Literary Analysis Essay on Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Introduction

Jane Eyre is a story by the British novelist and poet Charlotte Bronte. The story revolves around a girl named Jane Eyre who was orphaned at a young age. Like most orphans in the 19th century, Janes life is that of hardship. She lives with her aunt who mistreats her and ends up dumping her in an orphanage. The orphanage turns out to be a bittersweet experience for Jane as it turned her into a teacher and placed her on the path to meeting the love of her life Mr. Rochester. Jane met Mr. Rochester while tutoring his daughter and ends up falling in love with him. The story ends with a happy conclusion for Jane as she got married to Mr. Rochester.

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Argument

One can see how Jane wanted to find a place to belong to. However, her quest for independence outweighed he desire to belong (Tiainen 1). She shows a desire to have a home and people to call her own in various stages of the novel. She stayed with her aunt although they mistreated her. She was also quick to forgive her aunt and take care of her even after abused by her. There is also a case to be made about her identity crisis when she struggles to decide on whether to follow Mr. Rochester to France. However, throughout the story the reader also sees Jane make decisions that secure her independence (Andersson 2). It is the balance between finding a self-identity and freedom in a male-dominated society that will be the focus of the paper (Awaliah 108). The main argument is that Jane faced a more significant challenge as a woman than as an orphan in her quest to be independent.

Relevant Theories

The author explores the themes of love and hate as evidenced by Jane's love for her aunt despite the hatred that they showed her. There is also the theme of identity conflict as Jane tries to find a sense of belonging. Orphaned at a young age means that Jane lacked a place or a family to call hers. The story ends with Jane finding people she considers her family, but there is a need to find out how that affects her understanding of the world and how she perceives it (Jnge 14). Jane has in conflicted in all her life. Conflict is what defines her. So much that she develops an affinity for Mr. Rochester because of the conflict that he represented. There is also the theme of social class that the reader is introduced to quite early in the story. Jane's aunt made a point to remind her that there is a class difference between them.

Literary Criticism

The author uses the book to reflect on some aspects of British society. The 19th century had no proper program for taking care of orphaned children. The author shows Jane's intellectual level in her quarrel with her cousin. At a young age, she was already defying societal expectations of her by pursuing education. However, even as readers read Jane Eyre, there is the question that comes to mind on who Jane Eyre represents. One can help but wonder whether Jane Eyre represents Charlotte Bronte. The author herself admitted to using her childhood school as the basis for Lowood School. For one, there is a similarity between Jane Ayre and Charlotte Bronte. The imagination and reason that Jane undergoes is a representation of the author's struggles (Hamamra 2). Both of them grew up in a life of poverty. These and many more could help the reader understand the message the author is trying to communicate and her technique in doing so.

Bibliography

Andersson, Angela. Identity and independence in Jane Eyre. Sundsvall: Mid Sweden University, 2011.

This research article analyses Jane's struggles with identity and independence and relates it to the life of women in the Victorian era.

Hamamra, Bilal Tawfiq. "The Representation of Resistance and transcendence in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and Villette." The Victorian 6.1 (2018): 1-12. <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324656761>.

The journal article examines how the author uses Jane's psychological struggles of self to wrestle between oppression forces and self-negation, and imagination and reason.

Indah Miftah Awaliah. "Gender issues in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre." English Teaching, Learning, and Research Journal 3 (2017): 108-117. PDF.