Jane Eyre Essay

Jane Eyre, a novel written by Charlotte Bronte takes place in the early 19th century and moves throughout five locations in England. The tone is very romantic. Jane searches for belonging and finds it in the end.

Jane Eyre, the protagonist and narrator of the novel comes off as very smart, and honest, but she is a plain girl who has a lot of suffering in her life. She meets many people who try to oppress her independence, but she keeps her assertiveness and morals. Jane becomes employed by Edward Rochester. They are married in the end. He is very wealthy but also very secretive. He suffers a life of roaming England trying to avoid his youthful mistakes. Rochester reveals that he had an insane wife, Bertha Mason. He keeps her locked in a room at Thornfield and she eventually ruins Rochesters second wedding and burns down the estate while in the process killing herself.

Mrs. Reed, Janes unkind aunt who raises her and sends her away to Lowood, resents Jane because her husband always loved Jane more than Mrs. Reed and her children. Bessie shows Jane the only kindness she sees in her childhood as a maid at Mrs. Reeds estate.

Georgiana, Eliza, and John Reed are Janes cousins. They treat Jane very cruely as a child. Georgiana becomes her friend later in life and also marries a wealthy man. Eliza becomes part of a convent. John commits suicide because his mother will not pay off his gambling debts.

Mr. Brocklehurst, the master at the school at Lowood, lives a very wealthy life but gives the girls a deprived life. After a typhus outbreak at the school, the public has him fired. Miss Temple acts as one of Janes only positive role models in life when she teaches at Lowood. Helen Burns, Janes best friend at Lowood, dies of consumption while Jane lies next to her.

The novel starts with a ten-year-old Jane Eyre. She lives with her rich aunt and mean cousins. Mrs. Reed blames Jane for a fight between her and John. Her punishment is being sent to the red room where her uncle died, she has a fit and has to see a doctor who suggests she goes to school.

The aunt decides to send her to a school called Lowood. Mr. Brocklehurst, a cruel religious man who is very hypocritical in his treating of the students and his own family, acts as headmaster. Jane makes a best friend at Lowood names Helen Burns. Helen does not have the stubbornness and will of Jane. An outbreak of typhus runs through the school because of the terrible conditions of the girls living. Jane stays healthy, but Helen dies of consumption in Janes arms.

Soon, the public finds out about the horrible treatment the girls get at the school, they have Mr. Brocklehurt replaced. Jane becomes a great student. She attends for six years and teaches for another two. She becomes restless there and looks for another job. She finds one and becomes the governess for a little French girl named Adele at the home of Thornfield.

She finally meets her employer Edward Rochester who seems to be a stern man who hides his past. Jane begins to see other weird things happening at Thornfield, such as the terrible laugh she hears at night and the fire set in Rochesters room.

Jane starts to fall in love with Rochester because they share the same intellect. Miss Ingram comes to the estate and Rochester decides to marry her, even though she only wants him for the money. An old friend of Rochesters visits as well and is attacked said to be from the seamstress. Jane tends to him. Later, Jane learns that Rochester lined up another job for her because of his marriage.

Jane returns to the Reeds home because her aunt is dying. When she gets back to Thornfield, Rochester tells her that he knows Ingram only wants in it for money and asks for Janes hand in marriage instead. During their wedding, Mr. Briggs interrupts. He tells Jane that the wedding cannot go on because Rochester already has a wife. Bertha Mason, Rochesters wife, went insane and they keep her locked in the attic. Rochester confesses this to Jane. When he was young he needed to marry Mason for the money but wasnt aware of the history of insanity in the family. She became uncontrollable and locking her up was the only choice. Jane decides she cannot marry him because of this and leaves.

Jane goes to Whitcross and is forced to beg for food. However, a family of St. John, Diana, and Mary take her into their home. She loves the girls very much, but its harder to get close to St. John. She learns that her uncle has left her a large sum of money and that the Rivers are actually her family. She divides the money between all of them.

St. John goes on a missionary trip to India and asks Jane many times to marry him and accompany him. She refuses because she doesnt want to be in a loveless marriage. She starts to think about Rochester again and decides to go see him at Thornfield. However, when she gets there she sees that the entire home has been burnt to the ground by Bertha Mason. She died in the fire and Rochester was blinded while saving the others. She finds him and marries him. They have a very happy life together and he regains sight in one eye and is able to see his baby.

The major theme of this book is obviously love. Jane is looking for love and belonging throughout the entire novel. However, she is also a very independent woman. As a child, she was not loved by her aunt and cousins but Miss Temple at the school gives her the loves she desired. She also falls in love with Rochester but will not marryhim because of his first wife. St. John asks for her hand as well and she turns him down because she would rather be alone then in a loveless marriage. She goes back and accepts Rochesters proposal after she gains her own independence.

Another theme is social class. Jane has always been poor living in a rich environment; The Reeds, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Rochester are all very wealthy. This causes her low self-esteem and she is also denied opportunities, like at first, Rochesters marriage. A more well off woman is Janes competitor for his love. However, her poverty also makes her more generous shown when she divides her inheritance with her cousins.