1. Jane Eyre is the quintessential coming-of-age-tale, deeply impacted by social class and status; however, gender plays an integral role in this text. Analyze Jane's transformation--additionally, discuss your thoughts regarding the ending of the novel. Does Jane "sell-out" or does she maintain her integrity?
Throughout the novel, Jane is constantly trying to find where she fits and tries to find the right kind of freedom that she is looking for. Being an orphan at a young age, Jane is aware that she needs to find contentment and a true place to settle and call home. Her integrity is tested throughout the story and she struggles to remember her self-worth at hard times. After meeting Rochester and getting to know him, Jane realizes that she loves him. When Rochester asks Jane to marry him, Jane realizes that living as his mistress means that she may be giving away her integrity. After leaving Rochester and meeting St. John Rivers, Jane realizes that marrying him would feel like a loss of freedom because she would be living in India forcing feelings that are not there. I am glad that after that realization Jane made her way back to Rochester. I think that he has always been honest with her and has had a love for her as well. I do not think that she sells herself out at the end of the novel because she ended up with the person that she loves and now knows her worth and integrity within her life and the marriage.
ReplyDeleteFor the majority of her childhood, Jane was besieged on all sides by oppressive forces. She was raised by her Aunt Reed who pretty much regarded her as less than a human being. While being neglected by her aunt, she was also bullied by her cousins, especially John Reed. As a result, her childhood was marked by abuse and oppression. Consequently, from the beginning, Jane was becoming an independent person. In terms of gender, there has always been a superior, oppressive male looking down upon Jane. Whether it was John Reed or St. John, she always overcame obstacles.
ReplyDeleteJane's "coming of age" progresses as she grows up in the Lowood school and later on at Thornfield. Even at Lowood, she dealt with many obstacles, including that of Mr. Brocklehurst and the death of Helen Burns. Both of which, allow her to become a more self reliant, and mature woman, early in life. Eventually, Jane becomes a governess, and leaves for Thornfield, where she falls in love with Mr. Rochester, who may as well be considered the only person to have treated her as an intellectual equal, in some aspects. She overcomes issues that include class and nobility, but does not marry Mr. Rochester due to the fact that he was already married. By marrying Rochester, Jane realized she would have lost her integrity as a woman. At this point, Jane has solidified herself as an independent adult. However, by the time she knows St. John and considers marrying him, she realizes that she cannot be with someone for the purpose of display or duty. By having the freedom to reject St. John, and pursue Mr. Rochester, she shows that she has overcome barriers presented by gender customs and roles. Additionally, she establishes herself as independent in both finance and ownership.
At the end of the novel, Jane definitely maintains her integrity as it was her very own decision to marry Mr. Rochester. She did not go against her conscience as she very well could have lived comfortably with her cousins. Rather than going with St. John, she chooses to marry and live with the person she has chosen.
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ReplyDeleteJane is an unconventional woman in the sense that she rejects the traditional gender roles and social standards that exist in her society. For example, Celine Varens and Blanche Ingram are two women that look for men simply based off of their wealth and social status. Blanche was less interested in Rochester when the "gypsy" told her that Rochester was not as wealthy as she thought he was. However, Jane is not interested in wealth or social status at all. She grew up in a luxurious home, but was oppressed and mistreated by her aunt and her cousins. Jane never had much to call her own, so she craved independence in every way imaginable. Once Jane and Rochester professed their love for each other, he wanted to spoil Jane with all of the finest silks and jewelry she could imagine. Jane, however, rejected these gifts, thus maintaining her integrity. She was not going to let Rochester spoil her. Also, Jane leaves when she finds out that she would be a mistress if she married Rochester. This was one of the hardest things that she ever had to do because she truly loved him. This courageous act alone proves her strength to remain true to herself and maintain that integrity. After spending some time away from Rochester, she decides to return to him. I do not think that Jane "sells-out" when she marries Rochester because Bertha was no longer in the picture and Jane waited until the timing was right. Jane transforms from a financially and physically independent woman into a caring wife and mother, but she never once loses her integrity.
ReplyDeleteJane is an unconventional woman in the sense that she rejects the traditional gender roles and social standards that exist in her society. For example, Celine Varens and Blanche Ingram are two women that look for men simply based off of their wealth and social status. Blanche was less interested in Rochester when the "gypsy" told her that Rochester was not as wealthy as she thought he was. However, Jane is not interested in wealth or social status at all. She grew up in a luxurious home, but was oppressed and mistreated by her aunt and her cousins. Jane never had much to call her own, so she craved independence in every way imaginable. Once Jane and Rochester professed their love for each other, he wanted to spoil Jane with all of the finest silks and jewelry she could imagine. Jane, however, rejected these gifts, thus maintaining her integrity. She was not going to let Rochester spoil her. Also, Jane leaves when she finds out that she would be a mistress if she married Rochester. This was one of the hardest things that she ever had to do because she truly loved him. This courageous act alone proves her strength to remain true to herself and maintain that integrity. After spending some time away from Rochester, she decides to return to him. I do not think that Jane "sells-out" when she marries Rochester because Bertha was no longer in the picture and Jane waited until the timing was right. Jane transforms from a financially and physically independent woman into a caring wife and mother, but she never once loses her integrity.
ReplyDeleteJane is an unconventional woman in the sense that she rejects the traditional gender roles and social standards that exist in her society. For example, Celine Varens and Blanche Ingram are two women that look for men simply based off of their wealth and social status. Blanche was less interested in Rochester when the "gypsy" told her that Rochester was not as wealthy as she thought he was. However, Jane is not interested in wealth or social status at all. She grew up in a luxurious home, but was oppressed and mistreated by her aunt and her cousins. Jane never had much to call her own, so she craved independence in every way imaginable. Once Jane and Rochester professed their love for each other, he wanted to spoil Jane with all of the finest silks and jewelry she could imagine. Jane, however, rejected these gifts, thus maintaining her integrity. She was not going to let Rochester spoil her. Also, Jane leaves when she finds out that she would be a mistress if she married Rochester. This was one of the hardest things that she ever had to do because she truly loved him. This courageous act alone proves her strength to remain true to herself and maintain that integrity. After spending some time away from Rochester, she decides to return to him. I do not think that Jane "sells-out" when she marries Rochester because Bertha was no longer in the picture and Jane waited until the timing was right. Jane transforms from a financially and physically independent woman into a caring wife and mother, but she never once loses her integrity.
ReplyDeleteFrom the very start of the novel the reader could see that Jane Eyre was endowed with a sense of self-respect. Having to be raised in a place where she was told repeatedly how worthless and terrible of a person she was, it is impressive that she could uphold a decent level of confidence. Jane was a tough, intelligent, and independent child that evolved her into the strong woman we see she became when the novel came to a close. As a child she quickly could see the social class hierarchy that existed and couldn't control herself enough to respect the boundaries that stood. She grew up in a home that was rich with money and poor with love. She found no comfort in a place like this and had few complaints in going off to a place with no luxuries. Further into the story we also see that Jane is so selfless that when given a lucrative opportunity, she denies it for the benefit of others. Eyre sees past wealth and social class as we see in her love saga with Rochester. She could have allowed him to shower her with materialistic items, but she would rather just have him give her his unconditional love. The reader can also see how gender roles is a major issue that disturbs Jane. She often ponders about how she wishes that she could travel and explore the world as a man can proceed to do. Over the course of this coming-of-age-tale I did not see much of a transformation in Jane because I think she stayed true to herself and maintained her integrity. The only way I believe Jane could have sold out is if she denied herself from being with the man she truly loved out of spite. She showed how her self-worth was still extremely intact when she rejects Rochester at first when she learns of his mistress. She knew at heart he genuinely had loved her so I felt the ending novel was perfect closure for the reader because it made you feel like she finally found happiness after the harsh circumstances she had to live through.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that Jane was always exemplary of a self respecting woman. Jane shows her strength throughout all situations that try to bring her down.
DeleteJane Eyre is a character that experiences major growth throughout her life. As a child, she was oppressed by her Aunt Reed and John Reed. Jane knew that she was being neglected and tried her best to bring this to the attention of the Reeds,but no matter who hard she tried, she could not escape. John Reed continually beat Jane and treated her as if she was nothing. John Reed starts the pattern of oppressive males in Jane's life. Eventually, Jane took the initiative to get out of her Aunt's care and went to the Lowood School. Jane decided to forget her past and try to move on. Unfortunately, she knows that her Aunt Reed told Mr. Brocklehurst to warn the teachers of Jane bad behavior. Jane is able to prove them wrong by being an excellent student. Jane's time at Lowood is integral because she finally feels important and realizes that she does not need others to feel happy. It is not until she becomes employed at Thornfiled, that she truthfully finds happiness in an individual.Mr. Rochester is the first male figure that takes interest in Jane. He finds that she is plain ,but interesting. Jane falls in love with Mr. Rochester and is elated when he asks for her hand in marriage. This feeling of joy does not last long because Jane learns that Mr. Rochester was previously married to Bertha Mason. She will not allow herself to be a mistress ,so she calls the wedding off. Once again Jane does not rely on others ,but decides that she will choose her own path. After she leaves Thornfield, she enters another negative relationship with St. John. Although he was not physically oppressive to Jane; he was emotionally. He tried to force her to marry him, yet Jane found her strength and rejected him. Jane knew that she could not truly love St. John because her heart belonged to Mr. Rochester. I do not think that Jane "sells-out" when she marries Mr. Rochester. This was the man that she loved and it took a lot for her to walk away from him the first time. Although Mr. Rochester is sickly and impoverished, Jane stills wants to be with him. By the end of the story, Jane is a strong and independent woman who chooses happiness.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre is the definition of a self-respecting, independent woman. From beginning to end, Jane was strong willed and always knew what she wanted for herself. Jane was put at a disadvantage at a young age because of her social class and her place in a rich family. She did not fit in and nobody in her family, beside Bessie, would help her to be part of the family. This helped her learn to think for herself and stand up for herself without having to depend on others for her success or happiness. However, as the novel progressed and Jane grew older, she became more dependent on others. I do not meant to say that she lost her self-respect and strong will because that is not at all what happened. I just say this because I feel that as she grew older, she missed the part of her childhood that she never had: love. Of course as a child she did not miss out on love for another man, but she was never loved by her family and became a sort of outcast because of it. Her manner towards men is very distinct and not usual for a woman of her age. She is much more mature and educated than a woman of her background may seem to be. As a result of this maturity, Jane is able to make some very tough decisions regarding her love life and her professions. She walks away from the man who loves her the most and walks away from a job she loves dearly. Not to mention, she loves this man just as much, if not more. Yet, in the end, Jane comes back to her lover, Mr. Rochester, as the same woman but with a different sense of life. Jane never needed anyone else to keep her happy until Mr. Rochester entered her life. She found a new reason for being when she met him and he made her fall in love with him very quickly. Overcome with this new found emotion, Jane was confused on how to act with him. She did not act like any ordinary young lady and that is what allowed Mr. Rochester to fall in love with her. These two intellectual people sought each other's company and conversation. Overall, Jane needed someone to keep her happy. She made a tough decision in walking away from it all, but she made an even tougher decision when she came back. However, Jane does not sell-out by choosing to marry Mr. Rochester. She left him when she felt she needed to and realized that life without him was not worth the suffering. Therefore she chooses to marry him because she realizes that she will not lose her self-respect just for choosing to be happy.
ReplyDeleteAll throughout her life, Jane was always affiliated with and surrounded by upper-class people looking down on her as if she were inferior and less human. While staying with the Reed family, her aunt and cousins tormented her and considered themselves her superiors. Mr. Brocklehurst and his wife and daughters would visit the school and talk about how much nicer and better they were than the girls attending the school. At Thornfield, Jane was merely a governess working for an upper-class, wealthy family who treated her as a servant, but kindly. Even her cousins initially casted her aside thinking Jane was lower than them because they thought she was a beggar. Throughout this whole time, Jane was affected by the societal norms and social-classes. She transformed by breaking through each “class” of people during her life and finally found happiness while maintaining her integrity. Growing up, Jane was treated as a middle-class castaway, a working-class governess, a beggar, and finally an upper-class wealthy woman. Although being a woman in this era automatically lowered her status, she never considered herself less of a person because she knew she was educated, talented, and resourceful. Her experience in every “class” taught Jane everything she needed in order to grow and mature while retaining decent moral principles and manners. Her integrity also lasted for her whole life. Never did Jane’s integrity waver from when she was a beggar to a wealthy heiress. Jane’s splitting of her fortune only adds to her character’s sense loyalty to her friends and family. Though Jane clings to any bit of family she can find, she builds herself up into an independent young woman and consistently maintains her integrity.
ReplyDeleteJane is a very complex character. She begins her life in a lavish household, but she is treated as less than a servant. Her aunt and cousins abuse her physically and emotionally. When she gets sent to boarding school, Jane thinks she finally has the the opportunity to be free of her Aunt Reed and get an education. That is far from what actually happens, however. Aunt Reed tells Lowood School's Mr. Brocklehurst to have the teachers keep a close eye on her, so at the school she is treated very badly. When Jane is eighteen she finally leaves Lowood to live and work independently. She finds Thornfield Hall, the home of Mr. Rochester, where she works as the governess. Although Mr. Rochester toys with her emotions, he falls in love with her and she falls in love with him. Right before their wedding Jane discovers that Mr. Rochester is still married. She makes the tough decision to leave him even though she still loves him. After her time at Thornfield she ends up on the door step of St. John, who cares for her and soon falls in love with Jane. When he asks Jane to marry him, she says no because she views him as a brother, and she flees once again for the fourth time in her life. Jane is a very strong female character. Many times through out the novel she mentions the strength of a woman and their ability to accomplish anything. That is why I do not believe she "sells-out" in the end. Jane knows that she is in love with Mr. Rochester, not St. John who forces her to marry him. Jane could have agreed to marry St. John and have a secure life, but she knew that would not make her happy. Jane is strong and does what she thinks will make her happy in the end: she chooses to live her own life and make her own choices.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyes lived during a time where wealth, social status, and marriage was prioritized over education, jobs, and independence. Raised as a mistreated unwanted child in a wealthy home, Jane strayed away from the social norm by desiring education, working, and independence. Throughout the novel, during trials that challenged her morals and self worth, Jane maintained her integrity as an independent woman. She exemplified how she was a women of integrity when she felt uncomfortable and restricted when Rochester insisted on giving her lavish clothes and jewelry. Jane was not someone who sought after expensive items but only wanted the true love from Rochester. She was not driven by the idea of being successful meant to live in luxury and wealth but she held on to the idea of true love and happiness. Jane did not "sell out" because she married Rochester. She was simply going after what she always desired, love and affection. Rochester's wealth and social status played no part in their love story, it never really crossed Jane's mind. Although Jane was madly in love with Rochester, she had enough self respect to know to leave when she is mistreated. After she lied to and betrayed by Rochester when he concealed a part of his past and humiliated her on her wedding day, Jane simply left because she knew she deserved better. Perhaps if Jane was after wealth and social status, she would have been easily swayed by Rochester's words. However she was a woman of integrity and self respect and knew that she did not deserve to be mistreated. Therefore, Jane represents a woman who did not lose herself because of love but someone who maintained her respect and integrity. A working woman who managed to balance her love, job, and morals for a happy ending
ReplyDeleteJane was never going to allow someone to push her around. It can even be seen through her childhood that she would grow to be a strong, independent women, and I think that that is something that she never gave up. For a brief period of time when she was madly in love with Mr. Rochester and was going to marry him and allow herself to become her mistress, she lost sight of who she really was. However, I think that she quickly realized her self-worth and took herself out of that situation. She always knew what she wanted and was not going to let anything get in her way of that. I do not think that Jane "sells-out" at the end of the novel. I think that she realizes that she truly does love Mr. Rochester and that it is okay to feel that weakness and vulnerability around him because she knows that she will never let him push her around. I think that Jane needed that time away and needed to experience what she did with St. John in order to find herself again and realize what she wants and what she deserves. She was not driven by love for a powerful man once in the novel because she knew that she was better than that. Given that, I do not think that Jane was ever really impacted by gender roles. There was a short period of time where she struggled with her feelings with Mr. Rochester because she knew that he would never see her as an equal due to their social classes, however I believe that they both grow out of that.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre was always a woman that acted independently. Gender roles were never something that bound Jane Eyre to be the woman she wasn't. As a young child she showed her independent attitude by fighting back to her abusive cousin and oppressive aunt. Then as she went to the school for orphans she became a stronger woman and studied to be an educated woman. Jane Eyre however always had the dream of doing something bigger with her life. That is how she managed to go her separate ways from the orphan school and become a mistress at a house in Thornfield. At the house, she never backed down from her strong personality and brave attitude. She did her duties well and ultimately fell in love with her master. However when she realized he was already bound by another wife, she then escaped and found another living for herself on her own. Due to her strength and optimistic attitude, Jane evidently found her cousins' house and started a life there. However her cousin, St. John, wanted her to leave her life there and join him to India as her wife. Jane did not listen to him and speaks for herself when she tells him that she will not be his wife. All this time throughout the novel, she doesn't lose her love for Mr. Rochester. She then makes another impulsive decision to find Mr. Rochester again and marry him. After a long travel, she finds him blind and mentally damaged. However, her presence revives his personality. Jane Eyre never sells out during the end of the novel because she is always acting on her own choices. Jane never let anyone make a decision for due to the fact that she was a woman. She keeps her bravery and dignity
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre's life began at Gateshead, where she was "cared for" and "looked after" by a family which did not want anything to do with her. The reason this family was so hostile towards her was because she did not come from or conform to the standards that the Reeds' bourgeoisie society held. Mrs. Reed perceived Jane as a threat to her own caste, a bad apple with the potential to influence her children and ruin her reputation. For this reason the Reeds employed a number of derogatory labels to dehumanize Jane and alienate her from their social life. This is a trend that almost everyone Jane met in her life followed in order to justify the way they treated her. It is the reason Mr. Brocklehurst put her on a stool as an example to the students at Lowood School. It is also the reason Blanche Ingram was so adverse to her. As a governess she was neither servant, nor gentry. She was not easy to categorize. These experiences, however only caused Jane to be more tenacious and resist the expectations people had for her as a woman of her class. Even in times when it would be easy to conform, like when Mr. Rochester or St. John asked her to marry them, she continued to resist. This is because although Mr. Rochester may very well have loved her, he still attempted to mold her into an ideal woman for his society, which she was not and did not want to be. He had created a false image of her in his mind in order to serve his own needs. This is why I was surprised at the way the book ended, and a little disappointed in Jane for agreeing to marry Mr. Rochester.
ReplyDeleteI agree, many people treated Jane poorly from when she was a child to when she was grown woman due to the fact that she not confined to the box of social norms. Instead, she was her own, independent self which was blatantly out of the ordinary for women in that time period
DeleteThroughout her whole life, Jane was not confined within the gender roles, social class, or status of society. Instead, she was an independent, intelligent, self-sufficient young woman. When she was little, Jane was always brought down and considered less than a servant in her childhood home by Mrs. Reed and her children. Eventually Jane speaks up to defend herself, but is then seen as dangerous towards Mrs. Reed's power over her and is then sent away to a strict boarding school. There, she find the same type of tyrant, Mr. Brocklehurst, who continues to punish and chastise Jane. Despite this, Jane remains unwavering and goes against what she is told to help others and attempt establish herself when it is out of the ordinary to do so. Luckily, she is able to obtain a job at Gateshead as a governess where she meets Mr. Rochester. From the first time she met him, Jane had an attraction towards Mr. Rochester that essentially put her under his spell and slightly blurred her independence. It was not until Mr. Rochester began showering her in lavish, expensive items and discovering that he had a wife, that Jane realized she had lost a part of her defined self because she was so lost in love. Thus, she runs away and lives on her own without any home for a few days to recollect herself. Then, Jane is taken in by a kind family, who are discovered to be related to her, and over the course of a year, Jane slowly regains her independence. It was not until she was asked to accompany her cousin on a mission trip as his wife, that she became the the independent person she always was as she continually declined and never caved in. Because of this, Jane returns back to Gateshead to confess her love for Mr. Rochester. At this point she had truly realized she had loved him and now understands the balance between loving someone and being her own person. Therefore, the ending of the novel was more of a realization of her feelings for Rochester and of who she is as a person. I do not believe she "sells out," but instead maintains her integrity of being a brave, competent woman who is capable of being guided by her own independence and strength.
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ReplyDeleteThe transformative experience that occurs throughout Jane's life is a creation of her own. Her passionate determination to persevere through all the trauma that was caused by those who mistreated her is a testament to her strength. From being brought up with the Reeds, a family that didn't love her and saw her as their cross to bear, and standing up to their abuse by hitting John back after he hit her and calling out Mrs Reed for her neglect, she exhibited this strength at a young age. She continued this rebellious streak by deciding to get an education, something which was not too common for women at that time, and makes the transition from penniless orphan to middle class governess by the time she reached adulthood. Journeying through this new path in her life, she comes by men who treat her as their subordinate. Particularly in the case of Saint John, he tries to marry her because it is what he believes would be best for her, but does not give her any space to explore other options, and expects her to go about it in his way. By the same token, although she loves Mr Rochester, she points out that she can only marry him if their marriage is one of equals, and states that women feel the same way that men do, articulating a feminist belief, even if she would not put herself in that category. She decides to make the decision to marry him because it is what she feels is best to do for herself. She does not "sell out" because she has clearly shown throughout the novel that she does not make decisions if she does not decide them for herself.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre goes through various changes throughout her life, but she never betrays her morals, even though she is tempted various times. Jane is first seen being abused by her family and caretakers, which instills in her the desire for a home and a real family. Later on, she goes to a school and meets her first friend, Helen. Helen's philosophy and death helps Jane to discover her own personality. Jane then lives and teaches at her school, but leaves after her mentor is married. She then works as a governess, and finds a welcoming home and love. However, even though it is a idyllic situation, Jane leaves because she can not go against her morals and marry an married man. She then goes and lives with her cousins, and then again leaves a welcoming home. However, through this, Jane learns that she can not live while denying herself personal happiness for the sake of her principles. She then returns to her first love and marries him. Throughout the novel, Jane goes through less of an transformation or drastic change, but just discovers who she really is. I believe that Jane is able to maintain her integrity, as she is able to live life on her terms, happily, without being denied.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre is an extremely bright and independent woman who believes very strongly in gender and social equality that challenged the prejudice against women of the time period. Jane doesn’t seem to mind very much for wealth or social status which had also went against a huge expectation of women during the victorian era. Because she grew up in a home and society of hostility where she was ostracized for feeling strongly about gender roles and conformity her character was able to develop into a very independent one. I think Jane also possessed a very strong sense of self-worth so I don’t really believe she “sells out” at the end just because she chooses to be with Mr. Rochester. She made this choice because it was how her heart and mind felt and that doesn’t mean her self worth was lessened, she stayed very true to her character. I also think by making this type of decision after leaving initiality she is just proving that she can make decisions on her own, regardless of how difficult they might be. Jane Eyre is still a free, strong independent woman who has never been afraid to act upon how she feels and we see that in her decision to be with Mr. Rochester as well as how she is as a person.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement that Jane is just following her heart. There's certainly nothing wrong with loving somebody and Jane just had to completely love herself before giving her heart to someone else. She learned to maintain respect for herself while caring for another.
DeleteFrom a very young age, Jane Eyre was repeatedly abused and oppressed by her Aunt Reed and extended family. She didn’t fit in like the rest of them and was accused of being a disobedient, ugly, and wicked child. As a result of her childhood, Jane Eyre followed a path of transformation into an independent young woman who survived upon a necessary love for herself. Jane’s strong character prevents her from giving in to numerous temptations set before her in the novel. Mr. Rochester is the most powerful temptation of all, for Jane learns to love him like no one else and yearns to care for him as an equal. However, she ultimately refuses to be an object that he can claim as his own. She cannot submit to his world of luxuries, fancy clothing, and pleasures before truly finding herself and a developing the self-love that she lacked as a child. Additionally, despite her familial love for her cousin, St. John Rivers, she repeatedly and firmly refuses his request for marriage out of respect for herself. She knows that she could never be his wife while lacking the romantic love she felt towards Mr. Rochester. Through these strong-willed decisions, Jane manages to fully develop as an independent, free-willed young woman and then proceeds to return to her beloved Mr. Rochester. At the end of the novel, Jane Eyre certainly does not “sell-out” because her relationship to Mr. Rochester is no longer built on submission and luxuries. Instead, she is a loving wife, companion, and caregiver who is considered Mr. Rochester’s equal. She maintains her integrity by allowing herself to love both herself and someone else from the depths of her soul.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre has a strict moral compass that she follows throughout her whole life. Jane has a different set of morals than her friend from the Lowood School, Helen Burns, who follows a more of a forgive and forget way of living. Jane always seems to forgive and never forget as past injustices are never truly undone. Jane's cousins John, Georgina, and Eliza and her Aunt Mrs. Reed are all very cruel to her as she grows up but when she returns to Gateshead since her Aunt Reed his dying she is able to forgive her cousins and be civil with them (except John who had committed suicide) in conversation. Jane also follows this set of morals closely when she meets Mr. Rochester. Jane finds it tough to follow this compass when she is around him as she falls in love with him. Jane is very tempted to break this moral compass several times including once when she considers to become Rochester's mistress after she finds out she can not marry him because of Bertha Mason. As Jane is going to leave Thornfield she stops in front of Rochester's door and is about to barge in and agree to become his mistress but she stops herself. Jane almost deviates from her morals again with her cousin St. John Rivers who is constantly encouraging her to marry him and join him in India as she would make a great missionary's wife. Jane is about to say yes to this after much pestering but hears Rochester's voice in her head and decides she must go to him. Jane never sells out although she does come awfully close several times. When she marries Rochester it is okay because Bertha Mason is now dead and they can marry lawfully.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre is born in the singular position that her parents had disappointed their families and that she was unloved by her only willing guardian. She grows up in a position that although we abhor, we can understand; her aunt dislikes her because her husband was fixated with Jane. Her cousins dislike her and abuse her because their mother permits it and sometimes furthers it. This apparently creates a person who is self-righteous and who feels entitled to break the most sacred of Victorian covenants, authority and in this case her aunt’s, exemplified in her outburst against Mrs. Reed in the beginning of the book. She then attends a boarding school whose directorate is less than desirable, yet she flourishes in these harsh conditions; an example of great resilience and a needed quality for a person of the time. When she meets Helen she discovers that people other than her suffer, and they have different ways of coping with their martyrdom. The next show of character happens when she meets Rochester and is infatuated with the personage he represents seemingly mostly because he is the first man to respect her as an intelligent person. (I think this is a poor basis for a marriage supposedly done out of ‘love’). Yet she seems to like martyrdom since she tortures herself needlessly by leaving Rochester once she finds out he already has a wife and cannot marry him, even when his current marriage is a hell no one should wish on a person. When she finally finds a man who is willing to marry her for her prospects and not for passion, thus playing into her idea of integrity and marriage (a nonsensical folly at the time since you never married a man of station for love), she rejects him because there is no passion between them. She then agrees to marry Rochester because his previous wife died in a holocaust of her own making and he is now maimed both physically and emotionally, somehow making them equal now that Rochester had lost most of what made him. While this book was beautifully written it misrepresents the possibilities of the time and while it is an inspiration today that a person could deny herself something to be more than society has made her out to be, it seems woefully misfitting for the era.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the novel, it was apparent that Jane Eyre possessed a quality that most girls of her time did not. She endured an abusive childhood living with her Aunt Reed, who regarded Jane as baggage and cared less than minimally about her well-being. Beginning with her unfortunate childhood, Jane faces many obstacles and situations that shape her into the fully independent and self-respecting person that her character becomes. An example of a massive obstacle that challenges Jane's character is her relationship with Mr. Rochester. She falls in love and wants to marry him, but realizes the way he is treating her by blinding her with luxuries is not how she wants to feel in a relationship. She also finds out that she would be a mistress to Mr. Rochester as it is revealed he already has a wife. Leaving behind this man and a job that she loved showed the strength of Jane's character and the self-love and respect and had come to find. Though she marries Mr. Rochester, I do not believe she was selling out. His wife had died and it was clear Jane felt that she was finally an equal in their relationship. I believe that going back to Mr. Rochester was not a defeat in Jane's character, but a victory, because she got to be with the one she loves without compromising her values and integrity.
ReplyDeleteJane Eyre grows up caught in between class boundaries and financial standings, brought up as an orphan in a home abundant with money but lacking love and being told she was less than a servant. She feels isolated and longs for freedom and the family she never had. From the beginning, she has a strong set of principles, a surprising sense of self-worth, and a hate of injustice, which she personally faced from her Aunt Reed and cousin John Reed. Eventually she stands up for herself and gains the opportunity to leave Gateshead Hall to start her education at Lowood School. There she gains acknowledgement for her studies and later becomes a teacher there. She also gets to know Helen Burns, who adopts a forgiving attitude, which amazes Jane, but she is not able to adopt it, always standing up to injustice. She defies normal gender roles by getting a job as a governess, becoming independent for the first time. At Thornfield Hall, she falls deeply in love with Mr. Rochester. Before they got married however, she finds out he is married to Bertha Mason, and her strong principles take over, making her leave immediately instead of becoming Mr. Rochester’s mistress. She then meets St. John Rivers and his sisters, and she discovers that they are her blood relatives. She becomes St. John’s pupil and her own personality is stifled by his controlling manner. From her encounter with St. John, Jane is able to see that while hard work and ethics can be useful to a person, they cannot make someone truly and completely happy. At this point she runs back to Rochester, finding him blind and crippled, but marrying him for love.
ReplyDeleteThroughout the book, Jane learns self-control, mainly through practicing Christianity, learning when to forgive and when to stand up and say something. She is a very contradictory character, striving to be independent, but in the end content to humbly serve her “master”, Mr. Rochester. Does she sell-out at the end of the book? She does not become Rochester’s mistress, but his wife, Bertha having already died. However, she went running back to Rochester after realizing how strong her love for him was, and before she even knew Bertha was dead. To her younger self she would be considered a sell-out. However, over time she grew, her principles shifted and she remained true to those new principles. At the end I do not think Jane would have considered herself a sell-out.