Jane again shows her disrespectful attitude when she loses her self-control with Mrs Reed. “I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed: and this book about the Liar, you may give it to your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies, and not I.” Not only does this show her disrespect for authority, but it also shows how Jane is unaware of the consequences this could cause. Bessie had already told her that if Mrs Reed turned her away she would have to go to the poor house. It would be very unusual to declare that you disliked some one, especially if they could make you homeless, which would not be wanted. Especially for Jane as she wants an education, and she would need it, as she was poor so the custom would have been for her to become a governess.
When Jane is at Lowood School a typical event takes place. Typhus spreads throughout the school, killing many of the students. “Many, already smitten, went home only to die: some died at the school, and were buried quietly and quickly.” This is typical of the time because in the 1800s many cures and vaccinations had either not been discovered, or were too expensive to protect the entire school. However Jane claims that it is due to “semi-starvation and neglected colds”, which shows that she is not grateful to live at Lowood, despite saying to Mrs Reed that she wanted to go to school. This shows that Jane was unaware of conditions in the world outside of Gateshead, and did not realise how lucky she was to live in a higher class home, which is untypical as it shows she is not materialistic, as many people at the time would have been.
However Jane also acts in an untypical manner during her stay at Lowood. She meets Helen Burns, who is a perfect image of the typical Christian girl. Her views are very strict. “Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.” She still respects her teachers after they punish her, where as Jane hates them for it. “I must dislike those who, whatever I do to please them, persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly.” She is insistent on being treated fairly, another example being when Mrs Reed punished her for a crime she did not commit. Jane is a strong character and is determined to stand up for herself, which is very unconventional to the time. She does not have a strict Christian attitude, which was also shown when she told Mr Brocklehurst that she did not like the psalms. “That proves you have a wicked heart; and you must pray to God to change it” shows that he is God-fearing and this was conventional to the time, This also emphasises Jane’s different attitude, as does not always believe that there is a reason why things are happening.
Jane is also rebellious to the social expectations of the time.“ Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel;” This shows a feminist attitude as she thinks men and women should be treated equally, which is very unusual for the time. The accepted social order was that men were more important than women were, and women were supposed to remain at home and do housework. They were supposed to remain calm and be polite to their superiors, which Jane quite clearly does not do.
However the main unconventional event while Jane is at Thornfield is when Mr Rochester asks her to marry him. “Gentlemen in his station are not accustomed to marry their governesses.” In the 1800s it would have been very unusual to marry someone in a lower social class than yourself. In this instance Jane was in a much lower class, as her father left her no money, where as Mr Rochester is very well off. He is also much older than Jane, who is only eighteen years old. This would have been considered very unusual, and Mrs Fairfax showed this opinion. The main reason that it is unconventional is the fact that, unknown to Jane, Mr Rochester is already married. Bigamy would have been illegal and against the religion of the time, so this would have been very unusual.
However the gothic image is shown in this section of the book. Adele tells Jane that on the night she agreed to marry Mr Rochester, that “the great horse-chestnut at the bottom of the orchard had been struck by lightning in the night, and half of it split away.” This shows how nature reflects the beliefs. It shows that they are going against nature by marrying, and that it will end with a parting, which is what does happen. This also shows how Charlotte believed that God was all-powerful, and that he knew everything that happened. It shows how He was trying to stop them breaking the laws of the country and of His teachings. This would have been conventional in a novel of the time.
When Jane leaves Thornfield she goes to stay with John Rivers, who she later discovers is her cousin. We are told that the Rivers’ are poor because their uncle did bot leave them any money. We are told that he had an argument with the Rivers’ father, so did not leave him or his children any of his money. Instead he left his money to Jane, his niece. “Mr Eyre of Madeira is dead; and that he has left you all his property, and that you are now rich.” This would be conventional to the time that a family feud would cause someone to leave all his or her money to a different relative, even one he has never met. However this is turned into an unconventional event when Jane wants to share the money with John, Mary and Diana. All of Jane’s life she has been poor, and this has caused her to be unfairly treated, and when she finally does receive her inheritance she does not want it all. This was very unconventional for the time, as most people would want financial independence, so that they would not have to work. This clearly shows that Jane is unconventional to the time.
When Jane returns to Thornfield this was also unconventional. When she is trying to find Mr Rochester, she pays double for a coach, when normally a person would be sparing with their money, as it was necessary to survive. “I’ll pay both you and him twice the hire you normally demand.”
It is also unconventional that she wants to stay with a man who can no longer support her financially as he is unable to work, and it would have been considered abnormal that she wanted to stay and nurse him, now that he was disabled. It shows that she is prepared to sacrifice her freedom to be with her love, which was very unusual for the time that this novel was written.
However the last section in the novel is typical to the time as it shows the gothic image common to many Victorian novels. “I cannot tell whence the voice came, but I know whose voice it was” This not only shows the gothic image, but it shows how God can influence events. Now that Bertha is dead it is acceptable for them to marry, so God was giving them a sign. This would have been conventional to the period of the novel.
Overall, after analysing the text I have come to the conclusion that the novel, “Jane Eyre”, cannot be categorised into typical or untypical. I feel that the character Jane Eyre is very unconventional to the time as she is always going against the social and moral expectations. She has a feminist attitude and is not materialistic. She stands up for herself when she is treated unjustly, but she is loyal to her friends and her family. This is shown by the fact that she returns to Mr Rochester and searches for him, whatever the cost.
However the other characters and the way they react to the social and moral climate would be considered conventional, and the style in which the novel was written is also conventional, for example the large amount of gothic imagery. Although her main character and her attitude to society are unconventional, I do not feel that Charlotte Brontë was ignoring social and moral expectations when writing this novel. I feel that she kept conventional conditions, but wanted to make the public aware of the possibilities that are available, and that not everyone has to stick to these expectations to lead a successful life. She adhered to the social and moral climate of the time, whilst putting in a contrasting point of view, so I do not feel that Jane is either a typical or untypical novel of its time.
