How has the character changed throughout the novel?

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How has the character changed throughout the novel?

The character of Jane Eyre evolves and changes even as an actual woman would throughout the course of her life. Jane Eyre becomes self-sufficient; firstly as a governess, and then as the headmistress of her school and lastly as a wealthy woman by her inheritance. She has also formed her own values, and gained her own set of morals, by learning from the people she met and the adversities she endured. Lastly, she has matured, and become content with herself and her position, become what she views as an equal to Mr. Rochester.

Jane Eyre grows more self-sufficient as the book progresses. She needs to do this, as it is a part of her becoming an adult, and because her own self-sufficiency is something she feels she needs to achieve before she gains self-assurance, and a clear sense of her own worth. At first, in the novel, she is obviously completely reliant on others, as a child. She thinks "Speak I must: I had been trodden on severely, and must turn: but how? What strength had I to dart retaliation at my antagonist?". These thoughts were just before Jane Eyre's outburst to her aunt about how cruelly she feels she has been treated, and how much she hates her aunt. The words are very reminiscent of the literature of the time; too grand and righteous for a child, but successfully expressing the anger the author feels the child should feel. Jane Eyre, here, obviously thinks that by being put down by her aunt to the headmaster of the school she is to enrol in, she has been wronged more severely than before, and has an ideal opportunity to reply to her aunt with criticisms of her aunt's behaviour. The fact that she does reply is a step forward for her ability to support herself; she has the confidence in herself she needs to defend herself, an important part of her self-sufficiency.

Another example of when Jane Eyre becomes more self-sufficient is when she is finished with Lowood, gaining the skills needed to become a governess, and therefore support herself financially. Just before leaving Lowood, having been offered the position of governess at Thornfield, she is visited by Bessie, her childhood nurse. Bessie inquires about her skills, and tells her something of how her aunt's family are faring, but one statement sums up Jane Eyre's achievements at Lowood quite well - "Oh, you are quite a lady, Miss Jane! I knew you would be; you will get on whether your relations notice you or not.". In Bessie's remark that she is now 'quite a lady', we realise that Jane Eyre has grown self-disciplined and is quite proper and decorous, which is necessary for her to be accepted as a suitable governess for children. Also, Bessie's statement that she will get by, relations or none, she affirms that Jane is now able to manage for herself, and has discarded her need for her relatives' aid. The need for Jane Eyre to be ladylike, and the reference to needing one's relations is also very much a reminder of the time of the novel, because at that time in the past, relatives and the respectability of a person was of extreme importance, whereas it is far less appreciated today.

The last affirmation that Jane Eyre has become very self-sufficient is when she inherits a large sum of money from her uncle from her father's side of the family, who she had never met. She is told this by her cousin, St John Eyre Rivers, after he has discovered her true name. He says "Merely to tell you that your uncle, Mr. Eyre of Madeira, is dead; that he has left you all his property, and that you are now rich - merely that - nothing more.". This is, of course, a great shock to Jane Eyre, as she has been working as a schoolmistress, and was reduced to begging before being fortunate enough to find that job. It establishes Jane's position as a self-sufficient young woman, wealthy enough to support herself as long as she needs to, providing that she is careful with the way she spends her money and maintains some form of income.
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Jane Eyre has fully attained her goal of being a self-supporting, respectable person, and laid certain self-doubts to rest. Her self-sufficiency is also innately tied to her self-reliance. She feels she is more able to rely on herself; that she is more stable and secure as her financial status is stabilised.

Another way in which the character of Jane Eyre has matured is in the knowledge she has gained from her world. By experiencing everything from poverty to wealth, and meeting people ranging from the terribly devout St John Rivers, to the arrogant noble ladies who so ...

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