Trace the development of Jane Eyres' character from a passionate child to independent woman
Brad Tarren 11O Jane Eyre Trace the development of Jane Eyres' character from a passionate child to independent woman Our class has recently studied the novel 'Jane Eyre' as part of pre 1914 Gothic horror. The author of the story is Charlotte Bronte, the novel is part autobiographical; therefore giving the story a powerful and accurate effect (for example: two of Charlotte's sisters died while at school; thus giving Charlotte the inspiration for Helen's death at Lowood school) Jane Eyre was Charlottes second book published in October 1847 under a males name Currer Bell. The reason for this was because publishers were disinclined to publish a female author's novel. Charlotte was born in 1816 in Thorton, Yorkshire. She was the third of four daughters of Patrick Bronte. In her lifetime Jane refused three offers of marriage; but in 1854 she consented to marry her fathers curate, A.B. Nicholls. Sadly the marriage was short lived as Charlotte died from an illness during pregnancy. During the tale Jane Eyre's character varies; changing from a passionate child to a strong independent women, I believe this is from her spending time at Gateshead Hall, Lowood School and finally Thornfield Hall. The story mainly takes place in these three different locations in Northern England, probably Northumberland, West Riding and Derbyshire. Jane Eyre was an orphan child who lived with her
Jane Eyres' biography.
JANE EYRE At the age of seven Jane Eyre, having lost her parents, was adopted by her Uncle, who subsequently died and was then looked after by her Aunt. She was never accepted as part of the family and appeared a shy and frightened young girl, always locked away from the other children in the house and isolated from any social events i.e. Christmas time. The only person she felt remotely close to was the Housekeeper, Bessie. Although Bessie had to comply with her Aunts strict ways she treated Jane with compassion and kindness but not necessarily with any love. Over the years Bessie was the only one in the household she felt remotely close to and Bessie was the person who kept in touch. Jane was always the one out of all the children who was always punished harshly by her Aunt, but she was very strong willed and could stand up for herself when provoked by the things her Aunt did and said to her. This strong will helped her to stay strong throughout the time living with her Aunt. When her time came to leave her Aunt she told Bessie the housekeeper "Your missis has not been my friend she has been my foe". She had a harsh existence. She was accepted in to a Church run school where she found it hard to come to terms with their rules and daily tasks. There was death and disease at the school where she had to come to terms with the death of her friend from typhus
Compare how Charlotte Bronte presents Jane Eyres oppression and her ability to overcome it at Gateshead with that at Lowood
Compare how Charlotte Bronte presents Jane Eyre's oppression and her ability to overcome it at Gateshead with that at Lowood Jane Eyre is a young orphan who lives at Gateshead with her Aunt Reed and her three cousins John, Georgina and Eliza. She is placed in an unusual situation as her Aunt only looks after her because of her late husband's final request which was for her to treat his niece as her own child. Aunt Reed, however, has not kept her word and instead excludes Jane from her family. The first nine chapters of Jane Eyre follow Jane through her childhood as she leaves Gateshead and attends a school named Lowood. In both of these places Jane is made to feel alone and is looked upon as a charity case. At Gateshead Jane's Aunt Reed locks her on her own in the Red Room and similarly, at Lowood Jane is forced to stand on a stool to be humiliated in front of the other girls. These methods of punishment both isolate Jane and put her in a position that she cannot escape. However, at Lowood Jane becomes more mature and learns how to overcome oppression instead of retaliating as she would do at Gateshead. Being able to accept criticism allows Jane to enjoy her time at Lowood whereas she thoroughly disliked her years at Gateshead. One of the reasons Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre was to question the prejudice views of Victorian society and to fight for women's rights. When
Jane Eyre's character through chapters 1-4.
Jane Eyre's character through chapters 1-4 In Chapter 1, Jane's strong personality starts to develop. Jane lives in a grand house which belonged to the late Mr Reed. His widow Aunt Reed and their three children Master John, Eliza and Georgiana live in the house with Jane. It soon becomes apparent that Jane is not very happy. There are a number of things which lead us to conclude this. There is a use of 'Pathetic Fallacy'; which is where the mood is mirrored by the weather. An example of this is when Charlotte Bronte writes: "the cold winter wind brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating". There is also a mention of her physical inferiority to Mrs' Reed's children particularly her weakness compared to them. Jane feels really unhappy. This is later confirmed by the fact that this is said: "she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contented, happy little children' It also needs to be included that later on in the text we read that Jane is so unhappy that she hides away to read books. She hides herself behind thick curtains in a deserted room to read 'Bewick's History of British Birds'. To be able to read and comprehend these types of books she shows her intelligence. Charlotte Bronte later goes on to say: "There were those of which treat of the haunts of sea-fowl; of 'the solitary rocks and promontories' by them only inhabited". As
Examine the presentation of Jane Eyres childhood in chapter 1-8 and discuss the way in which Bronte creates sympathy for her heroine.
Examine the presentation of Jane Eyre's childhood in chapter 1-8 and discuss the way in which Bronte creates sympathy for her heroine. During the first 8 chapters off the novel charlotte Bronte shows how sympathy is created for her heroine. The story reflects some aspect of how Bronte's life has an effect on her heroine Jane and the things that she had to overcome in her life as the story goes on; following Jane's rough childhood with the Reeds to her time learning at Gateshead. Making it as an adult she then teaches where learnt and followed on to become a governess, falling in love with the man she worked for, Rochester. Later marrying him and falling pregnant with his child. Bronte creates a gloomy atmosphere by using gothic language and pathetic fallacy to help create sympathy for Jane Eyre. The gothic genre is a main theme in the novel as well as love, religion, gender relations and social class. Jane is highly mistreated by the reeds. This includes beatings from john "he bullied and punished me" through Jane's early life she must put up with many things around her. This helps the reader to sympathise with Jane thinking what she has to go through at such a young life. Not only must Jane embarrass through physical violence but verbal as well, Jane suffers through John's harsh language and disrespectful manner as his upbringing from his mother. "you have no money, your
Jane Eyre - Is Rochestera character we can admire?
Is Rochester a character we can admire? Edward Fairfax Rochester is a typical example of the Byronic hero. He is a passionate man, often guided by his senses rather than by his rational mind, which leads him to decisions and actions that can not always be considered admirable. The first meeting between Rochester and Jane takes place in Hay Lane. Rochester is immediately quite arrogant, as he can tell from her appearance that she is of an inferior class. At times Rochester shows himself to be dismissive of the lower classes. By his own admission, his tone is one of command and he is "used to say, "Do this," and it is done." He also claims that he "cannot alter my customary habits for one new inmate", referring to Jane. However, in the next chapter he says to Jane, "I don't wish to treat you like an inferior" claiming superiority only from the difference in age and experience. Rochester's superior tone is not one we can admire and the way he looks down on those of lower classes illustrates how conceited he can be. However, we see from his interaction with Jane that he is willing to make exceptions and is quick to forget proper class boundaries. In the novel's era this would have been looked upon as unusual and perhaps disgraceful. As a character, though, we can admire Rochester for his tolerance and acceptance as well as his ability and will to forget his social standing in
Jane Eyre. We would like to show you Jane Eyres character and its developement during the time with the help of each section. Then we have dealt with gothic and romantic features. It may seem that the novel contains a romantic love story, but it is ac
CHARLOTTE BRONTË - JANE EYRE INTRODUCTION We have chosen the book Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Brontë because the novel has many controversial and interesting topics which we can deal with. It has always been a hot theme of discussions. We would like to show the reader that the role of women in the Victorian era wasn´t as easy as you may think. But there were women (like Jane Eyre) who tried to live their own lives, trust mainly themselves and be independent. We would like to show you Jane Eyre´s character and its developement during the time with the help of each section. Then we have dealt with gothic and romantic features. It may seem that the novel contains a romantic love story, but it is accompanied by many gothic elements. CONTENT I. JANE EYRE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA a. The Victorian Age - Social Background b. Women in The Victorian Era c. Feminist features in the book II. CHARACTERIZATION AND DEVELOPEMENT OF JANE EYRE´S CHARACTER a. The Gateshead section b. The Lowood section c. The Thornfield section d. The Moor house section e. The Ferndean section III. GOTHIC AND ROMANTIC ELEMENTS IN THE BOOK a. Gothic elements b. Romantic elements JANE EYRE IN THE VICTORIAN ERA VICTORIAN ERA - SOCIAL BACKGROUND The Victorian Era is dated from 1837 to 1901, the years that Queen Victoria was the British monarch. The era was preceded by the Regency era and
How does Bront convey Jane as an unconventional female character in the novel Jane Eyre?
How does Brontë convey Jane as an unconventional female character in the novel Jane Eyre? Jane Eyre was published in 1847, during the reign of Queen Victoria. The novel was written by Charlotte Brontë, but published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Pseudonyms were used frequently by women at this point in time, as they were believed to be inferior to men. The work of female authors was not as well respected as those of male writers; therefore many women would assume a fictitious name in order for their works to get noticed. A well-known example of another female author writing under a pseudonym at the same time was Mary Ann Evans, who wrote under the name George Eliot. The reason for this oppression of women writers lies in the belief that a woman's place was in the home. Domesticity and motherhood were portrayed as a sufficient fulfilment. A conventional woman in the Victorian era was married with children. She had no other career but remained at home continually preparing the house for her husband and caring for her children. Women were not thought to have views of their own and were certainly not expected to express those views, so writing was regarded as an unsuitable occupation for females. However, the introduction of such novels as Jane Eyre aided in the establishment of feminism and the fight for women's rights. In this period of time an increasingly popular genre
Jane Eyre- Analysis of the character 'Bertha Mason' and her importance in the novel 'Jane Eyre'
Analysis of the character 'Bertha Mason' and her importance in the novel 'Jane Eyre' Bertha Mason is quite possibly the biggest antagonist in 'Jane Eyre'. Although Master Reed and Mrs Reed are emotionally and physically cruel to Jane, Bertha potentially does the most amount of damage to her, intentionally or indirectly. The scene in which Bertha is revealed is arguably the most important scene in the novel. Occasionally referred to as the 'madwoman in the attic', she is not only a huge part in Jane Eyre but a massive part of literature as well. Although Bertha only appears a few times in the novel, Charlotte Bronte has managed to invent a character that essentially creates the stories conclusion and all the unfolding drama surrounding it. Bertha is an unknown character throughout the beginning of the novel, yet even when Jane and the reader are finally introduced to her, we still know very little about her. Although Mr Rochester tells us the story behind his and Bertha's marriage and how she ended up locked in the room on the third floor, there is still an air of mystery around her and when she is first described by Jane's own eye, the reader cannot help but be fascinated and appalled at the same time. Jane describes her first experience of seeing Bertha as '...at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being,
Jane Eyre - How has the character changed throughout the novel?
Jane Eyre Essay 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
