In the opening chapter we see a description of the weather, the purpose of this is to set the ground and scene for the many elements in the story to make their introduction, the first image that is presented is “ we had been wandering…in the leafless shrubbery for an hour”. This it not a very positive image and reflects Jane’s mood. “The old winter wind…out of the question”. This description reflects Jane’s life and emotions in the bad weather and builds up the atmosphere of sadness as the reader reads on. She observes the weather outside which is then contrasted in with her own position of the coldness and darkness she suffers. The opening paragraph establishes Jane’s attitude towards her life and also the weather in general. “I was glad…chilly afternoons”.
Bronte uses the metaphor of weather to show Jane’s harsh treatment which is reflected in the description of the weather.
After reading the description of the weather the reader immediately is positioned on Jane’s side as they feel sympathy for her as her circumstances begin to reveal. Jane is oppressed while her cousins are sent of to play. “She really must…happy little children”. Even though Jane lives with a wealthy family she is not allowed to have the same privileges as them, and is treated differently as some one of a lower class or an outsider. When the Reed family are all gathered around a fire, Jane is excluded. “She reclined…with her darlings about her” the fire is being used to symbolise the feelings of emotional warmth which Jane is excluded from.
Jane is constantly victimised by the Reeds and is bullied and also made feel worthless as if she is an outsider. Jane is also reminded of her position by John Reed. “You have no business….go stand by…windows” John Reed is making Jane feel completely worthless and as if he has authority over her, saying she has no money, and no purpose to be living with his family. John taunts her by saying she ought to be out begging and that is all she is valued for, Jane is always bullied by him being the man of the house.
In chapter one, we see how Jane is bullied by John Reed. We are shown that the Reeds are just provoked by Jane’s existence as when she was attacked by John she was doing nothing wrong. He interrupts her from reading and drags her out of her hiding place. Jane suffers a great deal of physical and emotional abuse from John Reed. He is a 14 year old who is overweight from the description that is given “he gorged himself habitually at the table”. Jane is terrified of John. “He bullied…every nerves I had I feared him” she is completely helpless against him. On this occasion Jane is knocked down and then retaliates as never before and declares aloud what she honestly thinks of john. “Wicked and cruel boy…emperors”. John’s words torment Jane and his physically bullying makes her feel vulnerable and completely one her own with no one to help her. The way she is bullied by John shows Jane’s innocence as mentioned before she only provokes the Reeds by her existence.
From the first chapter we learn a lot about Jane’s character. She is an intelligent girl with many strong points such as trying to stick up for herself, having her own opinions and thoughts and also patient of the cruelty suffers. An example of her questioning and sticking up for herself is where she asks “what does Bessie say I have done” in an attempt to get answers. She is very determined and strong emotionally as she takes Johns bullying to a certain extent before fighting back. Her strong points also turn out to be her weaknesses which get her into trouble and make her defenceless.
Jane is taken into the red room after retaliating with her cousin john. We see Mrs. Reed’s cruelty when without any question of what happened she sends of for Jane to be locked up in the red room, “take her away….in there”. Jane is treated like an animal here being locked up all on her own. During this incident, we learn more about Jane’s character and the way she tries to fight back. The cruel extent on to which she is treated is shown as just a young girl left on her own in a dark room where her uncle died, this would cause many emotional and mental scars.
Jane’s emotional suffering and fears while she is in the red room are shown by the long complex sentences. The red room is described as a “chamber” which brings out Jane’s fears. The dark features reflect her feelings. “Alas yes: no jail over evermore secure!” Jane compares the chamber to a jail, this shows that she feels like a prisoner. Her fears take over her and she begins to imagine things and then realises this and says “superstition was with me that moment”.
This chapter causes us to feel sympathy for her and to understand her fears. We also learn a lot about Jane’s character with the ability to face her fears and suffering and still have the courage to live through the red room, this shows that she is very strong and tries not to let her suffering and circumstances get the best of her. Jane’s fears begin to take over her and she catches a ghostly reflection in the mirror thinking about her miserable condition and her dead uncle; suddenly a ray of light enters the room and Jane cries out believing that it is a ghost. She alerts Bessie, Mrs Abbot and Mrs Reed but they accuse her of trickery and refuse to free her. This shows neglection and how they have no feelings towards Jane.
The red room has deadly associations, red as the colour of blood, being a chamber like room and containing the miniature version of the dead Mr Reed, and also including Jane’s principled belief that she sees a ghost
Jane’s character begins to develop as a very strong willed girl and this is needed to support her during her time at Gateshead. The incident in the red room helps build her character but also leaves great emotional effects on her life.
The red room incident leaves Jane in a terrible state and very depressed not being able to take her suffering any longer after fighting it with all the strength she had. “My habitual….decaying life” Jane describes her feeling of being broken down and in a bad physical and emotional state. Bronte uses personification to describe Jane’s life as slowly decaying like a dead body.
Jane wakes up in chapter 3 to find herself in the care of Mr Lloyd and we see Bessie is also present and expresses disapproval of her mistress’s treatment of Jane. Mr Lloyd speaks about her life at Gateshead and suggests she should be sent away to a school were she may find happiness; Jane is excited about this, in this chapter Jane learns more about the family’s history.
Bronte uses Mr Lloyd’s character of a kind caring man to contrast with the cruelty of the Reeds. When Mr Lloyd is presented, the reader sees a turning point for Jane. At the end of chapter 3 we learn that beauty is everything and that is what a girl is valued at. “If she were pretty…one really cannot care for a….toad as that” Jane is put down again because she is not pretty and feels life may have been different if only she was pretty, this shows that’s how people were treated in the 19th century.
In chapter four, Mr Brocklehurst is introduced. His description “his features were large… and prim” reflects harshness of the school and makes him and the school seem very strict.
Mr Brocklehurst threatens Jane with religion. “ do u know…after death?” he assumes she is naughty and also from what Mrs Reed has told him, he tells her of religious consequences she would face if she was “wicked” Jane says “ psalms are not very interesting” after hearing this, he threatens her using religion. “That proves…of flesh”
We see Jane’s rebellion at the end of chapter four and the way her character has developed from the previous chapters. Jane stands up to Mrs Reed and tells her what she thinks of her. “I’m glad…miserable cruelty” this quotation is part of Jane’s outburst to her aunt just prior to her departure from Gateshead for Lowood school appears in this chapter. In the passage Jane solidifies her own orphan hood severing her ties to the little semblance of family that remained to her (“I will never call you aunt again as long as I live,” she tells ). Jane asserts her fiery spirit in her tirade, and she displays a keen sense of justice and recognition of her need for love. Along with familial liberation, the passage marks Jane’s emotional liberation. Jane’s imprisonment in the has its psychological counterpart in her emotional suppression, and it is not until she speaks these words to Mrs. Reed that she feels her “soul begins to expand.” Lastly, the passage highlights the importance of storytelling as revenge and also as a means of empowerment. Jane declares that she will “tell anybody who asks me questions this exact tale”—via authorship, Jane asserts her authority over and against her tyrannical aunt. This shows Jane’s incredible strength and builds up in character with the ability to speak her mind and stand up to Mrs Reed.
Bronte presents Jane in many different ways as a victim, she is a victim of her social position as an orphan and how she isn’t pretty enough to be treated kindly. She is very lonely and faces the cruelty she receives all on her own with no one to defend her, this shows that her character is very strong. Again, the social positions those days didn’t allow the servants etc to stick up for her.
Jane is the total opposite to what would have been expected of a girl in the society she lived in. she speaks her mind and is not pretty and also lashes out and fights back, she has her own personality and is strong willed, intelligent and imaginative outspoken. The qualities that she has don’t match the qualities of what would have been expected of a girl in the 19th century. They were supposed to be quiet, pretty, intelligent and talented. Her strong points made her a victim of society.
Jane creates respect for herself in the readers mind on how she tackles her problems and how she develops throughout the first few chapters. She defends herself completely on her own and keeps getting herself through everything. We begin to feel sympathy for what she’s had to go through but we also see it in a positive way as her strengths will help her in the next difficult stages she may have to face.