Notes on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Key Themes and Symbols in “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Brontё
● “Jane Eyre” has a retrospective narration. She reflects on her juvenile
isolation from the perspective of a grown woman who has built a life and small
community for herself, particularly evident in how she reflects upon her
relationship with the Rivers in the final chapter. Jane reflects ten years on
from her marriage.
● It’s important to remember that “Jane Eyre”’s full title is “Jane Eyre: An
Autobiography”. Whilst it is still a work of fiction, this highlights the first person
narration and the deep bond with an isolated protagonist. It also alludes to the
autobiographical aspects of the novel which parallel the life of the author.
● Typical of a Bildungsroman novel, “Jane Eyre” follows the titular character as
she pursues her aspirations, which are set against the pressures of societal
expectations. In “Jane Eyre”, Jane’s hopes of achieving both a family and
independence defy the limits placed upon her by gender and social class.
● Bertha can symbolise the mistrust placed on anything “foreign” and
un-English, as well as the unsavoury aspects of Rochester’s past.
● Judgement and Emotion: The conflict between emotion and judgement is
paramount. Jane learns balance, whilst Rochester’s principle flaw is that he
gives in to passion. Rochester and St John err in giving too much power to
either one of these motivations, but only Rochester reconciles them to win
Jane’s heart. Jane Eyre shows the necessity of avoiding either extreme,
allowing feeling and logic to exist in harmony.
● Family Vs Independence: At Gateshead, Jane is reared as a dependent,
rather than a family member. Jane wishes to escape this. Jane, Helen and
MIss Temple show the necessity of female friendship in youth, and this is
parallel by her later familial connection with Diana and Mary. Jane seeks
independence (“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me”), but is not opposed to
submission. She expresses that she would be content to serve a man if he
were worthy of it, similarly to how she submits to religion. Rather than another
shackle, however, Jane’s religious faith and marriage bolster her strength and
she believes that she has found a true equal in Rochester. Jane balances
mastery and servitude, reflected by how (at the novel’s end) she only guides
Rochester out of love, rather than compulsion.
● Societal Expectations and Class Relations: Victorian society was
dominated by social class, and people typically died in the class that they
were born into. However, the Industrial Revolution was creating a new
economy, leading to shifting social statuses. Born penniless but with noble
ancestry, Jane acts between the tightly defined classes as a governess (as
did Charlotte Brontë). Her very existence challenges the social norms of the
day. This enhances her isolation, as her social superiors are threatened by
, her and she cannot find solidarity with the serving class either. Brontë
criticises these social divisions by showing the consequences of class conflict
(like the struggles within the relationship of Jane and Rochester). Through
Jane’s assertions that she will be judged on character, not class (particularly
in the proposal scene), Brontë argues that people should be judged on their
personal virtues. Jane does follow some social rules (for example, refusing to
be Rochester’s mistress), but this is out of principle. Jane’s status as an
outsider means that she is desperate for outside approval. Jane’s marriage to
Rochester may be seen as a metaphor for resolving class differences.
● Gender: Jane defies gender roles in a struggle to be judged on her character
alone and achieve independence. At the time of publication, Jane Eyre was
considered radical for its defiance of gender roles. The men in the novel
(including Rochester) attempt to master the women in their lives, and Jane
fights to avoid the fate of Bertha Mason, a woman controlled by her husband.
● Religious Faith: Jane matures in embracing Christian teachings and
rejecting the temptations offered by Rochester (as taught to her by Helen).
There is an irony in the contrast between the novel’s religious subtext and its
Gothic elements.
● The Supernatural: A tenet of Gothic literature, this accentuates the suspense
of the novel. Images of the supernatural allow Brontë to examine her
character’s inner thoughts (such as Jane’s fears with the Red Room). The
supernatural aspect of the Red Room initially accentuates the sense of Jane’s
isolation. However, later, the supernatural manifests itself in the telepathic
bond between Jane and Rochester, forming a spiritual connection which
compliments (rather than defies) love and religion.
● Ice and Fire: The conflict between reason and emotion. Either on their own is
unpleasant, and Jane learns to temper them with each other. This highlights
the difference between Jane and Bertha, who quite literally embraces fire and
successfully burns down Thornfield.
Quotations on Social Class and Rules in Jane Eyre
● “You have no business to take our books; you are a dependant, mama says;
you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to
live here with gentlemen's children like us.”- John Reed, to Jane (Chapter 1)
● “I don't think, sir, you have a right to command me, merely because you are
older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your
claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and
experience.”- Jane Eyre, to Rochester (Chapter 14)
● “He is not to them what he is to me," I thought: "he is not of their kind. I
believe he is of mine;—I am sure he is—I feel akin to him—I understand the
language of his countenance and movements: though rank and wealth sever
us widely, I have something in my brain and heart, in my blood and nerves,
that assimilates me mentally to him ... I must, then, repeat continually that we
, are for ever sundered:—and yet, while I breathe and think, I must love him.”-
Jane Eyre, about Rochester (Chapter 17)
● “I saw he was going to marry her, for family, perhaps political reasons,
because her rank and connections suited him; I felt he had not given her his
love, and that her qualifications were ill adapted to win from him that treasure.
This was the point—this was where the nerve was touched and teased—this
was where the fever was sustained and fed: she could not charm him.”- Jane
Eyre, about Rochester and Blanche Ingram (Chapter 18)
● “Again the surprised expression crossed his face. He had not imagined that a
woman would dare to speak so to a man. For me, I felt at home in this sort of
discourse. I could never rest in communication with strong, discreet, and
refined minds, whether male or female, till I had passed the outworks of
conventional reserve, and crossed the threshold of confidence, and won a
place by their heart's very hearthstone.”- Jane Eyre, about St John Rivers
(Chapter 28)
Quotations about Gender in Jane Eyre
● “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men
feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much
as their brothers do ... It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if
they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary
for their sex.”- Jane Eyre (Chapter 12)
● “What crime was this that lived incarnate in this sequestered mansion, and
could neither be expelled nor subdued by the owner?—what mystery, that
broke out now in fire and now in blood, at the deadest hours of night? What
creature was it, that, masked in an ordinary woman's face and shape, uttered
the voice, now of a mocking demon, and anon of a carrion-seeking bird of
prey?”- Jane Eyre, about Bertha Rochester (Chapter 20)
● “What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight, tell:
it grovelled, seemingly, on all fours; it snatched and growled like some strange
wild animal: but it was covered with clothing, and a quantity of dark, grizzled
hair, wild as a mane, hid its head and face.”- Jane Eyre about Bertha
Rochester (Chapter 26)
● “St. John, no doubt, would have given the world to follow, recall, retain her,
when she thus left him; but he would not give one chance of heaven, nor
relinquish, for the elysium of her love, one hope of the true, eternal Paradise.”-
Jane Eyre, about St John Rivers and Rosamund Oliver (Chapter 32)
Quotations on Isolation, Independence and Human Connection in Jane Eyre
● “Returning, I had to cross before the looking-glass; my fascinated glance
involuntarily explored the depth it revealed. All looked colder and darker in
that visionary hollow than in reality: ... the strange little figure there gazing at
me, with a white face and arms specking the gloom, and glittering eyes of fear
