Jane Eyre

The sole purpose of this essay is to critically analyze the book “Jane Eyre”. This is a story about a young damsel who begins very humbly. Jane is an orphan and with no one in the world to help her, she is forced to craft her own way to succeed. The essay seeks to bring to light the many obstacles that were on her path, the social division that existed during that time and the position of women in the society. of the aim of the paper is to make one have a more clear understanding of the book “Jane Eyre”.

The “Jane Eyre” Novel and its Plots

Occasionally, new writers and authors are born whose works leave an impact on our society. The novel “Jane Eyre” written by Charlotte Bronte is one story that was gladly received by many readers during its time. The main protagonist in the novel is Jane Eyre who begins as an orphan. Of course, life is hard for the young girl, but fortunately her relatives are able to help her acquire the basic education that she needed. This marks the first step in the early stages of Jane's life. Later she gets employed as a governess and after some time gets married to her superior. She only accepts to be married after she has gained independence in her life that she so much sought. The novel closes with a happy ending which gives the books a brilliant denouement (Mettinger-Schartmann 49).

The Characters’ Role in the Novel

The novel is considered a marvelous read by many people due to its uniqueness and an alluring plot that grabs the attention of the readers. In the book “Jane Eyre”, the author is seen employing different styles and techniques which make the novel a thrill to read. The main characters in the book include Jane Eyre, Edward Rochester, St john Rivers, Helen Burns, to mention but a few. The author uses the first-person style to tell the story. For instance, one is made aware of the independent spirit that was highly thriving in the heart of Jane Eyre. From a tender age of 10 years, she is seen displaying a need to attain both physical and economic independence. In the era where the girl child was greatly discriminated against, Jane faces a lot of conflicts on this ground. Due to her strong beliefs and her unique ideas, she is able to pursue her goals and, within a matter of time, she was successful.

Another important character in the book is Mr. Edward Rochester. He is the proprietor of Thornfield Manor who later became Jane's lover and husband. Through him, the author is able to expound on the issue of class in the society. During those times, social status used to be regarded highly by people. The social class issue ended up dividing people within its lines and became a basis through which people could judge one another. Mr Edward is seen as an intelligent man filled with passion and simple at heart. Before they became lovers with Jane, he was married to Bertha Mason whom she later discovers to be a mad woman. This decision later haunts him to a point it almost threatened his marriage and his life (Bronte 190).

Another important character is Helen Burn who is brought to represent the devoted spiritual women of those times. She is seen as completely opposite to Jane and the Christian values that she upholds. Jane finds herself in conflict with such devoted Christian beliefs at first, but later she is seen borrowing some lessons from Helen when she concentrates on getting in touch with her spiritual side.

The Role of Jane in Victorian England

The author uses Jane as a symbol that represents the new race of feminism in the early Victorian

England. Through her independent spirit, Jane is seen battling with beliefs and ideas that were set up by the society concerning the place of women. This drive makes her to become a governess. She refused to accept what the society dictated. Instead, she worked through opposition to find her financial and emotional independence. Through her brave deeds, she was able to inspire more women to pursue their dreams and attain all they wanted in this life. Many can term her as a heroine since she crafted her own way to success despite the constant opposition she had to face.

The Role of Rochester in the Victorian England

At the time when the society was divided in social classes, the author uses Rochester to show how inadequate the notion was in the society. For instance, he makes a mistake of marrying Bertha all in the name of maintaining wealth only to later discover she was a mad woman. He also brings to light the typical marriage setting of the time. People who were wealthy saw it fit to give their daughters and sons in wealthy families. Ironically, it is a girl of poor beginnings that stoles his heart. The author tends to emphasize that money cannot buy love and true affection (Hale 175).

The Relationship with Rochester

Normally, most people tend to forget that money is not the source of true happiness. Much like was the case in “Jane Eyre”. The society in those days considered having wealth as the ultimate prize to possess. However, Rochester who is presented of having a different social class than Jane is able to find true and lasting love with her. Unlike the relationship between Rochester and Bertha which did end but in a tragic way, the new relationship brings out the contrast. In the end, the two are able to develop a family that is nurtured on equality, love, and good understanding of one another. Later, when Rochester losses one of his sights, it is Jane who looks after him until he comes into full recovery. This is the way marriages ought to be set in.

The Class System in the Victorian Times

The class system during those times was brought by financial state of a person. Likewise, in the book, the author is able to explore on the topic and how it affected the society. A good example could be Rochester's wedding with Bertha. Both families were of a wealthy class and saw their children fit each other to arrange marriage. Even when Jane wanted to marry Rochester, the class issues remained a problem she had to fight through. Through such instances, the author shows how deep-rooted the issue of class was in the society (Tracey 44).

Conclusion

Very often there comes a person that has to battle the obstacles and opposition of the society to succeed in the end. As portrayed in the novel “Jane Eyre”, the main protagonist faces similar hardships if not more to attain all what she wanted in her life. She is considered a champion for the rights of a new race of feminists in her society. For years, the society has dictated that the role of women is to stay home and nurture children. This was a notion that Jane was not willing to take that lightly. Equipped with some form of education and strong intuition, she was able to work through all resistance till she made it in the end. This is a story about passion and hope that will surely inspire many of its readers.