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Love
Jane constantly searches for love throughout the course of the novel, but in a family way more than romantically. Due to her relatively isolated upbringing, she was never exposed to a loving and supportive family like most her age had been. When she is transported to Lowood, she believes that everything will suddenly correct itself, but this is not the case. She does find friends, such as Helen Burns, that she grows to love and cherish as a friend. Throughout the course of the novel, Jane finds people that love her unconditionally and serve as role models, such as Mrs. Fairfax, Bessie, and Mrs. Temple. Her quest for 'Home' Since Jane was orphaned as a young child, she was thrown in with a family that felt burdened to take care of her, and treated her more as a ward than anything else. Jane hated the 'home' that she grew up in, and despised the family that she had to live with. When Jane left for the Lowood Institute, she was excited at the prospect of a new beginning, but she quickly found that there were many there that she disliked almost as much as the Reids. As Jane moves throughout her different homes in the book, she constantly searches for the one place that she belongs, and where she can call home. Gender Roles At the time that Jane Eyre took place, in the 1840s, women were still very restricted with what they could say or do, how they could dress, where they could go, what kind of jobs they could hold, etc. The position of governess was one of the best, and it could be done with a relatively small amount of education. The men were still the bread-winners of the family, and this was obvious in both Mr. Brocklehurst and St. John. The way that they both speak to other women and Jane in particular reflects the social expectations of the time, in that they had the say in the home. However, Jane much enjoyed her brief time living with Mary and Diana, as they were social equals. The two were governesses also, giving the women something in common in that they were all in the same position. This made life a bit easier for Jane, since she did not have to constantly worry about social status or expectations as she had in other points of her life. |
Jane Eyre is written in first person, so that the reader experiences the story from Jane's point of view. Her style of narration (or we could say, the author Charlotte Bronte's writing style) is very straight forward and to the point. The tone is both in the Romantic and the Gothic style, which were two common tones used in the time period of Jane Eyre's creation. These elements help to add to the moments of darker times in the book, such as the early years of Jane's stay at Lowood as well as the supernatural.
The main example of figurative language in the novel would be the use of imagery. Charlotte Bronte did not use 'flowery' or extensive descriptions in the dialogue, but instead used her words to describe the settings and events taking place around Jane. One of the best uses of imagery in Jane Eyre would be when Jane describes the Red Room upon her first encounter with it. "This room was chill, because it seldom had a fire; it was silent, because remote from the nursery and kitchen; solemn, because it was known to be so seldom entered." (chapter 2) Another example of commonly used figurative language in the novel is foreshadowing. It is very common throughout the story line, and two examples would be of the moth and of the Chestnut tree (which will be addressed in Symbolism.) A moth landed close to Mr. Rochester's feet, and he observes its rarity and its un-seasonal appearance. "he reminds me rather of a West Indian insect; one does not often see so large and gay a night-rover in England; there! he is flown." (chapter 23) This shows how out of place the creature is, much like Jane is to Thornfield. Also, moths are known for being attracted to the flame, such as Jane and Mr. Rochester are to one another. |
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The Chestnut Tree
The Chestnut tree was a grand tree on the estate of Mr. Rochester. The night that Jane and Mr. Rochester are talking, and the same night that he proposes, they sit under this tree as they talk. It was on this bench that he proposed, giving it a special meaning to the two newly engaged. But after the evening ends and morning comes, Adele informs Jane that a crack of lightning cause the tree to split in two, symbolizing the split between Mr. Rochester and Jane. This would come to pass, as the exposure of Bertha would drive Jane away from the Thornfield and away from Mr. Rochester. This gave the book and added supernatural element, and showcased the Gothic style in which period this book was written. Food Food is used to show not only the difference between the various social classes of the time, but also of the happiness of the characters. For example, when Jane first arrives at Lowood, the food is quite literally spoiled and rotten. During this time, she is also struggling to fit into her new home, and she will also watch her close friend die. Later on in the book, when she becomes a teacher at Lowood, she looks forward to her hot meals, and in this time she is happy and content with her current position in life. Fire vs. Ice Throughout the novel, there are many different references to these elements. For starters, there are two fires that occur in the book- (literal fires) Bertha's setting Mr. Rochester's bed on fire and Thornfield burning down. The second one is metaphorical as well as physical, as one could argue that Mr. Rochester's ambitious desire for Jane and her consequential departure resulted in the ruin of his home (and his life, for the time being.) Also, Jane is usually the more mild-tempered of the two (the ice), and Mr. Rochester is known for his mood swings and often violent temper (the fire.) St. John is also associated with ice and snow several times, and Jane even describes him as 'cold as an iceberg.' (chapter 37) |
Sources for the pictures, top left to bottom right:
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