Jane

This novel so far, is frustrating to me.  We meet Jane when she lives with her tyrannical aunt and nasty cousins, and then she moves to Lowood, where she hoped to be free from mean-spirited adults, but then enters Brocklehurst.  I understand having an antagonist, but the adults that Jane should trust most in, are the one she should be most fearful of.  Bessie is a comfort to her, only when she won't get reprimanded by Mrs. Reed for it.  However, Jane wouldn't be the dynamic character she is if it weren't for these two characters pushing her.  I breathed a sigh of relief when she meets Helen, and she finally gains an ally.  however misguided, Helen gives Jane a voice that she can rely on. 

Jane's worst enemy,until Mr.Rochester.

     As much as I treasure Jane Eyre as a novel, I believe that Jane Eyre the character is her own worst enemy. Jane is starving for compassion, comfort and acceptance. However, I believe that Jane needs the suffering to exist, to thrive. Jane may show actions of a naughty child in the first 60 pages, Jane is struggling with her naughty actions and even entertains the idea of repenting for her outburst towards Mrs. Reed.

    Once Jane arrives at the Lowood School, Jane continues to have an internal struggle with religion and even her fellow classmates. Helen is Jane's only nirvana, however; Jane is confused by Helen's submission to the politics of Lowood and her warped understanding of "good" christian behavior. After, Helen's death Jane is scarred by the lose of Helen and begins to re-evaluate her position at Lowood and the world at large.

    Thornfield Hall is a new beginning, and a place where she can leave her stormy past behind and focus on obedience, self control and living a humble life of service, everything that Helen would have approved of. However, Mr.Rochester ignites the "naughty" Jane that we all know and love.

Mrs. Reed

I have to say that Jane is my favorite character. However in many respects, I wonder if Mrs. Reed has always been the heartless woman that she is towards Jane.   In this era many people prove to be cruel to others, in many ways we expect it from the men in this time but not the women.  Mrs. Reed is expected to keep her word to her husband and care for Jane but she abuses her in place of compassion.  I feel deep sorrow for Mrs. Reed and torn between to ideas of the person she is.   The first is that Mrs. Reed has always had deep resentment for Jane.  It could be because of the standing of Jane’s parents, even though Jane is family her parents had no real standing and left nothing to help towards their daughters future. The only other thing that I can think is that Jane hold a key to Mrs. Reeds heart.  This would be because her husband cared for Jane so much, that not only would he have taken her in but he would have planned for her future also.  This would mean that Jane would have a special place in Mr. Reeds heart, maybe Mrs. Reed truly has no idea how to care for a child that is not her own? So does Mr. Reed influence the woman Mrs. Reed is or has become from the grave?

Bessie

So far, my favorite character in Jane Eyre is Bessie. I think Bessie is an intriguing character because her true personality is revealed piece-by-piece as the story progresses. At first, I thought that Bessie was merely a foil for Mrs. Reed, as she appeared to be ignorant to Jane's plight and failed to show compassion. As the story progresses, however, Bronte gives the reader clues that there is far more to Bessie than appears. For example, when Bessie sings the song about the poor orphan child, the reader gets the sense that Bessie's song serves as a lament for Jane's state; thus, despite the hard, rigid exterior, Bessie is actually a concerned, caring woman. I couldn't help but wonder whether Bessie's behavior was driven by a need to maintain the hierarchy in the Reed residence. Perhaps Bessie is afraid that if she shows Jane praise that Mrs. Reed will view Bessie as insubordinate attempting to thwart the family bond?

Helen

To me Helen Burns is my spiration and has a certain characteristic that every woman needs in her personality and life. Burns is a powerful and truly determined person. I feel that having a voice in society, home and even the work force is extermely important because it allows us to be heard. The one passage that stood out to me was on page 49 " She has been unkind to you, no doubt; because you see. she dislikes your cast of character, as Miss Scatcherd does mind; but how minutely you remember all she has done and said to you! What a singularly deep impression her injustice seems to have made on your heart! No illusage so brands its record on feelings. Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passionate emotions it excited?" What I get from this is that though she has been hurt and belittled Helen still rises above and because of her character and strong back-bone, she truly can't be broken. Yes she has emotions and she is getting the courage to stand up and fight and for me to read this is extremely admirable. I'm the type of person to hold close to what I have to say and very rarely do I speak my mind; more times I should but choose not too so I think that as we continue to read Jane Eyre and go further in depth with WMST,I will branch out and even let my voice be heard.

The Mysterious Helen Burns

Hi all!
    One character that I find really fascinating but also baffling is Helen Burns. Part of me really admires her but the other part really just wants to shake her and say "Stop being so passive! Stand up for yourself!"

I really enjoyed Helen's little speech to Jane about forgiveness and the ability to let go on page 49. Jane has just finished telling Helen the history of her sufferings and Helen says to her:

"What a singularly deep impression her (Mrs. Reed's) injustice seems to have made on your heart! No ill-usage so brands its record on my feelings. Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passionate emotions it excited? Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs."

     I think these are very wise words. Helen has probably experienced resentment and pent-up anger just as Jane has, but she has learned to master these feelings and not let them control or torment her any longer. However, I think Helen's technique of letting go would actually do more harm than good for Jane. I think that these feelings of anger and frustration drive Jane to make a better life for herself. These feelings do not hold her back from success, and instead propel her forward.

Different Voices of Jane

In class today, Dr. H. talked about the different voices of Jane Eyre. On page 19, there is an example of Jane using one of her “voices.” She describes how children have feelings, but are not able to analyze those feelings. I believe Jane is trying to explain her own behavior (because it was not appropriate for children to act this way in the Victorian era) and maybe coming up with  reasons or excuses for her future outburst with Mrs. Reed. I think this is Jane’s grown up voice looking back on the situation and leading the reader through the thought processes of little Jane Eyre. Charlotte Brontë was brilliant in this way. She uses several different voices throughout the book. One of my favorite things that she does is to start a paragraph with, “Now reader…,” and explain something that is happening in the text. She gives us more of an explanation of the events that are occurring. It does not stop the flow of the book; I think it is courteous of the author to do this. It is almost as if she knows when we might have a question about the happenings in the chapter.