In the story of Jane Eyre the characters demonstrate various degrees to which passion have an effect on ones future. Whether it is a task requiring action or a matter of the heart, passion in Jane Eyre adds vigor to any pursuit deemed worthy. Occasionally when passion goes unchecked it consumes common sense, leaving rational thought as debris. The female characters in Jane Eyre were consistently discouraged (with degrees of failure) from articulating their passions because it did not fit societys view for women.
As Jane Eyre grows up at Gateshead Hall she was constantly chastised and prodded to calm her passionate nature for example as a child Janes cousin John hits her with a book and she hits him back : Dear, dear! What fury to fly at Master John! Did you ever see such a picture of passion! (24). After John Reed assaults her even then Jane refuse to submit to an unjust punishment. Looking back Jane recalls: I was conscious that a moments mutiny had already rendered me liable to strange penalties and like any other rebel slave, I felt resolve in desperation to go all lengths (24
When Jane Eyre moved from Gateshead Hall into Lowood Orphanage her passion becomes more controlled once she meets with Helen Burns an orphan who instilled in her the means of unlimited energy and gives it focus. At Janes commencement at Lowood she stood up for things concerning her close friend, even when it meant disregarding
authority. Jane explains to Helen that if Miss Scatcherd were to beat her with the rod she would not put up with the ill treatment. And if I were in your place I should dislike her: I should resist her; if she struck me with that rod, I should get it from her hand; I should break it under her nose (65). For Jane who had endured so much at the hand of her family that would be her only means of retaliation, but Helens reply to her was: It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you and besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil (65).
Helens influence was redirecting Janes fury and passionate manner from earthly concerns to a more spiritual one. The sense of purpose and peace of mind Jane gained from her affiliation with Helen at Lowood allowed her to grow into a more even-tempered individual. At Helens passing the results of Jane's attachment became evident in the change in her behavior. "I had imbibed something of her nature and much of her habits; more harmonious thoughts: what seemed better regulated feelings had become inmates of my mind"(92).
Passion is force that motivates acts of kindness or crimes of lust depending on the circumstances surrounding the conflict. Edward Rochester moved from love to hate as he described his encounter and inevitable separation from Celine, a French dancer and Adele's mother. Once quite fond of Celine, he loathed her later on when he found her cheating on him with a rival: "When I saw my charmer thus come in accompanied by a cavalier, I seemed to hear a hiss, and the green snake of jealousy, rising on undulating coils from the moonlit balcony, glided within my waistcoat and ate its way in two minutes to my heart's core" (148). Thinking of himself rid of this "snake" he told Jane of Celine and her lover's fate for crossing him. Celine was promptly evicted from the hotel she was staying in and her lover received an even worse fate: "I had the pleasure of encountering him; left a bullet in one of his poor, etiolated arms, feeble as the wing of a chicken in the pip and then thought I had done with the whole crew" (150). While this may have seemed rational to Mr. Rochester it resolved nothing in his damaged spirit: "she deserved only scorned; less however than I who had been her dupe" (149). The barbarism shown by Mr. Rochesters actions shows how passion out of control can strip the mind of reason and justifies any action regardless of whether or not it resolves any issues.
But the women of Jane Eyre were consistently focused and redirected into being more passive and fit for society. Adele as a child is always an energetic and lively talker who was later shaped into a more tractable individual. "As she grew up, a sound English education in a great measure her French defects; and when she left school, I found in her a pleasing and obliging companion: docile, good-tempered, and well principled" (438-439). Those "French defects" were the freedom of passionate, romantic expression allowed more on the European continent than in England. Adele's energy and passion was formed into a more suitable existence. While the men of Jane Eyre ran rampant, the women had their passionate natures subdued in order to fit society's mold.
The subdue passion of women in Jane Eyre is made evident by Mr. Brocklehurst's address of the students at Lowood: Madam...I have a Master to serve whose kingdom is not of this world: my mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh; to teach them to clothe themselves with shame-facedness and sobriety" (74). Women having a will or opinions of their own combined with the passion to follow their own ideals were incomprehensible seen as evil uncontrolled beings. Although Mr. Rochester was in love Jane he was never honest with her about his past concerning his wife Bertha Mason. Bertha was a woman full of passion that was so uncontrolled that she was locked up in the attic. Berthas passion for life was wild and it could not be explained so she was looked upon as a mad woman.
The stifling of the passionate nature of women is to make their behavior more palatable to English society so they would be fit for marriage because marriages helped form the basis of civilized society. Men in the 19th century England defined what made an upstanding woman to shape what they believed would make ideal wives. When St. John wanted Jane to join him on his missionary work and she could not provide an answer he decreed: "God and nature intended you for a missionary's wife. It is not personal, but mental endowments they have given you: you are formed for labour, not for love. A missionary's wife you must-shall be"(393). No investigation as to why she couldn't answer or even a moment to let her ponder his question. St. John declares Jane his and he set about his tasks as if her lack of a response equaled what he thought she should be doing.
The male characters in Jane Eyre are allowed to pursue their passions, while passionate women like Jane and Adele are suppress and only allowed to show their passion on the basis of potential marriage. Jane felt St. John would prefer a legal slave complicit in any action he undertook, rather than an equal whose opinion he values. Jane
Eyre demonstrates how the interaction between men and women should not be one sided but both sexes allowed equal and full expression of their desires and pursuits to be of full benefit to society. Passion is a valuable tool for women as well as men throughout Jane Eyre; it molds their future whether good or bad. But this passion has been proven to be different due to the era and ways in which both genders choose to express themselves. Having no passion at all, whether it is for someone or something could drive anyone crazy.
Cited Works
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Beth Newman Boston, MA: Bedford/St.Martin's 1996.
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