The Study on the Personality Characteristics of Jane Eyre

时间:2022-10-02 08:49:28

Abstract: The classic book Jane Eyre is written by Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855), which is of great significance in English literature. In this masterpiece, Charlotte Bronte successfully portrays and presents a great and dependent heroine Jane Eyre,. This essay is to analyze the heroine’s characteristics and help people understand more.

Key words: character; independent; equal; resist

I.Brief introduction of the author

Charlotte Bronte is a great female English writer in 19th century, and Jane Eyre is the greatest book for her.In 1847, she published the full-length novel-Jane Eyre, which has a magnificent influence in literature field. Unfortunately, her brother and two sisters died in succession and surrounded by death shadow she insisted in completing the book Shirely. In this book, Charlotte expressed her memories on her sister Emily and also demonstrated spontaneous early labor movement. Her another two books Villette(1853) and Professor(1857) are written according to her own life experience. Her book is featured by lyric style in writing natural scenery with deep emotional coloring.

II. Jane Eyre’s Story

Jane Eyre has a miserable and misfortunate childhood: living in a poor pastor family she became an orphan girl after her parents died. However, Jane Eyre is a born resister, humiliated and suffering a lot in the orphanage, she learnt to be patient, independent, persistent and prize dignity over anything else. She devoted herself to gained knowledge which gave her a chance as a tutor in Thornfiled Garden, whose owner Rochester is a man with irritable and moody temper. With mutual acquaintance and understanding, they fell in love with each other. But unfortunately, Jane found Mr. Rochester had a legal life. She made up her mind to leave. But finally, she thought she has loved Mr. Rochester so much and returned after suffering a lot in her leaving way. After finding Rochester’s misfortune brought by his original mad wife, Jane decided to stay with him forever.

III. Detailed analysis of characteristics of Jane Eyre

a. Strong sense of independence, resist and self-esteem

With misfortune and suffering at young age, her aunt’s cold and cruel treatment, her cousin’s contempt ,isolation and abuse, she chose to endure everything at beginning, but when her basic principle of self-respect was challenged, she struggled to resist the discriminations she suffered. A strong sense of resistance can be seen from the part when she was beaten by her cousin, she strove to fight back and shouted “Wicked and cruel boy! You are like a murderer-you are like a slave driver-you are like the Roman emperors!” Her aunt told her children to stay away from Jane, she said:“ They are not to associate with me”. Face with her cousin’s humiliation, she resisted and said “ People think you are a good man, but you are bad, hard-hearted. You are deceitful”. In the orphanage, Jane’s strong characteristics of being brave, caring and having a clear stand on what to love and what to hate are presented vividly, which is shown in the dialogues with her best friend Helen, she said : “When we suffer beating without cause, we should backstroke ruthlessly.”

b. pursuing an equal and true love

In Jane’s eyes, she believed true love should be based on equality rather than social status, wealth or appearance. When she expressed her love for Mr. Rochester, she felt disgraced for not being together but still living in Thornfield Garden. She said: “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless?―― you think wrong!” She shows everyone that each of us has a right to pursue love through her actions and words, which touches thousands of readers. In the pursuit of happiness and love with Mr. Rochester, she presents us what is true love by her pure, simple but extraordinary thoughts and feelings. She never gave up the seeking of love even she is just a tutor in Thornfield Garden. She once said: “We stood at God’s feet, equal.” She fell in love with Mr.Rochester not for his wealth but for his equal treatment for Jane.

Bibliography

[1] Allotte, Marian. Jane Eyre and Villette[M]. London: Macmilln Education, 1973.

[2] Bronte, Charlotte. The Evolution of Genius [M]. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1967.

[3]Laurie, Harris. Nineteenth- Century Literature Criticism[M]. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1982.

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