Charlotte Bronte\'s Novel Jane Eyre Illustrate Jane\'s

¶ … Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre illustrate Jane's troubled beginnings as an orphaned girl. The narrator of the story, Jane describes her being raised by her cruel aunt Mrs. Reed at the family's Gateshead Hall. At only ten years old, Jane's formative years fill with psychologically traumatic experiences. Her own aunt and cousin John act as Jane's primary antagonists at this point in the novel. Resentful of Jane and patronizing her for her poor and orphaned state, Mrs. Reed and her son John tease and patronize the young girl. But her strength of character succeeds; although at first Jane maintained a low profile at Gateshead in an attempt to ignore John's punishments, she finally reacts. Fighting John landed Jane in the red-room, but it also led her to the kind-hearted Bessie and Mr. Lloyd. Jane's honesty and ability to open up to the nurse and apothecary garner sympathy and she gains personal awareness of her feeling estranged at Gateshead. Bessie and Mr. Lloyd encourage Jane to go to school, and Jane's confidence increases. She endures Mrs. Reed and her cousins but does not shy away from talking back. Her spunk and personal spirit enable Jane to survive her difficult years at Gateshead Hall and provide a foundation of character that she carries with her into young adulthood.

All of Jane's difficulties at Gateshead Hall stem from interpersonal problems with her arrogant relatives. Jane's aunt goes so far as to forbid the young girl to associate with her cousins. Jane's cheekiness prevails by Chapter Four, when she finds the courage to say directly to Mrs. Reed, "I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as you live." Despite their continued taunting of Jane, the girl still maintains her confidence, esteem, and integrity and indeed grows from the experience. She embarks upon the next phase of her life with some trepidation but never succumbs to the malevolence of the Reed family members. Mrs. Reed even attempts to sabotage Jane's happiness at Lowood by misinforming Mr. Brocklehurst that Jane is a liar. Luckily, Jane finds a friend in Bessie, who sings to her and cheers her up before her departure.

Jane's disgraced position in the Reed household as does not deter her spirit. Although she finds herself an outcast, even physically imprisoned at one point, Jane manages to maintain integrity and mature. When Jane learns the truth about her parents, it becomes clear that the Reeds' cruelty towards her has its roots in class discrimination: her mother married a poor clergyman and was subsequently disowned. Jane, a product of that union, has been disowned by her wealthy aunt. Her banishment to the red-room acts a metaphor for Jane's being constrained by distorted societal values. Jane's father contracted typhus while caring for the poor; his life was one of kindness and compassion and yet these things are not valued at Gateshead. But Bessie proves to Jane that the entire world is not as cruel as Mrs. Reed and John. When Mrs. Reed instructs John not to associate with Jane, Jane responds in kind. Her lack of participation in family holiday activities only serves to embolden the young Jane.