Jane Eyre and the Theme of Inner Beauty Over Appearance

Introduction: Beauty as a Central Theme

The notion of beauty — what it is, and whether it is an inner or outward quality — has long been debated. For centuries, people, and particularly women, have struggled with the concept of inner beauty as something as important as, if not more important than, outward physical beauty. This is no less true in literature. The idea of female inner beauty has not always been valued.

In Charlotte Brontë'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 above any of her physical attributes — partly because of her childhood need to read, and 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 the novel, Jane lives in five homes. In each, the suggestion of inner beauty overshadowing exterior appearance becomes a lesson, built upon over time. In her last home, she gains her reward: a man who loves her solely for her mind.

Gateshead: Self-Improvement Through Reading

Jane 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" (p. 42). Jane perseveres. Rather than give up, she requests Gulliver's Travels from the library. Upon receiving it, Jane comments, "This book I had again and again perused with delight" (p. 53). While her quest for self-improvement is met with constant criticism and opposition from her cousins, Jane continues to thirst for knowledge. She may be treated like an outcast by her family, but she rejects their criticism through self-improvement, reading whenever she possibly can.

Lowood Institution: Moral and Intellectual Formation

The next location Jane calls home is the Lowood Institution. Jane spends six years there, learning to be an intelligent and morally principled person while remaining outwardly plain. Here, the lessons in outer and inner beauty lie in the hands of Mr. Brocklehurst, the institution's main benefactor. When he sees a girl with naturally curly hair 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" (p. 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 station in life remains, as it always will, humble and inconspicuous as a servant.

The one clear benefit Jane receives at Lowood is a good education. Her love for learning is as fierce as her earlier desire to read at Gateshead, as she explains: 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" (p. 115). Her education is clearly more valuable to her than her perception of her own appearance. She remains at Lowood as a teacher for a time after she graduates.

Conclusion: The Rewards of Inner Beauty

Jane's childhood was filled with struggle and hardship as she strove to maintain a life of self-improvement. Her efforts paid off in the end, as she finds herself marrying the man she has always desired — one who loves her for her mind and her heart, not her face and body. The lessons she learns as a child, expanded upon as she grows into an adult, come to fruition with the greatest prize: the hand of the man she loves. As Brontë's novel ultimately demonstrates, inner beauty — cultivated through education, moral resilience, and self-knowledge — is the most enduring and rewarding quality a person can possess.