How Does Bronte Create Tension and Suspense in Jane Eyre’s Walk Into Hay.
Jane Eyre, as the eponymous character, has become closer and better known to us than to any familial member or friend. Because of this we understand the way she writes, and subsequently how she views her own new environment. Her vivid descriptions and powerful imagery remind us of where her imagination (more spirited than that of any other child) originated in the time spent engaged in Bewick’s ‘History of British Birds’, her only form of escapism from the dreary conditions at Gateshead Hall. So the descriptive element reminds the reader of the sharp contrast between her current peaceful, contented life and that of her childhood.
This leaves us suspicious of the almost too idyllic situation in which Jane leaves the house. The first phrase of her walk, “The ground was hard, the air was still, my road was lonely” carries a sense of foreboding through the negative associations injected into each of the words through use of a tricolon. If taken as a metaphor of Jane Eyre’s situation we can still see how dire it is, with no money/personal property (hard ground), no progression (still air) and no connections or true friends (lonely road). This drastic change in our perception creates tension and suspense, leaving us wondering if this foreboding is foreshadowing another downfall. In the very next sentence there is an out-of-place word, ‘brooding’, a word with sinister connotations, unsuitable for describing a scenic, calm walk. When paired with the word ‘pleasure’ it creates an oxymoron furthering the confusion and anticipation of something happening. Another example creating this effect is ‘glided a dog’; the term ‘glide’ tends to refer to supernatural creature like ghosts which could be a reference to the red room ordeal. In the following paragraph each positive, descriptive word is twinned with a word that diminishes its normal effect, for example ‘low-gliding’ and ‘pale-beaming’. These subtle hints at a deterioration of circumstances do not go unnoticed. A
This leaves us suspicious of the almost too idyllic situation in which Jane leaves the house. The first phrase of her walk, “The ground was hard, the air was still, my road was lonely” carries a sense of foreboding through the negative associations injected into each of the words through use of a tricolon. If taken as a metaphor of Jane Eyre’s situation we can still see how dire it is, with no money/personal property (hard ground), no progression (still air) and no connections or true friends (lonely road). This drastic change in our perception creates tension and suspense, leaving us wondering if this foreboding is foreshadowing another downfall. In the very next sentence there is an out-of-place word, ‘brooding’, a word with sinister connotations, unsuitable for describing a scenic, calm walk. When paired with the word ‘pleasure’ it creates an oxymoron furthering the confusion and anticipation of something happening. Another example creating this effect is ‘glided a dog’; the term ‘glide’ tends to refer to supernatural creature like ghosts which could be a reference to the red room ordeal. In the following paragraph each positive, descriptive word is twinned with a word that diminishes its normal effect, for example ‘low-gliding’ and ‘pale-beaming’. These subtle hints at a deterioration of circumstances do not go unnoticed. A