Jane Eyre Essay

In the novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë describes and expresses the life of the protagonist, Jane, through the character’s own eyes. As Jane begins to explain her story to the reader, it is shown fairly quickly that she leads, perhaps not a terrible, but an ill-fated life. Brontë uses this to her full advantage, swirling different styles into the tale through Jane’s sense of self or outlook on the world, her discovery of the truths of her relationships, and the bizarre events that take place over the course of the story. These styles are romantic and gothic, and Brontë incorporates aspects from both in her novel in a way that they smoothly advance the story. The style Brontë uses for Jane’s personality is romantic. Brontë gives Jane very romantic character traits. Jane may at first be considered a very common or ordinary person but she is in truth very original, “[when Rochester expresses his surprise that she is thus]” (). Even Mr. Rochester, one of the few people she’s become close to, is surprised to discover how unique Jane’s mind is. It is her mind, in fact, that he comes to love so much. Another clear example of romanticism is how Jane freely expresses herself, “It was Bessie… but I did not stir… I was not disposed to care much for the nursemaid’s transitory anger, and I was disposed to bask in her youthful lightness of heart. I just put my two arms around her and said, ‘Come, Bessie! don’t scold!’ the action was… frank and fearless” (36). Even as a young child Jane was rather bold, and this trait only grew more as she aged. She does not hesitate to express herself even with Mr. Rochester, who was in a higher social class than herself. Being individual, thoughtful and expressing things freely, which Jane is and does, are all elements of a romantic writing style, clearly showing that Brontë uses this style in her novel. The style Brontë uses for many of the settings in Jane’s life is gothic. The events and settings that happen throughout Jane’s life tend to have a supernatural or dark feel to them. Shortly after Jane had agreed to marry Mr. Rochester for the first time there was a great storm, “It [the chestnut-tree] writhed and groaned… [It] had been struck by lightning… and half of it split away” (275-76). This is an example of gothic elements because what happens to the tree represents what is going to happen in the near future, giving it a supernatural effect. The tree comes to represent Jane’s and Mr. Rochester’s relationship; how they part ways, then come back together after a time. The school that Jane goes to as a child and young woman is described as a very gloomy place; the girls at Lowood were forced to go outside for an hour in the cramped garden, where it was so cold that they developed chilblains. After which, there was no solace because the students didn’t have enough food to revive, or fire to warm (59-60). Nearly all the children were hungry and cold; it was not until the spring that it began to get warmer and still the students were starved. Besides that, an even darker event happened at Lowood – many students, including her friend Helen, die of typhus. The presence of desolation, gloom, and mysterious events all point to Brontë having used gothic traits in her writing. Throughout the novel, Brontë combines both romantic and gothic writing styles. She does this very well, so that the reader doesn’t feel as if the story is disjointed or awkward. After Jane and Mr. Rochester’s wedding is stopped, Mr. Rochester shows Jane why they cannot get married; he shows Jane, and everyone, his current wife, Bertha, who is a schizophrenic. Knowing now that she cannot marry Edward, and she does not want to become his mistress, Jane decides to leave Thornfield for good (316-320). The romantic trait of this situation was that Jane decided to leave, even though she really did not want to, because she had to do what was best for her. The gothic aspect was Mr. Rochester’s wife; a mad-woman who was living in his attic and had tried to kill him multiple times. After about a year, Jane is once more drawn to Mr. Rochester; Jane hears Mr. Rochester’s voice call out to her right before she is about to agree to marrying St. John and decides that night that she will leave St. John and the others to pursue what she wants, and that is to find out what became of Edward (456-459). The gothic, clearly, is how Jane can hear Mr. Rochester call out to her even though they are miles and miles apart. The romantic is that, once again, Jane decides on what she is going to do based on what best for her, as an individual. In both of these situations, the romantic and gothic aspects come together and add interest to Brontë’s novel. In conclusion, Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre combines romantic and gothic writing styles fluently in order to tell Jane’s story. The romantic elements were usually infused to Jane’s own character; the way she thought, her personality, and the way she lived her life. It was the settings and events that took place, however, that held the gothic elements; Lowood, the storm, Mr. Rochester’s wife Bertha, and how she came back to Mr. Rochester himself for just a few examples. The way Brontë accomplished this feat is what drew in many people to reading, then consequently liking, her works and these affects continues to this day.