Jane Eyre's Lessons In Inner Beauty The notion of beauty, what it is and whether it is an inner or outward quality, has been long debated. For centuries people, and particularly women, have struggled with the concept of their own inner beauty as something as important, if not more important than their outward, physical beauty. This is no less true in literature. The idea of female inner beauty has not always been valued. In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, the protagonist, Jane, rejects her own outer beauty in favour of nurturing her intellect, her humility and those other inner qualities that she herself views as beautiful. She respects her wisdom and philosophy before any of her physical attributes, partly because of her need as a child to read, partly from the lessons she is taught. The ideas she embraces as a child regarding outer beauty are reinforced as they reappear in her adulthood. For the duration of novel, Jane lives in five homes. In each, the suggestion of inner beauty overshadowing exterior appearance becomes a lesson, built upon over time, and in her last home she gains her reward, a man who loves her solely for her mind.

Jane Eyre spends the first part of her childhood at her Aunt's house, known as Gateshead, where she struggles to become more intelligent through reading. Jane always has a burning need to learn, despite her cousin's insistence, "You have no business to read our books; you are a dependent" (pg. 42). Jane perseveres. Rather than give up, she requests Gulliver's Travels from the library. Upon its receipt, Jane comments, "This book I had again and again perused with delight" (pg. 53). While her quest for self-improvement is met always with criticism and opposition from her cousins, Jane continues to have a thirst for knowledge. She may be treated like an outcast...

Jane spends the next six years of her life there, learning to be an intelligent and morally stringent person, while remaining outwardly plain. Here, the lessons in outer and inner beauty lie in the hands of Mr. Brocklehurst, who is the institution's main benefactor. When he sees a girl with hair that is naturally curly he proclaims, "My mission is to mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh, to teach them to clothe themselves with shamefacedness and sobriety" (pg. 96). Jane's young age and Mr. Brocklehurst's strong influence greatly affect her opinion of her own physical image. She comes to feel that her status in life remains, as it always will, humble and inconspicuous as a servant. The only benefit Jane received at Lowood was a good education. Jane's love for education is as fiery as was her desire to read at Gateshead, which is demonstrated when Jane explains that she "had the means of an excellent education placed within my reach; a fondness for some of my studies, and a desire to excel in all" (pg. 115). Her education is obviously more valuable to her than her perception of her own appearance. She remains at Lowood as a teacher for a time after she graduates.
After leaving Lowood, Jane takes a job which places her at Thornfield manor as a governess. Jane quickly falls in love with the master of the house, Mr. Rochester. He is not attractive, and most people, such as Georgianna, describes his image in a portrait as, "an ugly man" (pg. 262). Yet Jane falls deeply in love with him because of his outstanding intellect and the equality she feels with him. Her feelings remain underground for…