b. “All men must die”, said a voice quite close at hand; “but all are not condemned to meet a lingering and premature doom, such as yours would be if you perished here of want”.
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The passage is written in first-person narrative and in direct speech, it is an extract of chapter 28. Charlotte Bronte has skilfully given to the reader a glimpse on the character being “St. John Rivers”, who is seen as the saver and utters those words in the passage just like a spiritual justice. Jane Eyre throughout the novel has emphasized in different occasions the fact that she operates in a society based on Christian virtues of justice and fairness. The words have been also chosen to evoke details of a woman's relentless struggle for emotional and spiritual satisfaction “lingering” and “doom”; the sentence also ends with ‘if you perished here of want’ recalling her wilfulness. In following the progression of Jane's character, the reader cannot help but notice her gratitude to a benevolent world order “but all are not condemned’. After running away from Thornfield in the middle of the night, Jane nearly perishes as she seeks shelter. Turned away into cold, harsh rain, Jane prepares herself for death. Therefore, it is St. John Rivers who saves her just in time. Jane's character exists in a world of continual hope, derived in part from her own spirituality and the Christian kindness of others. The sentence structure is long and rhythm is broken up and reflective. The first sentence is divided by the second as to recreate suspense and reinforce Jane’s preparation to death, although after having nearly lost hope the reader finds the word ‘but’ and finds comfort and relief even if unaware of what will happen next. Its effect results in a gripping narration of the suspenseful situation, which prepares Jane towards her next phase of her ‘life pilgrimage’.
c. “I am coming!” I cried. “Wait for me! Oh, I will come!” I flew to the door and looked into the passage; it was dark. I ran out into the garden: it was void. “Where are you?” I exclaimed. The hills beyond Marsh Glen sent answer faintly back – “Where are you?”
I listened. The wind sighed low in the firs: all was moorland loneliness and midnight hush.
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The passage is taken from chapter 35, it is the moment when Jane hears Mr Rochester’s voice. Her fate has been saved again by a supernatural coincidence. Her belief in God’s teachings saves her from an unloving husband, who had just proposed to her. St John Rivers has nearly convinced her into marrying him and feels that she should do confusing moral duty with social convention, Jane runs away from Rochester and herself. Yet, Rochester would defy all. Legal, religious and social laws are put aside. In these lines it is the cry of Jane’s most inner part, which places rationality aside to set free her passion. This idea is conveyed by the repetition of the same question ‘Where are you?” as if she were hypnotised. Moreover, it sets the tone of the passage, it is meditative and persuasive. This is also aptly conveyed by the use of the repetition of the first-person ‘I’. It is herself, who decides on her fate. The optimism of this belief, in which the individual controls his own salvation. The lines continue with an allusion to ‘Marsh Glen’, as if she is justifying ‘the supernatural voice’ she has heard, with that of the nature, to which she is so devoted to. Nature not only expresses her feelings but also gives her Providential signs. The passage is filled with imagery drawn from nature and the English countryside. Bronte uses this imagery to suggest her characters' moral condition and state of mind. She uses language successfully to create the world of someone astounded and in profound silence as if keeping her breath trying to listen to any further suggestions. The personification of the ‘wind’ effectively suggests the way in which the mood can be created by nature or chimes in with mood. Bronte uses it as the means by which she received the message from Mr Rochester, in fact she follows it throughout ‘the passage’ until she finds her way out of that situation. This manifestation of the voice within Jane's actual frame, where she perceives it in her spirit and mind, and not external, is a traditional characteristic in Gothic novels. There is a romantic and passionate image which contrasts a Gothic setting. The romantic voice is supernatural. Thus, her search for the voice she has heard equals the messages God sent. The passage is extremely descriptive with many adjectives ‘dark’, ‘void’ and nouns such as ‘loneliness’ and ‘hush’. The combination of this with short sentences creates an immediacy, dramatic impact and mystic atmosphere, for a scene in which, as yet, nothing has been revealed.
2. Illustrate from Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte’s power to visualise events in vivid and dramatic form.
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The novel Jane Eyre is presented in the form of a melodrama and is characterised by exaggerated emotions, stereotypical characters, with the exclusion of the protagonist who represent an eternal Heroine, and interpersonal conflicts. The prose captures some of the essence of truth about the Victorian period. The question is how does Charlotte Bronte, the writer, construct reality.
To express her ideas is aided by sound and visual images which she manipulates and this is how she presents the dramatic style as a result of this. Throughout the book there are various types of scenery, lighting which influence the same style. Right at the beginning of the book in the second chapter, Bronte sets the mood of the story through the instance of the red room. It emits weary noises and has a mirror which distorts Jane’s appearance. Jane’s uncle died there and she imagines his ghost now haunts the room. It is raining and together with the wind that blows against the moors and faint voices are heard, all offer an extraordinary sound effect. The purpose is to recreate a vivid and dramatic scene, the reader sees through the eyes of the child. The reason why Jane was in that room was due to one of her non-guilty behaviours. Such punishment is emblematic of Jane’s isolation and gives an idea of her social exclusion. Bronte describes skilfully the room as a ‘vault’ and the chair a ‘pale throne’ and the bed is referred as a ‘tabernacle’. All of these elements evoke Jane as child having an imagination which is distorted by her fear. The mood is intensified by the repeated descriptions of the room’s ‘silence’ atmosphere and ‘quiet dust’. The predominance of red within the room reflects Jane’s ardent character.
3. Discuss Charlotte Bronte’s portrayal of Rochester
Jane Eyre’s first acquaintance with Mr Rochester is on the road, against the pale moonlight and valleys, and introduces the character of the male hero in a setting which is particularly Gothic and emphasizes his intense nature. His entry into the scene recalls to mind a knight on his way home from war. In the passage extracted by chapter 12, Bronte narrates in the first voice of Jane’s "I traced the general points of middle height, and considerable breadth of chest. He had a dark face, with stern features, and a heavy brow; his eyes and gathered eyebrows looked ireful and thwarted(dissatisfied) just now; he was past youth, but had not reached middle age; perhaps he might be thirty-five. I felt no fear of him, and but a little shyness. Had he been a handsome, heroic-looking young gentleman, I should not have dared to stand thus questioning him against his will, and offering my services unasked...I had a theoretical reverence an homage for beauty, elegance, gallantry, fascination; but had I met those qualities incarnate in masculine shape, I should have known instinctively that they neither had nor could have sympathy with anything in me and should have shunned (rejected) them as one would fire, lightning, or anything else that is bright but antipathetic. (averse)". Bronte’s description sketches Rochester just as if Jane was the artist who was painting his portrait and carries on by anticipating the kind of marriage that was perceived in Victorian times. Rochester is described as Jane Eyre’s ‘Master’, the word combines love and veneration. However, through the story the entire idea of ‘mastery’ is questioned. In this chosen passage she skilfully depicts a series of concepts, such as the patriarchal society and inequality between women and men. Although, Jane does not fear him and by using these words the reader gets a glimpse of Jane’s ideal marriage, which is based on equality, something that later on in the story Rochester acknowledges. He recognises not only his inferiority, in chapter 23 he utters ‘you please me and you master me’. The words in the above passage, such as ‘fire’, ‘lightning’, ‘bright’ and ‘antipathetic’ describe vividly his strong character together with his adversities in life.
Rochester is further marked in the following pages and chapters, by dark red, purple or fire imagery given to furnishings and fittings, nature or the sky. Later in the book, Jane explicitly judges Rochester by demonstrating his thoughts which denote a lack of self-awareness. In the part of the story when Jane leaves her room and is worried about having disobeyed God, he tries to convince her to flee with him, and he compares Thornfield Hall with the tent of Achan. In mentioning Achan's tent, Rochester condemns himself, for Achan was the Israelite who disobeyed God's command. When Joshua confesses his crime to God, he is informed that he will be left out of God’s benevolence, unless he gets the traitor to confess his guilt. Therefore, Achan admits that he has hidden "a goodly Babylonish garment" beneath his tent. Thereafter, the Israelites punish him for having gone against God, stone Achan and his family to death and then burn their bodies. Rochester, who attempts bigamy, believes that Thornfield Hall is a "tent of Achan" to the extent that it hides the crime’s proof (Bertha his wife who is locked up in the attic). Moreover, he does not learn from the story of Achan and is sure he will be able to eschew punishment. Such symbolism is used to convict Rochester of both sin and lack of self-knowledge. Bronte analyses his attitude towards religion, he seems to prefer personal conversion, in which the individual controls his own salvation. At the end Rochester's disability represents a moral resurrection, he is physically blind, but sees and is sure of his love for Jane. Guided by a Jane perceived as a higher being, cures his sinful behaviour and says: 'I thank my Maker that in the midst of judgment He has remembered mercy. I humbly entreat my Redeemer to give me strength to lead henceforth a purer life than I have done hitherto'. In conclusion, Charlotte Bronte uses words of endearment, evokes passion and veneration towards the Byronic Rochester, although does not forget to emphasise the major differences there are between him and the protagonist. He is a earthly hero and is depicted with all his vices and weakness which are linked to men.