Throughout the novel of Jane Eyre we see the theme of education been used by Bronte to convey the hostile and rootless life of Jane, as she goes on a journey of experience. The novel Jane Eyre provides an accurate view of education in nineteenth-century England. The course of Janes Life in regard to her own education and her work in education are largely autobiographical, mirroring Charlotte Brontes own life.
At the beginning of the novel Jane educates herself as she reads, I returned to my book Bewicks History of British Birds, this reading gives Jane a sense of escapism from the Reed familys harsh treatment towards Jane. This form of education also allows Jane to explore her imagination.
At Gateshead, Jane is constrained by the form of education afflicted upon her by the Reeds, she is educated to be humble and obedient, this is illustrated through her subservient character, silence! This violence is all most repulsive. By Mrs Reed telling Jane to silence, conveys that her aunt wants Jane to know her dependency, inferior status, and her little rights. The Reed family use hegemonic control upon Jane, to educate her to be submissive. This informal form of education places constraints upon Jane, as the authority of her aunt and cousins restricts her. Jane is indoctrinated, and is made to feel inferior to the Reeds. An example of the verbal abuse Jane receives is when John Reed calls her the derogatory name Rat! She is extremely class conscious and is constantly reminded of her dependency, this indoctrination makes Jane know her place and her rights. Bronte uses this informal education that Jane endures to convey the harsh treatment that Jane goes through mentally and physically. Jane suffers social exclusion at Gateshead, and is ostracized by the Reed family; this segregation contributes in educating her to become a passive character, as she has little contact with her relatives.
Jane is given the opportunity to be educated in a formal environment at a school called Lowood Institution. At Lowood Jane suffers more constraint and indoctrination, as the headmaster Mr Brocklehurst uses a disciplinary regime to make the children at the institution humble. This suggests that Mrs Reed and Mr Brocklehurst serve the same interests in using their unnatural religious philosophy to control people. This form of education is used in an unjust manner, as it is used to impose limitations on the childrens lives. At Lowood Jane faces the same treatment as she received at Gateshead, but on a larger scale and in a religious community. Both Gateshead and Lowood work as models of Victorian society, but Brocklehurst in particular represents a form of religious doctrine that Jane instinctively rejects. His faith is all hell-fire and brimstone; he oppresses the children under his care with an extreme Evangelical zeal.
At Lowood Jane has no prospects for the future and life seems extremely mundane. Education is portrayed to Jane in a new light as a sense of hope arises when she meets the antithesis of Mr Brocklehurst, Mrs Temple who becomes a role model and has influences on Janes life. Jane and Mrs Temple share in common a belief in justice. Mrs Temple is a benevolent character who elevates the pupils spirits at Lowood, and fights for justice. Mrs Temple doesnt conform to the brutal regime, which Mr Brocklehurst has imposed. She is not afraid to express her individuality and stand out from the homogenous unit created amongst the pupils at Lowood, as she wears a Spanish trimming of black velvet, her clothing reflects her nature, in wanting to create a justified education system at the school.
Bronte wants us to understand that the regime at Lowood imposes conditions on pupils, to make them better people. Bronte portrays Mr Brocklehurst as a moral hypocrite. He is motivated by Christian mission or by money, penny pinching; he uses the Christian idea to mask the fact that he is saving money. Social control is imposed upon the pupils to ensure they know their place. Today there is social fluidity, whereas at Lowood it was to impose limitations upon peoples lives. The education at Lowood trys to deny any sense of individuality by control, and creates a homogeneous unit. This control manifests itself through the uniform the children wear, which gives a sense of corporative identity. Our clothing was insufficient to protect us from the severe cold, the poor quality of the uniform reflects the lack of care for the children, and echoes the fact that Mr Brocklehurst is only interested in saving money and not investing it into the welfare of the children, who Brocklehurst only keeps at Lowood as a Christian duty.
During Janes time at Lowood, she is befriended by Helen Burns. Jane sees religion from a pessimistic point of view, as it is used to control the children in a forceful manner. Helens stoicism allows Jane to view religion in a different light, as Helens ability to endure has influences upon Jane. There is a vast contrast between Helen and Jane, as Jane cant endure suffering, she finds an inner strength and fights for the right of Justice. Helen dies due to an outbreak of disease Lowood, the word Resurgam, meaning I shall rise again is written upon her gravestone. This echoes her stoicism views, as her ability to endure will enable her to rise again. This form of religious education broadens Janes perspective on the topic.
Jane is constantly constrained, as she moves on from constraint at Gateshead to more constraint at Lowood. Bronte uses the idea of romanticism, and portrays Jane in wanting to escape from the mundane of life and go beyond boundaries. I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer. Jane then moves on to Thormfield hall, where she becomes the governess of Adel and she meets the Byronic hero Mr Rochester. Mr Rochester has an inner floor which attracts Jane. The formal education here contrasts with the informal education Jane received at Gateshead. The theme of education throughout the novel conveys Janes journey of experience, as the romanticism, causes her to want to escape the mundane of her life, and she feels the necessity to move on.
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