An Interpretation of Passages from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre
By: Charlotte Bronte
1. “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so somber, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercises was now out of the question.
I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed” (Bronte 1). Ch. 1
These are the opening statements to the novel. Within this passage, a part of Jane’s character has already been revealed. At first it appears that she is saddened by the fact that she is not able to go for a walk outside, due to the disappointing tone that is exerted through her description of the clouds as ‘somber’ and the rain as ‘penetrating’. This shows that Jane might be misleading throughout the novel, with a seemingly conflicting personality, suggesting that she may be an unreliable narrator. This passage also subtly reveals Jane’s ages; although, not specifically. “…my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed” only vaguely suggests that she may be younger than these characters. However, if seen in a different perspective, it may already establish the relationship between Jane and those characters.
It is already evidently stated that Jane does not get along with Bessie, the nurse; Jane is often reprimanded by her apparently. From the diction of Bronte, choosing the word ‘inferiority’ to differentiate Jane and the Reeds, it might suggest that the Reeds are of some importance and Jane is lower in such significance to them. That may explain the humility that is mentioned. Later, it is revealed that Eliza, John, and
By: Charlotte Bronte
1. “There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so somber, and a rain so penetrating, that further out-door exercises was now out of the question.
I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed” (Bronte 1). Ch. 1
These are the opening statements to the novel. Within this passage, a part of Jane’s character has already been revealed. At first it appears that she is saddened by the fact that she is not able to go for a walk outside, due to the disappointing tone that is exerted through her description of the clouds as ‘somber’ and the rain as ‘penetrating’. This shows that Jane might be misleading throughout the novel, with a seemingly conflicting personality, suggesting that she may be an unreliable narrator. This passage also subtly reveals Jane’s ages; although, not specifically. “…my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed” only vaguely suggests that she may be younger than these characters. However, if seen in a different perspective, it may already establish the relationship between Jane and those characters.
It is already evidently stated that Jane does not get along with Bessie, the nurse; Jane is often reprimanded by her apparently. From the diction of Bronte, choosing the word ‘inferiority’ to differentiate Jane and the Reeds, it might suggest that the Reeds are of some importance and Jane is lower in such significance to them. That may explain the humility that is mentioned. Later, it is revealed that Eliza, John, and