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“I would always rather be happy than dignified.” (Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre) Charlotte Brontë’s victorian novel, Jane Eyre, explores the ideas of independence and self-fulfillment in an oppressive society. This is conveyed through the use of setting, plot, point of view, and figurative language such as symbolism and imagery. The main character, Jane Eyre, shows a powerful obligation to be herself, a young lady attempting to hold all the uniqueness possible for a woman of her time. Jane is very independent and strong, which is shown early in the novel through her tolerance of change.
Her resistance of progress starts from the beginning of the novel and encourages her in building up a feeling of freedom and self-reliance.
During the victorian era, there was a constant battle of the sexes;women during this time were trying to gain freedom and break away from being controlled by men despite the certain advantages and disadvantages men and women were granted.
Women were expected to be familiar with being passive and submissive whilst men were the independent, strong provider for his family.
The setting of the novel contributes to the plot because it lays down the base for what is expected during the Victorian time period.
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“ Amazing as always, gave her a week to finish a big assignment and came through way ahead of time. ”
It gives more background on the oppression of women and the sexism that occurs throughout the novel. Knowing this, it proves that Jane has to try even harder for her independence and respect from others. “Poverty looks grim to grown people; still more so to children: they have not much idea of industrious, working, respectable poverty; they think of the world only as connected with ragged clothes, scanty food, fireless grates, rude manners, and debasing vices: poverty for me was synonymous with degradation”(Bronte, 63).
Jane would refuse to live with poor relatives, regardless of whether she had any and they were adoring, in light of the fact that the Reeds have trained her that poverty is constantly joined by indecency and unpleasantness.
Tone and narrator point of view also have an impact on how the story and the protagonist are conveyed.
The point of view gives insight to Jane Eyre’s feelings and emotions throughout the novel. Although the first person point of view normally expressed what is occurring around the narrator in addition to their thoughts, Jane is very limited to sharing her thoughts and talks more about what is happening around her.
Thankfully, we get to learn more about Jane through other characters. “I found you full of strange contrasts. Your garb and manner were restricted by rule; your air was often diffident, and altogether that of one refined by nature, but absolutely unused to society, and a good deal afraid of making herself disadvantageously conspicuous by some solecism or blunder; yet when addressed, you lifted a keen, a daring, and a glowing eye to your interlocutor’s face: there was penetration and power in each glance you gave; when plied by close questions, you found ready and round answers. [...] There was something glad in your glance, and genial in your manner, when you conversed: I saw you had a social heart; it was the silent schoolroom —it was the tedium of your life—that made you mournful.' (Brontë, 100)
Rochester guarantees that Jane might be stern and subdued, however, he says he can tell this is only the impact of being at Lowood as a teacher and student for an extremely prolonged stretch of time, and that with the right group of people Jane will release up a bit. Jane Eyre's tone is both Gothic and sentimental, frequently giving off a climate of secret, mystery, and even frightfulness at times. Regardless of these gothic components, Jane's identity is still friendly and the tone is likewise tender and affectionate. Her unflagging soul and willful nature further embed the book with high imperativeness and incorporate a philosophical and political flavor.
“Throughout the novel, Jane appears as a threat to the other characters. Either because she is an intruder from outside the community, because she is an enigma, or because her ideas are threatening, the other characters marginalize Jane in order to dismiss her or her ideas and thereby transform her into something non-threatening.”(Peters,1) One of the soonest and most vital of the novel's symbols is the red room. This is the place where young Jane is restricted when her close relative, Mrs. Reed, who raises the stranded youngster to the age of ten, rebukes her. For Jane, the red room is a place of fear. Here, she thinks she sees monsters and evil presences. The red room is Jane's fear of her own displeasure and her own power. The red door symbolizes how society is trapping Jane by limiting her freedom due to her gender and class.
The color red represents the emotion, fire and passion. Fire and ice, another symbol of emotion in the novel, shows the opposite sides of their personalities. Mr. Rochester has a fiery personality while St. John has a dispassionate personality, or snow and ice. Rochester and Jane and St. John and Jane both have a fire and ice relationship. The stricken tree is another source of symbolism. Below an ancient chestnut tree is where Jane and Mr. Rochester first declare their love for each other. That night, a large storm comes rolling in, and the tree is struck by lightning and split in half. This symbolizes the division between the two of them. The couple cannot be together for a time. Another example of symbolism is the torn veil. Despite the earlier signs of bad judgement, the two decide to go on with their engagement and wedding when Jane notices a tear in her veil. The tear represents the tearing apart of what marriage should unite.
The veil symbolizes impending danger. Imagery In Chapter 3, Jane tells Mr. Lloyd that her aunt has advised her of some 'poor, low relations called Eyre,' yet she discovers nothing more about them. Jane first gets insights into her uncle's presence in Chapter 10, when Bessie visits her at Lowood and notices that her dad's sibling showed up at Gateshead seven years back, searching for Jane. He didn't have room schedule-wise to come to Lowood and left to Madeira looking for riches. The weather is frequently utilized in foreshadowing. The evening previous to Jane's wedding is stormy and windy which anticipates the terrible mystery that will be uncovered on her big day. As previously mentioned, only minutes after Rochester proposes to Jane, there is a lightning storm, which portends that their coming marriage won't be great.
Jane Eyre is a well known work composed by Charlotte Bronte based on her own encounters. In this novel, the creator shapes an intense and autonomous lady who seeks after genuine romance and fairness.“Jane Eyre is a character whose strength and individuality are remarkable for her times. As a model for women readers in the Victorian period and throughout the twentieth century to follow, Jane Eyre encouraged them to make their own choices in living their lives, to develop respect for themselves, and to become individuals.”(Markley, 1)
Charlotte Brontë's Victorian novel Jane Eyre. (2022, Apr 21). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/charlotte-bronte-s-victorian-novel-jane-eyre-essay
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