill”, “silent” and “solemn” and it feels completely cut off from the outside world. When the reader finds out that truth about the Red Room, “the spell which kept it so lonely in spite of its grandeur,” is that Mr. Reed had died in that room the reader is chilled. Death is a strongly Gothic feature.
The way that Jane describes looking into a mirror, shows her vivid imagination, which is very relevant here as being a key feature, because it is her imagination which makes this room Gothic. Jane looks into the “great glass” and thinks that all “looked colder and darker in that visionary hollow”. This is a very striking description of a mirror. The mirror seems to distort things, making them look more gloomy and sad. It is both spooky and mysterious. In the mirror, Jane sees herself as a “strange little figure…like one of the tiny phantoms, half fairy, half imp, Bessie’s evening stories represented.” It suggests that she is pale like a phantom, so she is likely to be scared, but also how her imagination has twisted her reflection, to looking like a fictional creature from a story.
When Jane begins to get frightened in the Red Room, she doesn’t just give in to fear, she still feels injustice at having been looked in there in the first place. At one point she considers “never eating or drinking more, and letting myself die” to punish the Reeds for how they treated her. It is along this thought line that Jane follows, until she begins to think about Mr. Reed’s ghost. Jane is very frightened that Mr. Reed’s ghost might come back to “punish the purged and avenge the oppressed,” this idea of ghosts is strongly Gothic. Jane then stops herself crying in case “any sign of violent grief might waken a preternatural voice to comfort” her. This line is highly Gothic, it shows terror, hints at the supernatural and also suffering, if Jane feels that she can’t cry for fear of a ghost. Her fear has been building up, but when she sees a light on the ceiling, it terrifies her, “prepared as my mind was for horror…I thought the swift-darting beam was a herald of some coming vision from another world.” This is also highly Gothic, but this time it is likely to be her imagination. The line “my heart beat thick” tells us that Jane is genuinely petrified. She “uttered a wild involuntary cry”, and Bessie and Abbot came running into the room. When Jane asks to be let out, Mrs. Reed comes along and shuts her back in. The chapter ends with Jane having a fainting fit, this shows her sensitivity.
The Red Room bears a number of similarities in both description and the feel that the reader gets, to when Jane was sitting on the window seat behind the curtain. There, the curtains were described as “scarlet drapery” which is similar to the “deep red damask” of the curtains in the Red Room. The feel that both places give is that Jane is completely isolated and alone, and in both places Jane’s imagination gets a little carried away. The main difference between the two is that Jane chose to isolate herself in the window seat, whereas, she has been forced to stay in this room.
Thornfield Hall is a highly Gothic Setting. On Jane’s journey to Thornfield, the night is misty and her future seems unclear. This is a Gothic aspect as it shows use of pathetic fallacy, representation of mood through weather. It also shows isolation as she has left behind any friends that she had at Lowood; however, she is looking forward to her new life and the independence it involves. When Jane arrives at Thornfield, ‘the driver got down and opened a pair of gates; we passed through, and they clashed behind us’. This is a Gothic feature as it suggests confinement and isolation. When the gates are closed, Jane is trapped inside. Charlotte Bronte would have uses this to show how exposed Jane’s situation is.
Mrs. Fairfax shows Jane around Thornfield Hall for the first time and Charlotte Bronte uses rich Gothic description: ‘A very chill and vault-like air pervaded the stairs and the gallery, suggesting cheerless ideas of space and solitude’. She is likely to use this kind of language to create an impression of a musty, creepy and uninhabited place; this would probably be used so that an uninviting atmosphere is created as Jane starts the next phase of her life. The staircase is described as ‘dark and spacious’. It seems very gloomy and austere. There is a latticed window, which, again, gives the impression of confinement, as though Jane is trapped here. The bedrooms on the third floor are described as “dark and low”; this shows that the rooms are uninviting which is foreboding as Jane is locked in one of these with Mason. The description of the second and third floors of Thornfield is dark and ominous. It is compared to a church rather than a house, giving the impression of a cold, crypt-like building rather than a comfortable home. Throughout the text there is a feeling that foreshadows Jane’s future experiences here.
In the morning, after Jane has slept at Thornfield, she reports that her couch ‘had no thorns in it that night’. On one level, this indicates that she slept well with no suggestion of problems. However, a sense of foreboding is created. Although she had a tranquil night, the text implies firstly that she had not expected to feel comfortable, and secondly that there may be pain and distress in the future. The very name Thornfield and the talk of thorns create an idea of pain and suffering either going on in the house currently, or for the future, possibly involving Jane. When Jane goes outside in the weather is fine and she seems relaxed and cheerful. Here again is use of pathetic fallacy. Jane’s life seems to look up. She describes ‘a rookery whose cawing tenants are now on the wing’, so it seems that all the black shadows in her life have flown away. Jane specifically mentions the battlements as being “picturesque”, which is ironic as the battlements are on the roof, and Mrs Rochester is in the attic. As Jane is being shown around Thornfield, she comments that a passage was “narrow, long and dim…like a corridor in some Bluebeard’s castle.” The thought of this corridor being like one in Bluebeard’s castle gives us an idea of a scary, confined and secluded place, which is highly Gothic. However, this very subtle reference to Bluebeard, a bigamist, also first raises the thought of having more than one wife. One of the main Gothic ideas at Thornfield is the idea of secrecy and mystery. When Jane first hears of Mr. Rochester, she finds out that his visits are ‘rare, they are always sudden and unexpected’. This makes Mr. Rochester a mysterious and unpredictable character. The creation of mystery is also a Gothic feature. Later in this conversation there is talk of ghosts; ‘if there were a ghost at Thornfield Hall, this would be its haunt’. This shows that there are overall suspicions held by the occupants of the house. Here Charlotte Brontë’s use of Gothic tradition creates an atmosphere of unease by raising the idea of the supernatural. In Jane’s first day at Thornfield, she hears a mysterious laugh; we are told that it is as “as tragic, as preternatural laugh as any I ever heard.” Jane is surprised that and confused, when Mrs. Fairfax accuses Grace of the laugh, for Jane feels that “any apparition less romantic or less ghostly could scarcely be conceived.” Jane does not think that Grace is capable of the laugh. This creates a great mystery surrounding Grace.
In some ways, Jane has a character, which is typical to that of a Gothic heroin. She is innocent, frail, and vulnerable. She has a great capacity for love, but is also devoted to her love. She has a sensitive imagination and very vivid dreams. When she is at Gateshead, the fact that Jane is isolated means that she lives very much in her mind. She is passionate, in temper as well as love. Jane has a very strong sense of right and wrong. When Jane is at Lowood, Jane feels indignant about Helen’s treatment and her forbearance. When Jane stands up to John Reed because she feels injustice, her true strength of character comes through. This is another Gothic aspect as the main character, a woman, is in a vulnerable position. She is against unthinking duty and is very independent and independent minded. She is very imaginative. She is a virtuous heroin. These are her strong moral principles. She feels very strongly for the laws and principals of God, “Laws and principles are not for times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments, when the body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour.” This shows that Jane is very moral, that she knows the easy way out, but that she will not give up on her ethics just because she finds leaving Mr. Rochester very hard. She will leave him because she has a firm belief in Gods guidance. She is very religious and adheres to her principles. She is scruple about being Mr. Rochester’s mistress, and has been the one to help Mr. Rochester’s change to “lead a purer life.” Jane is prepared to put herself first when her principles are threatened. When she is not prepared to stay at Thornfield as Mr Rochester’s mistress, she is very worried about the outcome of his self-abandonment. Here she feels that she is being selfish to leave him, but she is willing to be selfish because her morals are questioned. Other than in these extreme circumstances, Jane is unselfish and selfless. She likes being useful and loves to serve others, especially Mr. Rochester. She wanted to help him at their first meeting; right through to the end of the novel, she wanted to help him. She has pity for Bertha and Mr. Rochester for his dependence on her at the end. She shows forgiveness, love and generosity. This is to Mrs Reed when she is dieing, but also to Saint John, even after he nearly crushes her. She is an untypical romantic or Gothic heroin because she is not passive, for example, she makes the move to Thornfield happen. Jane has many aspects of her character, which mean that she is not classed as a Gothic heroine. She has unorthodox views for the time about women’s needs and their roles, “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel.” This line shows how she is very strong and opinionated. She is very independent minded. She has self-respect “I still possessed my soul”. Jane is very plain, unlike usual Gothic heroines who were very beautiful and grand, however she is very intelligent. She has natural instinct to rescue Mr. Rochester, for example she picks him up when he falls off his horse, before she even knew who he was.
At times, Mr. Rochester shows aspects of a Gothic hero. Mrs. Fairfax and the other staff at Thornfield seem to have been previously informed by Mr. Rochester not to let the governess know of the existence of Bertha. Jane being told by Mrs. Fairfax that the laugh belonged to Grace, when actually it was the “low, syllabic tone” of Bertha's laugh. The existence of Bertha is hidden initially, in an attempt to ensure that Adele’s governess does not leave, but in the end, by Mr. Rochester, to try to lead Jane into a bigamous marriage.
She wanted to help him in their first meeting because he was not perfect, and at the end on the novel he is blind and has lost a hand, he is very much imperfect here, but Jane wants him more than ever
Neither Jane or Mr. Rochester are Gothic characters, however, they do share a Gothic romance.
Later on in Jane’s time at Thornfield, Jane begins to feel very restless, she likes Mrs Fairfax and Adele, but she lacks love. She goes to hay to post a letter and bumps into R and imagination
Non Gothic Romance- Not pretty lead female. From the first three chapters of ‘Jane Eyre’, the reader gets the impression that Jane is not a pretty girl, that she is rather plain, especially in comparison to the beautiful and grand Georgiana.
In the very first page of the book, we find out that Jane is, “Humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John and Georgiana Reed.” This tells us that although she is below them in stature, she also feels below them in her physical abilities.
In my opinion Jane would be quite well dressed, as we find out on page 6 that Jane wears the Reed’s clothes. The Reeds, in my opinion would only wear the finest clothes, although I do feel that the Reeds would not give her their finest clothes.
On page 10, Jane looks in the mirror in the Red Room. She describes herself as, “the strange little figure there gazing at me with a white face and arms specking the gloom, and glittering eyes of fear moving where all else was still, had the effect of a real spirit, I thought myself one of the tiny phantoms.” Jane is very scared here, so we may not have got an accurate description of her, however this does give us a tell us of what she looks like when she is frightened.
There are constant comparisons between Jane and Georgiana. Georgiana is very beautiful, we are told that, “her pink cheeks, and golden curls, seemed to give delight to all who looked at her.” Bessie says on page 10 that “at any rate a beauty like Miss Georgiana would be more moving in the same condition,” which tells us that Jane is not a beauty. Jane is also called a “little toad” on this page. This tells the reader that Abbot’s impression of Jane’s appearance is very ugly.
These quotes the reader the impression that Jane would not be subjected to this treatment if she was beautiful, which she is not.