How Does Jane Eyre Mature
Kevin Love
Professor Whitaker
English 212
14 February 2017
Equal in Spirit
The story Jane Eyre follows a girl of the same name through much of her childhood and into her young adulthood. Jane is a strong young woman which could be a result of the hardships she faced throughout her life. The people she comes across treat her like a servant and not like a person, until she meets Rochester. This adversity did not turn her into a narcissistic, foul person; rather it humbled her and made her realize that the world is not always a fair place. Charlotte Brontë’s use of Victorian England’s strict social class helps Jane Eyre as she matures into an adult through the rest of the book. After her parents died, she is forced to live with her wealthy …show more content…
Brocklehurst. Brocklehurst comes from a wealthy family and is of higher class. Jane is cautious when she learns this because she knows from Gateshead that the wealthy people of this time do not respect the poor. She finds out that Aunt Reed had warned him of Jane’s rudeness and expects him to be short tempered with her. She was right. After breaking a slate on accident, Jane was put on a stool to set an example to the other girls about what would happen if you misbehave. “My dear children… it becomes my duty to warn you that this girl, who might be on of god’s own lambs, is a little castaway-not a member of the true flock, but evidently an interloper and an alien… you must shun her example-“ (68). Brocklehurst gives Jane a cruel punishment for such a simple mistake. It is unknown whether Brocklehurst would have reacted this way had it been another girl who dropped the slate, but he most likely had some prejudice towards Jane after what Aunt Reed had told him. However, Jane does not let this public shaming embarrass her in front of the class, she even embraces it. “I mastered the rising hysteria, lifted up my head, and took a firm stand on the stool” (69). Here she accepts the punishment, although unfair, and embraces being on the stool. Had this occurred earlier while still at Gateshead, Jane may have had the same reaction when she was sent to the red room; crying herself to exhaustion. Now being older, she has learned how to deal with adversity. Later, Jane decides that it’s time for a change and takes a governess job at Thornfield
Professor Whitaker
English 212
14 February 2017
Equal in Spirit
The story Jane Eyre follows a girl of the same name through much of her childhood and into her young adulthood. Jane is a strong young woman which could be a result of the hardships she faced throughout her life. The people she comes across treat her like a servant and not like a person, until she meets Rochester. This adversity did not turn her into a narcissistic, foul person; rather it humbled her and made her realize that the world is not always a fair place. Charlotte Brontë’s use of Victorian England’s strict social class helps Jane Eyre as she matures into an adult through the rest of the book. After her parents died, she is forced to live with her wealthy …show more content…
Brocklehurst. Brocklehurst comes from a wealthy family and is of higher class. Jane is cautious when she learns this because she knows from Gateshead that the wealthy people of this time do not respect the poor. She finds out that Aunt Reed had warned him of Jane’s rudeness and expects him to be short tempered with her. She was right. After breaking a slate on accident, Jane was put on a stool to set an example to the other girls about what would happen if you misbehave. “My dear children… it becomes my duty to warn you that this girl, who might be on of god’s own lambs, is a little castaway-not a member of the true flock, but evidently an interloper and an alien… you must shun her example-“ (68). Brocklehurst gives Jane a cruel punishment for such a simple mistake. It is unknown whether Brocklehurst would have reacted this way had it been another girl who dropped the slate, but he most likely had some prejudice towards Jane after what Aunt Reed had told him. However, Jane does not let this public shaming embarrass her in front of the class, she even embraces it. “I mastered the rising hysteria, lifted up my head, and took a firm stand on the stool” (69). Here she accepts the punishment, although unfair, and embraces being on the stool. Had this occurred earlier while still at Gateshead, Jane may have had the same reaction when she was sent to the red room; crying herself to exhaustion. Now being older, she has learned how to deal with adversity. Later, Jane decides that it’s time for a change and takes a governess job at Thornfield