Show clearly through reference to the novel, the development of Jane's character in Charlotte Bronte's novel 'Jane Eyre'
Show clearly through reference to the novel, the development of Jane’s character in Charlotte Bronte’s novel ‘Jane Eyre?’ The development of Jane Eyre’s character is central to the novel written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847. The era of that time reflects many of the themes throughout the book such as social class, and equality. Women brought up in this era were taught how to be a lady, learning skills such as sewing, painting, and languages. It is a story of someone who just wants to be loved, be valued, and to have a sense of belonging. The story, very much like an autobiography of Jane’s life, starts at childhood, following her right up to adulthood. We learn of how she grows as a person, in mind, body, and spirit, and how her confidence grows. She matures as a woman of her time, learning how to keep her dignity, and pride within her. Set in the Yorkshire moors, the novel describes Jane of plain appearance, however, she possesses strong spirit and great courage. We first see Jane at Thornfield, as a ten-year-old orphan, staying with her widowed aunt Mrs Reed, and her three cousins, John, Georgiana, and Eliza. Jane is made to feel unwanted, isolated and neglected in this big large house. Even though John Reed torments her, it makes her aware of her rights as a human being, which develops the character Jane. The first place we see her development grow is when Jane is sent away from the family room, as Mrs Reed tells her that until she can be more sociable she will not be accepted with her cousins. So she seeks refuge in a book in the next room behind the curtain, where she is happy and content. However this feeling never lasts long living at Thornfield. It is not long before John Reed comes in and disturbs the silence. ‘You have no business to take our books; you are a dependant, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live with gentlemen’s children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear the clothes at our mama’s expense.’ Jane is made to feel guilty, and to believe that she is not worthy to live under such fine conditions, and to think that she lived with people of much higher class than her, even though they are her family. He threw the book at her, splitting her head open. Jane has a rush of adrenaline, and snaps back at him. She no longer could hold her patience, and the two cousins fought. The fact that John was a big man frightened Jane, but the important point is that she stood up for herself. However, when Mrs Reed and the two servants become aware of the fight, they hold Jane responsible for it ‘for shame! For shame! Cried the lady’s maid. ‘What shocking conduct Miss Eyre, to strike a young gentlemen, your benefactress’s son! Your young master.’ condemned the two servants are told to send her to the red room, a spare room at Thornfield, where Mr Reed died. Being in this room is a traumatic experience for her. She is locked up in the room for quite some time, with her thoughts of the injustice of the happenings of that day, and her feelings of being an outcast. In the red room, she had to be brave and courageous, and this experience made her develop these qualities. Remembering Mr Reed died in this room, she panics thinking maybe spirits were also with her in the room. She screams and awakes the household, to let her out of the room. However, Mrs Reed kept her word, and made her stay in the room longer, ‘…its my duty to show you that tricks will not answer: you will now stay here an hour longer…’ While locked in, Jane, believing that she sees her uncle’s ghost screams and faints. But the experience made her stronger. The Reed’s belittled her, and made her feel as if she was an outcast, bringing her up to believe that she was not worthy of anything. In the red room, she had time to think of her life at Gateshead Hall ‘I was a discord at Gateshead Hall: I was like nobody there; I had nothing in harmony with Mrs Reed or her children, or her chosen vassalage.’ She was made to feel a nuisance, and a waste of space. She had no feeling of love or affection, and yearned to find out what that felt like. They saw her as a troublemaker ‘I strove to fulfil every duty, and I was termed naughty and tiresome, sullen and sneaking, from morning to noon, and from noon to night.’ The injustice of what happened to
her, and how Mrs Reed treated her, whirled round in her mind. To go through such hard times so young showed bravery beyond her years, bravery she had to develop by herself. The Red Room taught her how to be brave, a lesson she kept through her life. At Gateshead Hall, her development of self confidence and determination became more obvious each day. When Jane finds herself in the care of Mr Lloyd, she experiences a sense of kindness and affection, something she had never felt before. Mr Lloyd was the apothecary. Sending the apothecary, not the doctor, shows how ...
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her, and how Mrs Reed treated her, whirled round in her mind. To go through such hard times so young showed bravery beyond her years, bravery she had to develop by herself. The Red Room taught her how to be brave, a lesson she kept through her life. At Gateshead Hall, her development of self confidence and determination became more obvious each day. When Jane finds herself in the care of Mr Lloyd, she experiences a sense of kindness and affection, something she had never felt before. Mr Lloyd was the apothecary. Sending the apothecary, not the doctor, shows how social class was evident. Mrs Reed thought Jane was not good enough for a doctor, however, Jane was very much aware of her class, even at ten years old, ‘…Abbot says I have less right to be here at Gateshead Hall, than a servant’. Mr Lloyd speaks with Jane about her life at Gateshead Hall. She opens up to him, and tells him of her neglect, and how unhappy she felt there, how each day was a struggle ‘If I had anywhere else to go, I should be glad to leave it; but I can never get away from Gateshead till I am a woman.’ Even though all Mr Lloyd did was listen, and comfort her, Jane was very much overwhelmed by this small act of kindness. Mrs Reed, being harsh and cruel tells Mr Brocklehurst, her future headmaster of her new school, of how she is a naughty child, and how she had a tendency to deceit. Ruining her reputation before she even gets to Lowood, Jane is very much angry and upset, knowing that her reputation is now tarnished, even before she has met her future peers and teachers. All Mrs Reed wanted to do was tarnish the only bit of hope Jane had. Jane’s development through her life at Gateshead, her determination, courage, bravery, and self-confidence, all shine through when Jane is left alone with Mrs Reed, after Mr Brocklehurst leaves. Jane’s outrage over the accusations made against her, become too strong to hold back, and she bursts out her feelings with passion to Mrs Reed in her self-defence, ‘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’ Mrs Reed is shocked by the sudden brave speech Jane gives as she goes on to say ‘I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick….’ She can no longer hold back the hatred she has for her family at Gateshead Hall. She wants them to know the way they treated her was wrong, and her neglect and her yearning for love followed her each day she lived here, ‘You think I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of love or kindness; but I cannot live so. People think you are a good woman, but you are bad, hardhearted. You are deceitful.’ She is very confident when talking to Mrs Reed, and talks in an adult tone, showing maturity beyond her years. She possesses fiery spirit and confidence throughout her conversation with Mrs Reed. She mentions her experience of the red room, how much it effected her, and probably always will throughout her life, ‘I shall remember how you thrust me back-roughly and violently thrust me back-into the red-room, and locked me up there, to my dying day;’ Jane understands that the torment and abuse she suffered will affect her throughout her life. She had to grow up fast; her priorities were so different to that of her cousins. Her spirit grew more each day at Gateshead Hall. The abuse, though horrid, made her harder. Starting a new life at Lowood meant a fresh new start. She met new people and gained relationships, developing her confidence and character, which she had never been given the chance to do before. Her yearning for love and kindness she felt at Gateshead began to welter away, as she met Helen Burns. Helen was a well brought up Christian, and she developed Jane’s beliefs, and made her aware of how her reactions affected other people. She taught her many things ‘Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you.’ Her outlook on life, amazed Jane, and she tried to be more like her, in the actions she took in her life. When Jane tells her of how Mrs Reed treated her she has a totally different opinion on the situation then Jane has ‘Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passion emotions it excited? Life is too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs’ Her total and utter belief in God, gave Jane strong moral beliefs, which she didn’t gain at Gateshead. Mr Brocklehurst was cruel and unkind, and Jane thought this from the first meeting she had with him at Gateshead Hall. He thought Jane was a naughty deceitful child, and he thought it was necessary to tell the school, giving Jane ritual public humiliation and that no one should associate with her, ‘…that this girl, who might be one of God’s own lambs, is a little castaway: not a member of the true flock. You must be on your guard against her; if necessary, avoid her company, exclude her from sports, and shut her out from your converse. This girl is a liar!’ The public humiliation brought Jane back to her early childhood days of mental abuse, making her feel an outcast again, knocking her confidence that she had gained so far at Lowood. However, Helen stuck by her through this ritual humiliation, ‘Mr Brocklehurst is not a god: nor is he even a great and admired man; he is little liked here; he never steps to make himself liked. Had he treated you as an especial favourite, you would have found enemies’. Helen inspires her to endure the injustice of what happened. Helen is a very good influence on Jane, showing her different perspectives on life. However, even though Helen did try to comfort her during this time, Jane was very much overwhelmed by the experience. When Helen dies from the typhus, Jane loses a valued friend that she had throughout her time at Lowood. She gave Jane her strong moral beliefs. Helen was, I think one of the major influences in Jane’s life, helping her to develop not only her skills in school, but also on lessons of life. The self-control and dignity she learnt from Helen stayed with her through the novel. Helen was a positive influence, a person Jane admired, keeping her in touch with her sanity and emotions. Since coming to Lowood, Jane had developed her confidence, self esteem, and she had become much stronger. Her change in character is very obvious from how she was at Gateshead Hall. Miss Temple effected Jane’s development throughout her life. She helped her develop her mind, and showed her how to respect, and appreciate others. Jane shows admiration towards Miss Temple in the way she treats Helen, and she yearns to be more like her. She follows the examples Helen and Miss Temple teach her, and help her develop her kindness, respect, and independence. Miss Temple is a strong role model for Jane, and someone she can look up to. She learns a lot from her, and tries to be more like her. Miss Temple is a great influence on the development of Jane’s character, and we see her effect on her life, later on, in the way she handles situations in a mature, sensitive manner. Jane owes most of her happiness in life to her, helping her ‘…in the stead of mother, governess, and latterly companion’ We see how much she has changed, when she advertises for a job, as a governess, after her 6 years as a teacher at Lowood. Jane is now displaying her skills, and telling people what she can do, something she has never done before. This shows us just how much she really has grown in confidence, and pride from when she started Lowood. When she arrives at Thornfield, she meets Mrs Fairfax, who treats her as her equal, making Jane feel respected, and valued. She feels happy and content here. She teaches Adele, a child she can relate to from her own childhood, with kindness and the utmost respect; how she would have liked to be treated when she was a child. Her happiness is obvious at Thornfield, mainly because of Mr Rochester’s influence, and the growing signs of love she showed towards him. However, he did not seem to notice her much in the very early stages of her life at Thornfield. He uses small language, and sarcasm towards her. However, her feelings grew for him during the conversations they shared together, about their past lives and interests. The trust they had in each other became obvious when a fire broke out in mr Rochester’s room, with Jane going in to save him showing bravery and courage. Their trust grows even stronger when he confides in her about Adele’s mother. Jane begins to see the beauty he holds beneath his stern face, ‘Yet there was so much unconscious pride in his port; so much ease in his demeanour; such a look of complete indifference to his own external appearance…’ She feels comfortable around him, talking to him, or just listening to his words. Each day she becomes happier, ‘…. happy that he had confided in me. Day by day he had seemed to become less gloomy, and now he often smiled at me.’ Throughout her life, she never knew how to love, because she was never shown any. She was made to believe she was not worthy of anything. She received love at Lowood, from Helen Burns and Ms Temple. When Mr Rochester leaves to meet high society of friends and acquaintances, including the pretty Blanche Ingram, Jane’s shows us how her love is growing for Mr Rochester through her jealousy, ‘You never felt jealousy did you Miss Eyre? Of course not, because you have never felt love.’ Although she is jealous, she truly misses him, but still doubts her own self ‘is it likely that he would waste a serious thought on you? Stupid and foolish! Cover your face and be ashamed.’ How the Reed family treated her, telling her how she was worthy of nothing still effected her, even in her womanhood, which we can tell from the way she feels of her lower class status. With Mr Rochester you could not always know whether he was being just or earnest. His visits were always sudden and unexpected, and no one would know whether he was pleased or not. He disliked Thornfield, however, no one knew why. He saw himself as cursed and burdened, which is quite a moral thing to admit to himself. He was peculiar in his relationship with Jane in the early stages, but we see how much they trust each other, and the fondness they share together. Rochester makes Jane feel fulfilled in life, because up to now she has been quite empty and alone. She sees herself lower than him, and expects that he would chose a more finer, prettier woman to have by his side. When Jane is proposed to by Mr Rochester, she is shocked, and overwhelmed. He has made Jane the happiest woman, making her fulfilled in life. Someone loves her, for who she is, and respects her, something she always yearned for, ever since Gateshead Hall. However, all was not happy, when the marriage day came, and the secret of Thornfield was revealed to her. Jane was overwhelmed at the news of Mr Rochester and his wife Bertha Mason. Her confidence was shattered. Jane was embarrassed at how stupid she must look, and her feelings of loneliness hovered over her; ‘Jane Eyre, who had been an ardent, expectant woman-almost a bride, was a cold, solitary girl again: her life was pale; her prospects were desolate.’ Mr Rochester told her how he never meant to wound her, or make her upset. Jane decided to leave Thornfield, she could not stay with the way things now were. However, she still loved Mr Rochester, and wanted to be with him, but felt she had to leave; ‘Mr Rochester, I will love you and live with you through life till death.’ Jane headed for Millcote and found herself living with The Rivers family, who turn out to be Jane’s first cousins. She settled down here, becoming close to her new family, but still remembering Mr Rochester in every passing day. She became very close to St John, being able to talk to him and share her feelings with him.Finally one day, he came and expressed to Jane his long-felt desire to travel to India as a missionary, and asked Jane to accompany him as his wife and assistant. She declines his offer, as he never loved her as she wished to be loved. Jane sensed she was needed someone else. Here at Millcote, she was able to develop relationships with others, and became more confident in doing this. Her courage and understanding she learnt from Helen and Ms Temple, all gave her the good qualities people looked for in a friend. Jane settles in to life here, and becomes a teacher at the local school; ‘I felt I became a favourite in the neighbourhood. Whenever I went out, I heard on all sides coridial salutations, and was welcomed with friendly smiles.’ Starting her new life developed Jane’s independence immensely.One night while sleeping, she had a dream of Mr Rochester calling for her, shouting for her to come to him; ‘…it was the voice of a human being-a known, loved, well remembered voice-that of Edward Francis Fairfax Rochester; and it spoke in pain and woe, wildly, eerily, urgently.’ After the dream, Jane felt she has to return to Thornfield to see him, to see if he was ok, as she felt the dream signalled a warning. When she arrived there, she saw the ruins of what was Thornfield. Jane was told of what happened, of the great fire, in which Bertha Mason died, and Mr Rochester was badly injured. She then travels to Ferndean, another of Mr Rochester’s residence, where he was staying. Mr Rochester and Jane meet again, and admit their feelings for each other ‘all my heart is yours, sir: it belongs to you; and with you it would remain, were fate to exile the rest of me from your presence forever.’ Jane tells us of how she married him, and had a baby. Her life was fulfilled, she felt loved and valued, something she always yearned for. Although Jane’s character grows throughout the novel, it is actually quite a simple development rather than change. Charlotte Bronte keeps the novel simple. Her character develops as her life changes, both by the way people treat her and by the decisions she makes herself. Especially early on, Jane has little pride in herself socially and in her possessions. This is because the Reed’s constantly lower her esteem and make her feel unwelcome and unwanted, a burden to their family. A main strength within herself is her power to understand others, and treat them, as she would wish to be treated. This Christian quality came from Helen Burns while at school, a quality that Jane kept throughout her life. She had realised that she was harshly treated by her so called family at Gateshead, and that building up that anger for others was unacceptable. It seems that as her courage and spirit never to give up remained, her fortunes slowly bettered too. Despite early impressions of people, she does end up having good relations with people and seeing their other sides, which in turn allows them to really understand her too. The fact that her development had become so strong and come so far since a child was mirrored by events in the novel. As a child she had endured horrid times with her cousins Eliza, Georgiana and John, but as an adult family relations switched. Her new found cousins Diana, Mary and St John were completely different, warm and understanding to her, friends instead of enemies. The successful development of Jane’s character as an honest person is shown throughout the novel. Despite the fact that her uncle was told she was dead she is left everything by him. Her insistence that the wealth be shared equally proves that Jane realises there is more to life than wealth and status. Despite this act of greatness, she finds herself in a difficult position with St John. It is almost like fate that she returns to find Mr Rochester. An accident has left the home in ruin, Bertha Mason dead, and Mr Rochester injured and blinded. However, the two love each other deeply, and despite his disabilities, they marry. It seems that this is more than a just reward for a woman who has endured so much. Her character is strong and her love from Rochester deserved.