Jane’s independence stemmed from her childhood experiences, as did her want to be treated as an equal. As a child Jane is looked down upon by Mrs Reed, ‘ you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep.’ The cruelty her benefactress showed her not only taught her to be tolerant but also made her want to be seen as equal to other people. The lack of equality in her past makes being equal more important to her and she has a need for acceptance.
Jane’s relationship with Mr Rochester is one of equality and therefore in itself is unusual. It is clear that the reason the relationship is so unusual for those times is because of the equality of it. It is obviously Jane’s influence that results in it being equal because other examples of Mr Rochester’s relationships, like the one with Blanche Ingram, are not equal, therefore it must be Jane’s input that causes the relationship to be one of equality. ‘It is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal- as we are!’ is how Jane describes her relationship with Mr Rochester and it is an accurate portrayal of the true equality they had both learnt to respect each other for.
Mr Rochester was ready to prove his love to Jane with expensive gifts and jewels, a typical Victorian women would have basked in these delights after years of hardship and yet Jane is so unusually independent that she rejects the offers of gifts, for even though she intends to marry her beloved she still wishes to keep her independence, ‘I am a free human being with an independent will’. This statement shows how unusual she is, in the era she lived in a women would not be described as being free or having an independent will because so many women did not. She also strays from the expected when she announces:
‘I shall continue to act as Adele’s governess; by that I shall earn my
board and lodging, and thirty pounds a year besides. I’ll furnish my
own wardrobe out of that money, and you shall give me nothing.’
Jane’s relationship with Mr Rochester is based on love and equality. She hated the idea of becoming a typical housewife dependent on their husband. Mr Rochester once said, ‘You-you strange, you almost unearthly thing! -I love as my own flesh’. To nearly all women this would be possibly the most unflattering thing that could be said to them but to Jane who truly is strange it is an unimaginable compliment ‘What me!’ This surely proves that Jane Eyre is very unusual for her time; to be on such equal and relaxed terms with Mr Rochester is quite an achievement in a time where women were seen as weak and inferior.
When Mr Rochester proposes to Jane although she is obviously extremely happy that her feelings are returned she is still quite reserved, ‘I was still incredulous’. Jane is wary of Mr Rochester which upholds how unusual she is because most women would have been overwhelmingly happy and trusted there loved ones unquestionably. Jane, however, takes events in her life much more calmly.
During the time she spent at Lowood School Jane becomes friendly with Helen Burns. A major event in her childhood is that of Helen’s death. Helen dies of consumption not long after they meet but it is a dramatic experience for Jane because it is in Helen that she finds her only true childhood friend. After Helen’s death Jane does not go into self pity or break down in anyway as many women might, instead her inner strength carries her through the hard time and from Helen’s words, ‘ I believe; I have faith: I am going to God’, Jane draws strength and is inspired to work even harder for her friend, Helen. In this way she has astounding strength and loyalty compared to other women of her time who would not cope so well.
Nearing the end of the novel Jane is reunited with Mr Rochester. This event in her life separates her from so many Victorian women in the fact that Jane has depth. Despite the fact that Mr Rochester now has little money, is blind, has lost one of his arms and has severe burns she still loves him! In the Victorian age most women would marry for money or just for social acceptance, Jane however is the one with the money at this stage and by marrying Mr Rochester would achieve no higher status in society and yet she does. It is the strong-willed and selfless way she reacts to events in her life that makes her so unusual compared to other women who lived when she did.
It is when these events in her life occur that her religious beliefs really give her strength. Although Jane is a faithful Christian she tends to refer to nature a lot almost as if Mother Nature is part of her beliefs. God plays an important role in Jane’s life as it does in most Victorian women’s, but Jane has her own unique faith. She believes in God and follows traditional Christian values though she often turns to mother nature, ‘ I have no relative but the universal mother’. The theme of nature runs right through the novel and plays an important role in her religious beliefs. When at her lowest points instead of referring to God, Jane tends to turn to nature as her refuge.
At one point when fleeing Thornfield Jane visualises Mother Nature and hears her beckoning, ‘My daughter flee temptation’. Although Jane is a Christian I believe in her heart she disregards her teachings of God and instead turns to mother nature, few women living at this time would have the inner strength to believe such an extraordinary idea. Jane states, ‘ I thought she loved me, outcast as I was; and I, who from a man could anticipate only mistrust, rejection, insult, clung to her with filial fondness’. This statement is very similar to one Helen made just before she died concerning God, this suggests that Jane holds Mother Nature in place of God. She is an unusually independent women which I think means she can relate to mother nature better than God because the universal mother is a women and also Jane has just been betrayed by a man so she may be more hesitant about God. This makes her religious beliefs totally her own which would be a very rare thing in the period especially for a woman.
Bronte places Jane juxtapose with characters with strong evangelical religious beliefs. One of the starkest examples of this is St John. Jane’s relationship with St John is quite the opposite of that which she had with Mr Rochester; equality is not at all an accurate description of this relationship. St John is over powering and treats Jane as inferior, like he would treat any other women. He does not recognise how unusual and ahead of her time Jane is and how consequently she should be treated on equal terms.
St John’s main ambition is to be a missionary however he does not wish to travel alone he therefore asks Jane:
“Jane you are docile, diligent, disinterested, faithful, constant and
courageous; very gentle, and very heroic: cease to mistrust yourself – I can
trust you unreservedly. As a conductress of Indian schools, and a helper
amongst Indian women, your Assistance will be to me invaluable.”
St John proposes that he and Jane should wed and travel to Africa as a couple. He proposes not out of love for Jane but out of a wish to be seen as ‘decent’ by society as an unmarried couple would be frowned upon and because he believes she would make a good missionary’s wife.
Although most women would accept this proposal and be content just being married, Jane declines his offer. ‘I am ready to go to India, if I may go free’, is how Jane replies to St John’s proposal of marriage. Jane has very strong religious beliefs. To Jane, marriage is based around love and trust. Jane’s devotion to her religion prevents her being able to accept St Johns offer because she believes that God would not approve in a marriage of convenience and that marriage is a holy sanctity not to be encountered on lightly.
Another reason Jane rejects the idea of marrying St John is because she is still in love with Mr Rochester. One day on the moors Jane hears him calling, ‘Jane! Jane! Jane!’ Mr Rochester deceived Jane and yet she cannot help still being loyal to him. In this way she is completely different to most women of her time as few would be so devoted to a man as to stay loyal to them after they were deceitful. It was very hard to be an independent woman in the Victorian time so most would have accepted the first proposal of marriage they were confronted with. After hearing this call she returns to Thornfield, that is how unusually loyal, faithful and devoted she is.
Throughout the play various characters describe Jane, ‘faithful’ is one word St John used to describe her. This faithfulness is an unusual characteristic for a woman in Jane’s position to have. After the maltreatment she has receives throughout her life it seems surprising she has managed to keep this charming trait that I believe makes her special for being able to stay positive after all she has been through. Jane is described frequently by people as ‘brave’ and ‘heroic’ which would have been scandalous comments to make about a woman in that time, the fact that they have been said indicates that Jane Eyre leaves a lasting effect on people, she is not the usual polite women who can be forgotten but is individual, diverse and forth right.
Bessie says, ‘she is no beauty’ and Mr Rochester states, ‘ you are no more pretty than I am handsome’, which shows that it is not by looks that Jane is able to draw attention to her, like most women, but it is her unusual personality that captures people’s attention.
Mr Rochester views Jane as a challenge, although he respects her independence and individuality, he also attempts to depict her as ‘his’ by referring as her to his ‘bride’ and his ‘pet’. Jane is different in the fact that she values her independence so greatly but because of her unusual and absolute devotion to Mr Rochester she accepts his tendencies to depict her as ‘his’ and somewhat enjoys the feeling of belonging.
This feeling of being loved iss something Jane never felt in her childhood and perhaps that is why she is so eager to hang on to it and why she is so devoted to Mr Rochester. Although at the time Jane greatly disliked both her cousins, Eliza and Georgiana, she grows up to be somewhat similar to them. Jane is fairly self-obsessed although she does not spoil herself like Georgiana she does possess some of the snobbery her cousin has. When Jane describes her pupils at the small village school she refers to them as ‘peasants’, which indicates she looks down on them slightly. However Jane is unusual in the fact that she was prepared to work for charity, a kindness not widely found in the Victorian period.
Eliza joins a convent; she similarly to Jane was devoted to her religion. Although they are similar in the way they devote themselves to God, Jane’s beliefs are more bizarre because she has a fairly original idea of God and incorporates Mother Nature into her beliefs. In comparison to Blanche Ingram Jane is obviously unusual because of her beliefs concerning marriage. Whereas Blanche, a typical Victorian woman, would be most happy marrying a rich man merely for his money, Jane would rather be happy than rich- a trait more common in modern society.
Jane is also an unusual governess because she becomes emotionally attached to Adelle, most governesses would not have because it would be thought of as improper. Jane is also an unusual governess because she thinks of herself as an equal to her employer and Mr Rochester himself calls her his ‘equal’. Most Governesses would be dismissed for suggesting that they were equal to their employers in the time Jane lived.
Jane is like Blanche Ingram in some ways in the fact that Blanche is very confident. Ingram is confident and sure of herself because of her high class and status, whereas Jane appears confident because she is very self-assured and brash. They are also both very opinionated; Jane has a very definite point of view and is fairly stubborn, similar to Blanche Ingram. However I still believe Jane to be unusual because she has this confidence and strength of mind not because of her status merely down to her character. It is not fair to say Jane is a typical Victorian women because she is similar to Blanche Ingram as these women are in very different situations and I think for somebody in her position Jane is very unusual.
Charlotte Bronte gave Jane Eyre the personality she has because she wanted to get opinions across and to do that the character had to be a certain way. It is clear that some parts of the book are actually based on Charlotte Brontes own life and I feel she was trying to recreate her own personality within the character. The independence of Jane causes the reader to feel a certain respect for her and the way she lived her life. By creating this respect within the readers mind it makes the novel appear more believable and encourages the reader to think further about the story. It also helps involve the reader by giving them an insight into Jane’s personality. Jane Eyre is unusual due to her independence and her strength of mind, not only her personality but also her status. From humble beginnings Jane becomes a wealthy middle-class women, this must be one of the main reasons she is such an unusual women for her time.
