Life is full of choices that we are forced to make. Sometimes we make the wrong choices, but from this we learn and are able to better our future. We must choose our path wisely. Because we may never know what the outcome would have been, were we to have taken the other path. Once we make a decision, our lives are then changed forever, and there is no going back. Though making choices in life are not easy, we all have to at some point, and we must think really hard before doing so. In Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre, Jane makes many choices that determine her success, and ultimately her life. All choices in life, whether small or big, matter in determining the outcome of your life, and that is why we must all think hard before making any decision.
What would have happened if Jane stayed at Lowood Institution to keep teaching, instead of moving on to become a governess at Thornfield Hall? Would she have found the love of her life, Edward Fairfax Rochester? Her life would have been completely different if she did do this. But instead, she chose, not what the majority of the students did by becoming a teacher after they were done learning, but to do as she wanted. She broke free from the typical role of a student at Lowood Hall, and only taught there for two years.
“We parted finally at the door of the Brocklehurst arms there: each went her separate way; she set off for the brow of Lowood Fell to meet the conveyance which was to take her back to Gateshead, I mounted the vehicle which was to bear me to new duties and a new life in the unknown environs of Millcote.” (Brontë, 94)
If it was not for her courageous and daring spirit Jane may not have done something like this. But Jane was ready to seek a new life, and the challenges that came along with it. As my classmate Erika said in her blog, “New encouraging people and good life lessons are only few of many things that you can gain from taking on the risk of a new experience.” (“Leaving it all behind”) As she made her decision to leave Lowood she knew she was starting a new life and making a choice that would change her forever. She was aware of the strength it would take to succeed and the speed bumps that she would have to overcome. She also knew that she would meet new people along her new journey, but did she know that she would find “the one”? So with that, her new journey and life began.
As a young girl, Jane had never felt love for a man until she reached Thornfield Hall. She had only been rebuked and chastised from the majority of the men she had met. So, once she found a man who treated her well, she became impressed by him. While falling in love with her boss, Mr. Rochester, Jane is unaware of his first marriage to Bertha Mason, who he keeps hidden upstairs. Despite that, Mr. Rochester proposes to her without even mentioning this very crucial fact. Once Mr. Mason and the lawyer object at the wedding, stating that he cannot get married because he is already married to Mr. Mason’s sister, it seems that all is lost for Jane and Mr. Rochester.
Though Jane loves this man with all her heart, she is forced to do something about it. Love is a very strong feeling, but honesty is even more important in the eyes of Jane. Being a strong woman, she decides to set aside her feelings for Mr. Rochester and do what is best for her, by leaving Thornfield Hall. Was this a smart thing to do? My classmate Liszette commented on this situation in her blog writing, “Maybe running away was not the right decision. Though it would not have looked proper, perhaps she should have gone to see her uncle.”(“Falling”) Although her decision may not have been the smartest way to go, she was still forced to act. Jane’s decision was an act of strength and independence. Showing that although she was in love, she was still smart enough to do what was best for her. Because of this choice, Jane has now become homeless, wondering the streets in search of shelter and food. She is rejected by many until finally St. John takes her in and finds her a job as a teacher. While living with the Rivers, St. John discovers that Jane and he are cousins. Also, Jane is pleased to find out that she has been given twenty-thousand pounds from her uncle John who has passed away. What if Jane had never ran away from Thornfield? Would she have found her family or received the twenty-thousand pounds? Though at first it seemed that Jane did not choose the right path, we see that if it was not for her departure Jane would not have received the twenty-thousand. And without the five thousand that she had she may not have ever become an independent woman.
Through all the choices that Jane was forced to make, not one was less important than the other. The decisions that Jane made led to her success, and her independence from society. In the beginning of the novel Jane was just a low-down, hopeless little girl, but because of the decisions Jane made she grew to become a woman of pride and dignity. Based on this novel and the main character Jane, we can see that every choice in life is important and life-altering. We are all not dealt the same cards in life, but are choices are what determine our success in life, not our cards. Before making a decision Jane thought about the outcome that it would produce. This is what all of us must do in order to fulfill our dreams. As my classmate Lizett said in her blog, “She has to think of what's best for herself and start making decisions with her mind, not her heart.”(“Honesty’s the best policy”)
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