Preview

Religion In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
987 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Religion In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre
Religion seems to play a part in the everyday life of society. For many people it reassures and teaches that there’s a greater good in control of this dangerous unpredictable world. Religion also gives many the strength to find hope in tough trials and hardships. Hope is the desire for something to happen; a longing for the future to be better than it was. Religion and hope are two main themes from the novel written by Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is the tale of a young girl named Jane who lived and was raised an orphan in the home of her un-loving extended family. When considered to be “old enough” her aunt sent her away to a boarding school. Readers get to see Jane transform into a strong, smart, spiritual, and loving woman throughout …show more content…
Jane is introduced to two characters that have a different views on religion. The first character is Mr. Brocklehurst. Mr. Brockelhurst is the headmaster of the school that Jane attends. He makes it his main duty to teach the children at Lowood school who don't know about God, about God (Shmoop Editorial Team). Unfortunately, Mr. Brockelhurst often misinterprets the Bible. For example, one day Mr. Brockelhurst read in the Bible to not be conformed to nature. One of the pupils at the school has naturally curly hair, and upon hearing this he says,”’Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish these girls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I have again and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arranged closely, modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl’s hair must be cut off entirely (Bronte 117).” Mr. Brocklehurst often uses what he reads in the Bible to back up what he wants out of his students, but since he misinterprets what God wants, he instills his own false wishes upon his students. The second religious influence is Helen Burns. Helen befriends Jane when Jane first attends Lowood. Helen is a positive influence that helps Jane get accustomed to the new school. Aside from that, Helen is devout to her Christian faith. Often telling Jane to, “"Read the New Testament, and observe what Christ says, and how He acts; make His word your rule, and His conduct your …show more content…
In this society, many kids grow up in the same type of unloving home as Jane does. Jane Eyre shows that these kids can have a brighter future if they work hard and study. Jane is truly a heroine that can give many teenagers hope for a better tomorrow. As her journey through life continues, Jane chooses to reject the two religious examples in her life and chooses to compromise on middle ground. Many girls and women read this book because of the influential female lead. Jane perseveres through hard times and achieves greatness by being able to make an impact on other lives while teaching. Jane breaks the typical idea of an average women in her time by getting a education which could be considered equivalent to a mans (Shmoop Editorial Team). By rejecting multiple marriage proposals throughout the book, Jane proves that women don’t need men to thrive (Shmoop Editorial Team). Jane also shows that is not necessary to follow others religious opinions when you can carve your own understandings out. Jane guides herself through life sticking to moral and religious values that she creates for herself. She is truly a female heroine that shows that hard work, dedication, and being studious can get you anywhere if you work hard enough. In conclusion, there are many themes in Jane Eyre. But the two most important in Jane Eyre are religion and hope. These two themes go together as they help

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Jane Eyre grows throughout the novel. Other characters help her along her path of change, whether they are friend or foe. Jane is at first a young child that is completely dependent on others at and is trampled on and mistreated by the antagonists, Mrs. Reed and her son. Their mistreatment helps her to develop confidence and independence, because she finally has the courage to stand up for herself and realize that she is not below them. More noble characters in the novel such as Helen help Jane’s character development…

    • 410 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jane Eyre was a nine year old orphan who lived with her aunt, Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed didn't want Jane, so therefore she was sent to Lowood Charity School to be disciplined. On her first few hours of being there, Jane finds out that only Mr. Brocklehurst, the master of the school, was the only one allowed to decide what happened there. One afternoon Jane decided to draw a portrait of who had become her friend, Helen Burns, and asked her to take off her cap to expose her beautiful red hair. When Mr. Brocklehurst saw that his rules were not being followed, he asked them to be taken in order. Since Jane was a rebel and thought that this was not righteous, she contradicted what he had ordered. As punishment, their hair had to be cut off. One of the kind women who worked there, Ms.…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Helen Burns represents a christian ideal that Jane admires but does not aspire to. Jane, with her intense awareness of self and her fierce sense of justice, could never adopt Helen’s attitude of resignation and forgiveness,” (Yuen 1). In my opinion, this statement is false because I feel that Jane eventually learns how to forgive and that she will soon start to aspire to be like Helen. For example, when she goes back to her dying aunt, even though the aunt treated her very poorly. “ Love me, then, or hate me, as you will, you have my full and free forgiveness,”(Bronte 257). A statement that I agree with in her essay is, “Through these experiences and vicissitudes Jane’s personality becomes more withdrawn, so that from the solitary child she grows into the quiet, grave young women,”(Yuen 1). I agree with this statement because when Jane was young, she was often shunned and despised by her family, but as she, she became more independent.“ I did not wish either car or carriage to meet me at Millcote. I proposed to walk the distance quietly by myself,”(Bronte 261). This quote shows how she wanted to travel by herself quietly. Through her experiences, she becomes quiet with her thoughts and becomes…

    • 715 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre tells the story of Jane’s growth and development as she searches for a meaningful existence in society. Author Faith McKay said, “No matter what your family happens to be like…it affects who you are. It matters.” Jane is an orphan, forced to battle a cruel guardian, a patriarchal society, and a rigid social order. (Anderson, “Identity and Independence in Jane Eyre”) Jane has concrete beliefs in what women deserve, as well as obtainable goals for how she imagines her place in society as a woman (Lewkowicz, “The Experience of Womanhood in Jane Eyre”) and with self-growth, Jane Eyre was able to define herself as well as equip herself with wisdom and…

    • 116 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    One of the most important and widely accepted mores of the Victorian era is Christianity. Everyone is expected to believe in Christ and follow the precedents he has set throughout their life. Bronte exhibits this when Jane has been traveling through the woods and surrounding towns of Moor house for several days and believes she is going to meet her demise. Jane falls to the ground and utters, ‘“I can but die,’ I [say], ‘and I believe in God. Let me try to wait His will in silence”’ (Bronte 387). Jane is a good Christian and has always believed in God and done her best to obey his rules. For believing in him Jane believes she shall be saved in death, for God shall gladly accept all Christians into the afterlife. Then Bronte proves how true this belief is. After voicing her belief in God, Jane is saved from a lonely death by St.…

    • 1660 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Raised in an atmosphere that was overwhelmed with animosity seldom not directed towards her, Jane experienced the cold world without having to leave home. It is here where she was isolated from all essence of love, truth, and guidance. There was nothing to lean on spiritually because she was far too young to comprehend what faith meant. Being young, however, is not always the same as being ignorant. Though she may not have been able to understand everything about spiritual beliefs, she was able to distinguish between right and wrong, and knew that the nature of her treatment was not at all Christian behavior. Thankfully, she was able to escape briefly this turmoil, and enter into the world of education.…

    • 880 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Every topic in life can be portrayed as a controversial issue. There always have been two sides to every discussion and there always will be two sides. In the novel Jane Eyre, feminism is portrayed as the main controversial issue. In the early 19th century, women lived in a world that measures the likelihood of their success by the degree of their “marriageability”, which would have included their family connections, economic status and beauty. Women were also subject to the generally accepted standards and roles that society had placed upon them, which did not necessarily provide them with liberty, dignity or independence. This novel explores how Jane defies these cultural standards by her unwillingness to be defined by “marriageability”, unwillingness to submit herself to a man’s emotional power and her desire for independence while keeping her dignity.…

    • 859 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte portrays the life of a young girl named Jane Eyre and the cruelties she experiences and witnesses in her life. Jane lives at Gateshead the house of her late uncle, with Mrs. Reed, her aunt and three cousins: John, Georgiana, and Eliza. Her family at Gateshead treats her poorly, they abuse her and wonder why she stays with them at Gateshead. Soon they send her off to a school for girls where Jane is introduced to unfamiliar people and a diverse way of life. Three of the countless individuals that Jane encounters all have their own views of Christianity that affect Jane. The three, Helen, Brocklehurst and St. John, each provide Jane with a different understanding of religion and morality.…

    • 550 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Self Respect In Jane Eyre

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre illustrates the significance of self-respect, confidence, and integrity in overcoming several predicaments. Bronte portrays this through Jane, who possesses both a sense of self-worth and dignity, which are continually tested and depicted throughout the novel. These attributes are illustrated when she refuses St. John’s hand in marriage, leaves Rochester after discovering his secret that he is married, and when she bravely stands up to Mrs. Reed.…

    • 1114 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Religion plays a prominent role in the life of Jane Eyre, and arguably the two most religious characters she encounters are Helen Burns and St. John Rivers. Both play similar—if slightly different—parts in Jane’s own personal faith. Both portray a noble and self-sacrificial Catholicism. But while Jane may admire these characters and try to emulate the qualities they possess, she ultimately bends toward her own style of faith—one that is self-affirming rather than self-denying; one more Protestant than Catholic.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Archetype Research Project

    • 1916 Words
    • 8 Pages

    “Jane Eyre” was written in 1847 by Charlotte Brontë. The novel follows Jane Eyre from her childhood as the family scapegoat, through her schooling at a poorly managed charity school, and later when she becomes a governess and falls in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. Jane’s journey is in search of the love and acceptance of others, she goes through many trials before reaching her goal. The theme that Brontë creates using the archetype of the journey is: In times of hardship you must persevere and not lose sight of yourself and your morals while striving to find happiness. This is one of the most important messages that she is sending to her readers through Jane Eyre. She does this by giving multiple examples of Jane’s strength.…

    • 1916 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Published in 1847, under the pseudonym Currer Bell, Jane Eyre, is “ one of the most widely read of English novels.” Written by Charlotte Bronte, this novel made a major impact on the Victorian reading public, as well as today’s viewing public. With about thirteen television and film adaptations, it is not surprising that Jane Eyre is one of the most filmed novels. Unlike most books of its time, Jane Eyre took its readers on a journey into the restricted life of women living in the nineteenth century. For certain, these nineteenth century women were dominated by the overbearing men of their time. Thought to be submissive and unreasoning, women were expected to allow the men in their lives to make all decisions. In this novel, Jane Eyre, an orphan, applies the education and tools she gained throughout her life of struggle to become a strong, independent woman. Along the way, Jane repeatedly faces alienation from society, yet works to find happiness for herself. Through this, it is evident that Bronte conveys an alienation theme by exhibiting Jane’s isolation from society, and Jane’s struggle to find a place in the social hierarchy.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Religion In Jane Eyre

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Throughout the novel Jane Eyre, the main character, Jane, not only struggles to find herself and her purpose, but also attempts to find her own outlook of religion. On her journey, she meets three drastically different variations of Christian faith. Although she does not accept any religion of those that she encounters, these characters eventually lead her to the discovery of her own outlook on God. The first character she comes across is Mr. Brocklehurst, the owner of Lowood and a harsh and hypocritical Christian. She immediately rejects Mr. Brocklehurst’s religious views as his abuse of power fueled by his beliefs becomes apparent. During her stay at Lowood, Jane meets Helen Burns, a Christ-like character devoted to her faith. Helen’s…

    • 977 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    His job—human labeling, assigning colors to every individual: white, black, red and yellow. He knew full well the importance of such identification, for in the society where these humans are to be assigned, color coding, also known as racial classification, is critical because it constructs access to power, prestige, and economic gain. In this system, race is a social institution and arrangement, classifying labor, housing, and political representation along racial lines, thereby allowing one to produce and reproduce real-life differences (Glen 14). Unfortunately, his once perfect human labeling system malfunctioned when the black and white colors began to mix. This malfunction caused havoc within the assigned structured and segregated society.…

    • 1967 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    As she leaves for her school, Jane is a passionate and rebellious child and one who is extremely sensitive to injustice. This rebellious nature of hers however is greatly corrected at Lowood, a charity institution for orphan girls where they were taught to be “hardy, patient and self denying”. However one must ask that when Jane leaves for Lowood, has her character already been formed or if she is in the process of becoming that specific definite person who Jane Eyre turns out as. This will help one understand whether Lowood formed or reformed her or to find out if she remained the same.…

    • 2163 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics