An essay answering the question of how does Jane Eyre grow as a character in the book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, focusing on her growth in regards to her aunt, Mrs Reed. Mainly utilises Mrs Reed's death scene in chapter 21 of the book.
Bronte presents Jane in the extract as a mature and independent woman in contrast to
earlier parts of the novel in which she is often shown to be stubborn and easily influenced by
her emotions. Her transition between the two states is one of the main focuses of the novel
and a journey the reader has been following Jane on while she moves between different
environments and learns different qualities.
Her growth as an individual is best seen through her change in attitude and behaviour
towards Mrs Reed. In the extract Jane adopts a formal tone with her aunt, willing to leave
her grievances in the past and she thinks ‘it no sin to forget and break’ her vow never to
address Mrs Reed as aunt. She had made her vow in a ‘passion of resentment’ and now
acknowledges and regrets it. The emotive language often used in the beginning of the novel
and Jane’s life portrays her volatile emotions and her lack of control over them. However,
Jane does not conform to her aunt’s cold hearted methods by becoming ‘opaque to
tenderness’ and ‘insoluble to tears’ and her change in heart is accentuated by her aunt’s
enduring ‘natural antipathies’. Mrs Reed is deliberately resistant to Jane’s kindness: she is
‘opaque’ and unmoved by Jane’s tears due to her hatred. Her ‘tears had risen’ in her once
again as she ‘felt pain’ and then ‘felt ire’ when she was at her aunt’s deathbed, but she
‘ordered them back to their source’ showing maturity that her past self had not yet had the
chance to develop. The reader sees the journey Jane has gone on in the novel and is proud
when she is able to forgive her aunt for her past mistakes even though Mrs Reed still
despises her and sees Jane as a far more considerate and responsible woman than her
guardian. By seeing Jane develop these qualities with the help of Helen at Lowood and pass
them on to Rochester at Thornfield, her character arc is made far more satisfying for the
reader as they are emotionally invested in her character.
Bronte also presents Jane as determined and commanding in the extract in contrast to the
meek and vulnerable girl seen at the start of the novel. Jane is no longer willing to accept her
aunt’s mistreatment and fights back by asserting her dominance over the bedridden women.
She forcefully states that ‘it is [her] intention’ to stay with her aunt, despite the latter’s wishes,
and stays by her side unrelentingly. She also ‘leaned over the pillow’, symbolising her power
over Mrs Reed as she is dominant and towers over her. This shows a contrast between the
start of the novel where Jane is unable to stand up to the injustices done to her, begging her
aunt to ‘forgive [her]’ even though “[she] dared commit no fault”, the word ‘dared’
emphasising her fear of the woman. Earlier, Jane was also shown unable to control herself,
often described as ‘passionate and rude’. She shows improvement in control and inner
fortitude from that state when she ‘felt a determination’ and ‘ordered [her tears] back to their
source’. This improvement is ironic as Jane has not moved up in status from when she was
a young girl, neither has Mrs Reed moved down. Even so, Jane speaks to her as an equal
which makes it clear that she has learned to disregard Victorian societal standards and
speak her mind. The reader sees the strength she gained over the course of the novel and
the challenges she has overcome in order to have the will to be able to face up to her aunt in
this manner.
Lastly, Bronte presents Jane as forgiving in the extract and shows how this characteristic is a
product of her life experiences through the book. She indicates that Jane still cares for Mrs
Reed by addressing her as ‘dear aunt’, the adjective a term of endearment which Jane had
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