Now that I have read the classical novel, Jane Eyre, I feel that this book has made me look life from a different point of view. When I read what Jane went throughout her childhood, and how she didn’t let an issue affect her way of trying to be successful; it made me realize that I shouldn’t let a little thing affect my dreams and goals, and affect my life. Like Jane did, I should forgive and forget, because if I constantly think about what that person did to me, I won’t be able to proceed and be successful. This is why I think that it’s better to forgive the person and forget about the issue. For instance, Richard, tell us in his blog, “It can only hurt you if you let it”: “…we shouldn’t care about what others think of us. Every hurtful statement is only said to focus on your weaknesses and to make you submissive. Basically it's just said to belittle you. The statements cannot hurt you physically, but only mentally. We leave ourselves vulnerable to the insult and it somehow finds its way to hurt us mentally”. This statement proves how you really shouldn’t let anything bring you down. Keep your head up high at all times, just like Jane did. Jane, was able to forget and forgive Mr. Rochester and her aunt, Mrs. Reed. She forgave Mr. Rochester’s lie; in which he didn’t tell Jane that he was previously married to some other woman, Bertha Mason. And she also forgave Mrs. Reed, for not loving and caring for Jane in her childhood, for treating her poorly, and also for not telling Jane that she had a family; and that she wasn’t alone in this world.
Throughout Jane’s life there has been many closed doors, but that isn’t an issue for Jane: she opens those closed doors until she finds what she wants. Jane, finds the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow: her happiness along with Edward Rochester. She forgives him for not telling her that he had previously been married to Bertha, but she doesn‘t marry him how they are supposed to in the first time. Eduardo explains it in one of his blogs: "In the end it seems that even though Mr. Rochester's actions are justified: love wasn't enough. Jane loves him: Jane can forgive him, but she will not stay with him. Love can cure many things but honesty unfortunately comes first...Honesty is number one”. Nevertheless, Jane has forgotten about how KAEH tells us in his blog “At the End of the Day Destiny Prevails”: “Society tried to stop these two character's love by threatening to judge her of only wanting to move up in social status by marrying Rochester”. Jane moved along with her love towards Mr. Rochester, and didn’t care what others would say. At the end of the day, she follows her heart, even though earlier in her life she has doubted herself for loving him; “You have nothing to do with the master of Thornfield, further than to receive the salary he gives you for teaching his protégée, and to be grateful for such respectful and kind treatment as, if you do your duty, you have the right to expect at his hands. Be sure that is the only tie he seriously acknowledges between you and him: so don't make the object of your fine feelings, your raptures, agonies, and so forth. He is not of your order: keep to your caste; and be too self-respecting to lavish the love of the whole heart, soul. And strength, where such a gift is not wanted and would be despised”. (165)
Jane shows us how her personality changes throughout the book. She used to be a little girl that couldn’t really express her feelings; because she was dependent on Mrs. Reed’s care. Mrs. Reed wouldn’t treat her like her niece, she would take out her wrath out in poor Jane. And when I say poor, I mean as in money wise, but also as defend less. Mrs. Reed had told Jane she had no family, no money, nothing! She was alone in this cruel world. And even though she has treated Jane poorly, Jane, never feels resentment for Mrs. Reed, and Jane shows us how kind she is, and respectful to Mrs. Reed when she was dying; “Yes, Aunt Reed. How are you, dear aunt?”. (234) Why would Jane say such thing? Mrs. Reed, in my opinion has no right to be respected by Jane. It should be the opposite; Jane should be the one respected by her “aunt”. In my opinion, Mrs. Reed should beg Jane for forgiveness, for treating her poorly. Furthermore, Jane proofs to the readers to be a forgiven individual; she doesn’t take no resentments for no one. But yet it makes me wonder, if Jane is being respectful either because her aunt is about to die or because she just decided to forget about it, now that she has found happiness?
“The most important thing that I have learned while reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is to not let anyone or anything make you feel inferior by what people say. If people ever push you around, do everything you can to make the abuse stop. Don't listen to what they have to say if you know it is false. It doesn't matter what other people say as long as you know what is true about yourself and what is not”, from Eric’s blog “Don’t Listen to Them”. This is the same thing I was able to get from reading Jane Eyre, now I view life from a different angle. Jane went through a lot, and yet she is able to get back up again, and not look back. Jane, doesn’t care anymore about what people think about her. She’s able to forget about the bad times and forgive the people that did her wrong. Sometimes I wished I can just do what Jane did, forget about the past and don’t look back, but is hard to do so. I’m not as a strong woman as Jane is, but I do try my best. Nevertheless, I think forgiving Mr. Rochester was one of the best things Jane did throughout the book. Even though, earlier in the book I didn’t approve of this illicit relationship, now I have a different view of the book. Now, I can see that their love is bigger than the criticism of others, and I’m glad that Jane didn’t listened to them. If Jane, would’ve had stayed with St. John, the book would’ve turn out to have a different ending. Jane would of not being as happy as she is now. Maybe she would’ve still being independent, but without happiness. But at the end of the day she went back to Ferndean, and stayed by Mr. Rochester’s side. Now at this point of her life there is nothing that can prevent them to live happily ever after; Bertha is now dead, and she has been forgotten, Mrs. Reed is also dead, but she has been forgiven. At the end, we learn that is better to forgive and forget, and to not look back.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Forgive and Forget
When it comes to forgiving someone, it takes a lot of courage and love. When it comes to forgetting, you must make sure that it’s what you truly want. In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, this concept of “forgive and forget” is well portrayed, especially through Jane Eyre herself. Throughout her life, she struggled to get what she wanted, but she was patient and finally found happiness. Jane has proven herself to be courageous and lovable, and she knew what she wanted. She forgave so many times as she was growing up and in the process, she moved on.
As a child, Jane was treated with such cruelty by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her cousins as well. She never had anyone to comfort her and to love her as a child, and that’s probably one of the most important things a child needs all throughout his or her childhood. Jane’s aunt placed her in the red-room for something her cousin, John, did. After this event, Jane held so much hatred against her aunt and her cousins. When Mrs. Reed finally decided to send Jane to Lowood, Jane was happy to finally get away from all the cruelty. Before departing to Lowood, Jane spoke to her aunt and reassured to her that she hated her. “I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty,” (36). These are the harsh, yet liberating words Jane told her aunt as a child. Although she says she will never visit her when she is grown up, Jane comes back eight years later. Mrs. Reed is now a dying woman, and Jane finally forgives her for being such a cruel woman to her as a child. As Jane tries to fix things with her aunt, Mrs. Reed keeps refusing to straighten things out. What caused Mrs. Reed’s hatred towards Jane was what Jane had told her as a child before she went away to school. This stayed with Mrs. Reed all these years. In her blog, “Forgive.”, Liszette says “…I couldn't believe that Jane, when she was still a young girl, said something to Mrs. Reed that stuck with her for so many years. Mrs. Reed kept in all this resentment towards Jane; she never forgave her. Jane said she would always hate Mrs. Reed, but ended up forgiving her when she saw all that had happened while she was gone. Yet, Mrs. Reed, a grown woman, was still cruel to her after all these years.” I too, was surprised by this. But Jane had the courage to go back to Gateshead and forgive her aunt. Jane moved on. Although she never really forgot about her horrible childhood, you can say she never let it affect her again. She forgave and she forgot; she did her part.
Later on in Jane’s life, she stumbles upon the love of her life—Mr. Rochester. After knowing each other for a long enough period of time, they decide to get married. The two individuals are deeply in love, but on the day of their wedding, everything falls apart. Jane is betrayed, once again. The one thing she didn’t know about Mr. Rochester is that he was already married to crazy Bertha Mason. This broke Jane’s heart severely. Although she was hurting inside, Jane knew she loved Mr. Rochester. He loved her enough to apologize to her, but at first she hesitated to forgive him. When she finally forgives him, she decides to leave Thornfield, for better or worst. “You are going, Jane” “I am going, sir.” “You are leaving me?” “Yes,” (323). Jane knows that in order to forget about everything, she must leave. In Ana’s blog, “The risk in running away,” she states “Running away from your problems isn’t a very good idea…” Here she is talking about Jane’s leaving Thornfield and then later coming back because she “…realized that she couldn't run away from her problems that she had left behind in Thornfield….” True. Jane didn’t necessarily forget about all the drama caused by Mr. Rochester, but she forgave him for everything he ever did. “’God bless you, my dear master!’ I said. ‘God keep you from harm and wrong—direct you, solace you—reward you well for you past kindness to me.”(324) Jane forgives him; she loves him no matter what and she wishes Mr. Rochester the best.
Jane had to face many obstacles throughout her life, but every time, she over came them. It must’ve been hard for her having to forgive the people who hurt her the most, but Jane is a strong woman; she can handle almost anything, and like Erika says in her blog, “Leaving it all behind,” “Becoming a new person and forgetting your past requires hard work and dedication. You have to mean what you say and be loyal to the decisions that you make.”
As a child, Jane was treated with such cruelty by her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her cousins as well. She never had anyone to comfort her and to love her as a child, and that’s probably one of the most important things a child needs all throughout his or her childhood. Jane’s aunt placed her in the red-room for something her cousin, John, did. After this event, Jane held so much hatred against her aunt and her cousins. When Mrs. Reed finally decided to send Jane to Lowood, Jane was happy to finally get away from all the cruelty. Before departing to Lowood, Jane spoke to her aunt and reassured to her that she hated her. “I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty,” (36). These are the harsh, yet liberating words Jane told her aunt as a child. Although she says she will never visit her when she is grown up, Jane comes back eight years later. Mrs. Reed is now a dying woman, and Jane finally forgives her for being such a cruel woman to her as a child. As Jane tries to fix things with her aunt, Mrs. Reed keeps refusing to straighten things out. What caused Mrs. Reed’s hatred towards Jane was what Jane had told her as a child before she went away to school. This stayed with Mrs. Reed all these years. In her blog, “Forgive.”, Liszette says “…I couldn't believe that Jane, when she was still a young girl, said something to Mrs. Reed that stuck with her for so many years. Mrs. Reed kept in all this resentment towards Jane; she never forgave her. Jane said she would always hate Mrs. Reed, but ended up forgiving her when she saw all that had happened while she was gone. Yet, Mrs. Reed, a grown woman, was still cruel to her after all these years.” I too, was surprised by this. But Jane had the courage to go back to Gateshead and forgive her aunt. Jane moved on. Although she never really forgot about her horrible childhood, you can say she never let it affect her again. She forgave and she forgot; she did her part.
Later on in Jane’s life, she stumbles upon the love of her life—Mr. Rochester. After knowing each other for a long enough period of time, they decide to get married. The two individuals are deeply in love, but on the day of their wedding, everything falls apart. Jane is betrayed, once again. The one thing she didn’t know about Mr. Rochester is that he was already married to crazy Bertha Mason. This broke Jane’s heart severely. Although she was hurting inside, Jane knew she loved Mr. Rochester. He loved her enough to apologize to her, but at first she hesitated to forgive him. When she finally forgives him, she decides to leave Thornfield, for better or worst. “You are going, Jane” “I am going, sir.” “You are leaving me?” “Yes,” (323). Jane knows that in order to forget about everything, she must leave. In Ana’s blog, “The risk in running away,” she states “Running away from your problems isn’t a very good idea…” Here she is talking about Jane’s leaving Thornfield and then later coming back because she “…realized that she couldn't run away from her problems that she had left behind in Thornfield….” True. Jane didn’t necessarily forget about all the drama caused by Mr. Rochester, but she forgave him for everything he ever did. “’God bless you, my dear master!’ I said. ‘God keep you from harm and wrong—direct you, solace you—reward you well for you past kindness to me.”(324) Jane forgives him; she loves him no matter what and she wishes Mr. Rochester the best.
Jane had to face many obstacles throughout her life, but every time, she over came them. It must’ve been hard for her having to forgive the people who hurt her the most, but Jane is a strong woman; she can handle almost anything, and like Erika says in her blog, “Leaving it all behind,” “Becoming a new person and forgetting your past requires hard work and dedication. You have to mean what you say and be loyal to the decisions that you make.”
Moving Forward
Jane the main character from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, has been through a lot. She has learned many life lessons. Some were good and others were bad. She has shown how to manage through life. An interesting life lesson she learned was to forgive and forget. She had to decide whether it was good for her to forgive some people she loved and whether to forget about them and move on. Two characters that Jane has to forgive and try to forget are Mr. Rochester and Mrs. Reed. With forgiving and forgetting someone or something comes happiness.
Growing up Jane had a bad childhood. Jane grew up living with Mrs. Reed, her uncle's wife. Mrs. Reed was asked to promise to take care of Jane. She took care of Jane but treated her bad. Mrs. Reed basically treated Jane like she was nothing. It would have been better if she were a little nicer to Jane. After a few years had passed with Jane living with Mrs. Reed she started to attend Lowood. Lowood was an all girls school. There she learns to be a governess. She becomes a governess at Thornfield. Time passes and Jane knows nothing of Mrs. Reed. Later she hears that Mrs. Reed is ill and is dying. Mrs. Reed asks to talk to Jane. Is this Jane Eyre? she said. Yes, aunt Reed. How are you, dear aunt?" (234) Jane addresses her aunt as dear aunt. Even though Mrs. Reed treated Jane bad she was still willing to call her dear aunt. Like Eduardo says in his blog, “I am so shocked at this reaction Jane had towards that evil woman. She never treated Jane with any type of love, why should Jane even recognize her as her aunt?” “Forgive and forget?” I agree Mrs. Reed is an evil woman, all she did was cause a bad life for Jane. She did no good in Jane's life. If Mrs. Reed never treated Jane nice, why should Jane treat Mrs. Reed any different. When Jane talks to Mrs. Reed she is told that she did have family, an uncle, who wanted to adopt Jane. Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter that her uncle wrote to Jane. Mrs. Reed told him that Jane had died. Like, Liszette says in her blog, “This stood out to me because I couldn't believe that Jane, when she was still a young girl, said something to Mrs. Reed that stuck with her for so many years.” “Forgive.” Mrs. Reed still remembers how Jane treated her when Jane was living with Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed hasn't learned to forgive people and yet Jane is willing to forgive her. Also, considering that Mrs. Reed treated Jane worse than Jane treated Mrs. Reed. Even after hearing this Jane is willing to forgive her. Jane knows she can't do anything about it now so she forgives and forgets all the trouble Mrs. Reed put her through.
When Jane became governess at Thornfield she didn't know who the master was. She went to go put a letter in the mail, while she was doing this a man on a horse was heading her way. At this point she didn't know that he was the master of Thornfield. Not knowing this she went back to Thornfield and later figured out the man she ran into was the master. At first there was no connection between Jane and the master, Mr. Rochester. Later on it seemed like they were starting to have a connection. Jane started having feelings for Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester also started having feeling for Jane. They would show that they had a connection. They weren't open about it and didn't tell each other this right away. They never talked to each other about this. One of them should have just said what they felt right away instead of trying to hide it. When everything was going well Mr. Rochester decided to propose to Jane under a chestnut tree. Later they have hear that the chestnut tree has split in half. This could possibly be a bad sign. They go along with the weeding. They are getting married and Mr. Mason stops the wedding. He says that Mr. Rochester is married to Bertha Mason, Mr. Mason's sister. She is locked on the third field in Thornfield. This breaks Jane's heart. Mr. Rochester never mentioned anything about having a wife. Mr. Rochester has lied to Jane. Jane has the decision of whether to forgive Mr. Rochester or not. She decides to forgive Mr. Rochester. Then she runs away. Like, Cassandra says in her blog, “Forgiving and leaving show that she respects Mr. Rochester and his marriage, even though she loves him.” “Forgive and Forget”
She decides to leave it all behind and move on. She wants to start a new life. Her life could have been her marrying Mr. Rochester and starting a family. But her dream of starting a family with Mr. Rochester didn't come true. When she ran away she found out that she had a family. By her moving on with her life was a good thing. In the end she ended up marrying Mr. Rochester and had a kid. She now has a family of her own.
By forgiving and forgetting Mr. Rochester something good came of it. She found out that she had family and even ended up having a family of herself. By finding a family and finding love she was now happy. She had a bad childhood and now her life is better than before. Growing up she never was happy and she never knew what love was. But now that she is with Mr. Rochester she now knows how it feels to be loved and be happy. I think that happiness can make things better. It is better to be happy than not be happy. Jane my have thought that she would never be happy. Things were never good or were as she wanted. Things that made Jane happy were finally having a family, marrying Mr. Rochester, having money, Bertha isn't in the picture anymore, and she can now start over with Mr. Rochester and create a new life. I have learned that everyone should always forgive people no matter what. The only hard part is to forget it. If it is a sad thing people should forget it and move on but if it is a good or happy thing you should also forget it even though it may be harder.
Even though it may not be the best thing to do sometimes it is best to forgive and forget, move on. Sometimes something good can come out of it, just like it did for Jane. But other times you may regret it. People should learn to forgive and forget. By moving on and letting the past be the past life could be better. You wouldn't have to worry about what good or bad could come in your life. Even though moving on for Jane wasn't very easy it won't be easy for anyone. You just have to learn to deal with life and all of its outcomes.
Growing up Jane had a bad childhood. Jane grew up living with Mrs. Reed, her uncle's wife. Mrs. Reed was asked to promise to take care of Jane. She took care of Jane but treated her bad. Mrs. Reed basically treated Jane like she was nothing. It would have been better if she were a little nicer to Jane. After a few years had passed with Jane living with Mrs. Reed she started to attend Lowood. Lowood was an all girls school. There she learns to be a governess. She becomes a governess at Thornfield. Time passes and Jane knows nothing of Mrs. Reed. Later she hears that Mrs. Reed is ill and is dying. Mrs. Reed asks to talk to Jane. Is this Jane Eyre? she said. Yes, aunt Reed. How are you, dear aunt?" (234) Jane addresses her aunt as dear aunt. Even though Mrs. Reed treated Jane bad she was still willing to call her dear aunt. Like Eduardo says in his blog, “I am so shocked at this reaction Jane had towards that evil woman. She never treated Jane with any type of love, why should Jane even recognize her as her aunt?” “Forgive and forget?” I agree Mrs. Reed is an evil woman, all she did was cause a bad life for Jane. She did no good in Jane's life. If Mrs. Reed never treated Jane nice, why should Jane treat Mrs. Reed any different. When Jane talks to Mrs. Reed she is told that she did have family, an uncle, who wanted to adopt Jane. Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter that her uncle wrote to Jane. Mrs. Reed told him that Jane had died. Like, Liszette says in her blog, “This stood out to me because I couldn't believe that Jane, when she was still a young girl, said something to Mrs. Reed that stuck with her for so many years.” “Forgive.” Mrs. Reed still remembers how Jane treated her when Jane was living with Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed hasn't learned to forgive people and yet Jane is willing to forgive her. Also, considering that Mrs. Reed treated Jane worse than Jane treated Mrs. Reed. Even after hearing this Jane is willing to forgive her. Jane knows she can't do anything about it now so she forgives and forgets all the trouble Mrs. Reed put her through.
When Jane became governess at Thornfield she didn't know who the master was. She went to go put a letter in the mail, while she was doing this a man on a horse was heading her way. At this point she didn't know that he was the master of Thornfield. Not knowing this she went back to Thornfield and later figured out the man she ran into was the master. At first there was no connection between Jane and the master, Mr. Rochester. Later on it seemed like they were starting to have a connection. Jane started having feelings for Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester also started having feeling for Jane. They would show that they had a connection. They weren't open about it and didn't tell each other this right away. They never talked to each other about this. One of them should have just said what they felt right away instead of trying to hide it. When everything was going well Mr. Rochester decided to propose to Jane under a chestnut tree. Later they have hear that the chestnut tree has split in half. This could possibly be a bad sign. They go along with the weeding. They are getting married and Mr. Mason stops the wedding. He says that Mr. Rochester is married to Bertha Mason, Mr. Mason's sister. She is locked on the third field in Thornfield. This breaks Jane's heart. Mr. Rochester never mentioned anything about having a wife. Mr. Rochester has lied to Jane. Jane has the decision of whether to forgive Mr. Rochester or not. She decides to forgive Mr. Rochester. Then she runs away. Like, Cassandra says in her blog, “Forgiving and leaving show that she respects Mr. Rochester and his marriage, even though she loves him.” “Forgive and Forget”
She decides to leave it all behind and move on. She wants to start a new life. Her life could have been her marrying Mr. Rochester and starting a family. But her dream of starting a family with Mr. Rochester didn't come true. When she ran away she found out that she had a family. By her moving on with her life was a good thing. In the end she ended up marrying Mr. Rochester and had a kid. She now has a family of her own.
By forgiving and forgetting Mr. Rochester something good came of it. She found out that she had family and even ended up having a family of herself. By finding a family and finding love she was now happy. She had a bad childhood and now her life is better than before. Growing up she never was happy and she never knew what love was. But now that she is with Mr. Rochester she now knows how it feels to be loved and be happy. I think that happiness can make things better. It is better to be happy than not be happy. Jane my have thought that she would never be happy. Things were never good or were as she wanted. Things that made Jane happy were finally having a family, marrying Mr. Rochester, having money, Bertha isn't in the picture anymore, and she can now start over with Mr. Rochester and create a new life. I have learned that everyone should always forgive people no matter what. The only hard part is to forget it. If it is a sad thing people should forget it and move on but if it is a good or happy thing you should also forget it even though it may be harder.
Even though it may not be the best thing to do sometimes it is best to forgive and forget, move on. Sometimes something good can come out of it, just like it did for Jane. But other times you may regret it. People should learn to forgive and forget. By moving on and letting the past be the past life could be better. You wouldn't have to worry about what good or bad could come in your life. Even though moving on for Jane wasn't very easy it won't be easy for anyone. You just have to learn to deal with life and all of its outcomes.
Independence
The only way to gain any control in your life is through independence. With independence, you can do whatever you want in your life and are not submissive to others. In my opinion, this is one of the most important qualities that characterize a person. You cannot do anything in your life if you are dependent on someone else. The person who you are dependent on can manipulate you in many ways and you won’t be able to resist because you have no sense of independence. The person can toss and turn you like a rag doll and you can’t defend yourself. In the novel Jane Eyre, Jane’s independence is tested throughout her life. She experiences many situations from different people who want to manipulate her. People such as Mrs. Reed, Mr. Rochester, and St. John. They try to persuade her to do things she wouldn't necessarily want to do. Going through these situations has changed Jane's life and has influenced her decisions in her life.
When Jane was a young girl, she was mistreated by her cruel aunt, Mrs. Reed. She was always put down and treated like dirt. Mrs. Reed had no scene of kindness towards young defenseless Jane. At this point, Jane couldn’t do anything because she was just a child. For example, when Mrs. Reed forced Jane to stay in the red room, Jane couldn’t fight back and when she was put in the room, she was told “No; you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep. There, sit down, and think over your wickedness” (p.11). This shows how horrible Jane was treated. Jane was just tossed around the way Mrs. Reed wanted her to be. In Erika’s blog “From a seed to a plant”, she says that “Mrs. Reed is not fit to be a mother, she didn't even raised her own children, she left that major duty up to the servants and the money which lead them all to corruption”. She also agrees that Mrs. Reed is a horrible guardian. Mrs. Reed doesn’t know how to be a guardian and only does what suites her. Jane was introduced to the pain that comes from being submissive. She knew that this suffering couldn’t go on any longer so since then, she began her test on finding her independence.
After leaving the Reeds and Lowood, Jane moves to Thornfield where she meets Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester is a man who likes to boss people around. He is the type of person that enjoys controlling others. He always wants things his way, especially with Jane. He always asks Jane many questions and wants her response to the questions. He also wants her to follow every command he gives her. Jane, at this point, has been through a lot. She has sort of built a sense of independence, but not enough to defend her from Mr. Rochester. She still follows his orders, but throughout her stay there, she learns to cope with his personality. She finds out that the reason he acted this way towards her was because he loved her, and she then fell in love with him. Before they marry each other, she then finds out that Mr. Rochester was married to Bertha, and she leaves Thornfield even though Mr. Rochester tries to explain to her why he did this and tries to persuade her to stay with him. This is one of the most important moments in Jane’s life because she finally gains the strength to leave Thornfield and leave Mr. Rochester. This is when she finally gains independence, but she still has to put what she has learned to the final test.
Once leaving Thornfield, Jane becomes homeless and has nowhere to go. Luckily she is reunited with some of her family members. There she meets her cousin St. John who is a missionary and wants to go to India to spread the word of Christianity. He talks to Jane about this and persuades her to join him as his wife. Jane’s response is this "I repeat: I freely consent to go with you as your fellow missionary; but not as your wife; I cannot marry you and become a part of you" (415). Jane says that she will go, but not as his wife because they are related. This isn’t the only reason that causes Jane to say no to the marriage. She won’t marry St. John because she doesn’t love him. As Otilio says in “No Compromises”, “Jane will not and cannot make compromises when it comes to love”. Jane has already gone through the experience of marring Mr. Rochester and she won’t let it happened to her again. Jane will use her independence she has gained from her experience with Mr. Rochester and say no to St. John’s offer.
Jane has now accomplished her task on finding her independence. In “Time to Break Free”, Marcus says “She has been trying to go against the unjust and common moral characteristics of the world and find her own moral conscience”. He says that Jane was in this journey to fine her independence. She has gone through many experiences that have helped her achieve this. She has found her independence that she needed throughout her life. She has found who she is. She is a strong woman who can overcome anything if she puts her mind to it and because of this she now has what she never had. She is now married to the one she loves, Mr. Rochester, and is beginning a new family with an upcoming baby. Now she will truly not let someone else ruin her life. She will not be submissive, and she will use what she has gained in her life.
When Jane was a young girl, she was mistreated by her cruel aunt, Mrs. Reed. She was always put down and treated like dirt. Mrs. Reed had no scene of kindness towards young defenseless Jane. At this point, Jane couldn’t do anything because she was just a child. For example, when Mrs. Reed forced Jane to stay in the red room, Jane couldn’t fight back and when she was put in the room, she was told “No; you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep. There, sit down, and think over your wickedness” (p.11). This shows how horrible Jane was treated. Jane was just tossed around the way Mrs. Reed wanted her to be. In Erika’s blog “From a seed to a plant”, she says that “Mrs. Reed is not fit to be a mother, she didn't even raised her own children, she left that major duty up to the servants and the money which lead them all to corruption”. She also agrees that Mrs. Reed is a horrible guardian. Mrs. Reed doesn’t know how to be a guardian and only does what suites her. Jane was introduced to the pain that comes from being submissive. She knew that this suffering couldn’t go on any longer so since then, she began her test on finding her independence.
After leaving the Reeds and Lowood, Jane moves to Thornfield where she meets Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester is a man who likes to boss people around. He is the type of person that enjoys controlling others. He always wants things his way, especially with Jane. He always asks Jane many questions and wants her response to the questions. He also wants her to follow every command he gives her. Jane, at this point, has been through a lot. She has sort of built a sense of independence, but not enough to defend her from Mr. Rochester. She still follows his orders, but throughout her stay there, she learns to cope with his personality. She finds out that the reason he acted this way towards her was because he loved her, and she then fell in love with him. Before they marry each other, she then finds out that Mr. Rochester was married to Bertha, and she leaves Thornfield even though Mr. Rochester tries to explain to her why he did this and tries to persuade her to stay with him. This is one of the most important moments in Jane’s life because she finally gains the strength to leave Thornfield and leave Mr. Rochester. This is when she finally gains independence, but she still has to put what she has learned to the final test.
Once leaving Thornfield, Jane becomes homeless and has nowhere to go. Luckily she is reunited with some of her family members. There she meets her cousin St. John who is a missionary and wants to go to India to spread the word of Christianity. He talks to Jane about this and persuades her to join him as his wife. Jane’s response is this "I repeat: I freely consent to go with you as your fellow missionary; but not as your wife; I cannot marry you and become a part of you" (415). Jane says that she will go, but not as his wife because they are related. This isn’t the only reason that causes Jane to say no to the marriage. She won’t marry St. John because she doesn’t love him. As Otilio says in “No Compromises”, “Jane will not and cannot make compromises when it comes to love”. Jane has already gone through the experience of marring Mr. Rochester and she won’t let it happened to her again. Jane will use her independence she has gained from her experience with Mr. Rochester and say no to St. John’s offer.
Jane has now accomplished her task on finding her independence. In “Time to Break Free”, Marcus says “She has been trying to go against the unjust and common moral characteristics of the world and find her own moral conscience”. He says that Jane was in this journey to fine her independence. She has gone through many experiences that have helped her achieve this. She has found her independence that she needed throughout her life. She has found who she is. She is a strong woman who can overcome anything if she puts her mind to it and because of this she now has what she never had. She is now married to the one she loves, Mr. Rochester, and is beginning a new family with an upcoming baby. Now she will truly not let someone else ruin her life. She will not be submissive, and she will use what she has gained in her life.
The Road Not Taken
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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”)
Strength
The main lesson I took from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is how to be strong, and by this I don't mean how many bench presses or push ups you can do; I am referring to willpower and determination. Throughout the novel Jane experiences many hardships and struggles. From childhood to adulthood she fights to find happiness. Jane is an inspiration; through her we learn that you must fight for every breath of your life, and no matter how bad things may look, you have to keep on going.
Jane gets picked on since childhood. Her Aunt Reed mistreats her; when it would be so much easier for Jane to just stop fighting her aunt and submit, she doesn’t. Jane is rebellious to the very end, and she never stops fighting for what she believes. She is strong although she does not know it, she is determined that she is right and she never gives up her beliefs. Her aunt and her cousins are practically prosecuting her, just because she isn't one of them. These types of experiences are traumatic for children. Jane is nothing more than a mere child; she has done no wrong. Yet, those around her attack her. As shown in this passage, “Take her away to the red-room, and lock her in there.” (Bronte 10). Jane's aunt decides to keep Jane locked up in the same room her uncle died in, and despite Jane's cries for help, her aunt keeps her in there. This would have a negative on many other people, Jane simply brushes the dust off her shoulders and moves on.
Let’s fast forward now. Things are starting to look up for Jane; she has a respectable job, a pleasant home, and she is even in love. She has fallen in love with Mr. Rochester and he has even proposed to her. Things are going her way; fate seems to favor her now. Yet, on the very day she plans to marry she learns that Mr. Rochester is already married. Her heart, her spirits were raised above the stars, only so that they could crashing back down. How heart breaking it must be to go through that. In the words of Alan in his blog, “She never thought that would happen to her in mass, the moment her life was suppose to change for good just back fired on her and became the moment where she lost her love, Mr. Rochester.”(The Love She Lost) She was so close to happiness, but out of nowhere a hand came and grabbed her back in, put her back in her place. For example, “Jane Eyre, who had been an ardent, expectant woman-almost a bride-was a cold, solitary girl again: her life was pale, her prospects were desolate.” (Bronte 300). For days she just can’t grasp it, yet she comes back to her senses and gets off the floor after one another of life’s mortal blows.
Jane has now done the only thing she could think of; she has fled Thornfield Hall and Mr. Rochester. But, there where a few things Jane overlooked and when she runs away she finds life ready to beat her down yet again and this time it is equipped with brass knuckles and a baseball bat. This time she shall be beat like never before. As Ana says in her blog, “ Jane has now degraded herself; she use to have a job and earn money now she has hit rock bottom. She has sunk into some kind of depression.” (Hitting Rock Bottom). Jane has faced many hardships before, but none quite like this one. Now she is entirely alone; no place to sleep and no food to eat. Take for instance, “: I lay on the ground some minutes, pressing my face to the wet turf. I had some fear-or hope-that here I should die: but I was soon up; crawling forwards on my hands and knees, and then again raised to my feet-as eager and as determined as ever to reach the road.” (Bronte 327). Homeless, cold, and starving she finds strength; part of her wishes to just give up and it tempts her, but she fights it off. Despite how broken she is how weak and fragile she continues to walk the long and strenuous path that we call life.
How is it that Jane was able to overcome these hardships? what strength did she find in herself that allowed her to move on? A fine example of her inner strength is shown in this passage, “No; you shall tear yourself away, none shall help you: You shall, yourself, pluck out your right eye: yourself cut off your right hand: your heart shall be the victim; and you, the priest, to transfix it.” (Bronte 302). And as Arof says in his blog, “Basically, what Charlotte Bronte is telling us through Jane is that life is truly a gamble and you are the only thing that can better it.”(Life's a gamble, Have fun). Jane is strong because she knows the only way her situation is going to change, is if she changes it. That is what drives her. She knows that if she's stuck in a hole no one will pull her out; she has to climb out
Jane went through a lot, but in the end it was worth it. As Liszette says in her blog ''After everything Jane has been through, she has finally found happiness. She has been through so many hardships.''(Love Prevails). Jane was strong throughout and she fought with everything she had. Most of all Jane taught me to keep going no matter what. No matter how dark the tunnel is you need to keep on walking or crawling or whatever it is you can; no matter how many times you stumble into something keep pushing through the darkness so that you may one day find the light.
Jane gets picked on since childhood. Her Aunt Reed mistreats her; when it would be so much easier for Jane to just stop fighting her aunt and submit, she doesn’t. Jane is rebellious to the very end, and she never stops fighting for what she believes. She is strong although she does not know it, she is determined that she is right and she never gives up her beliefs. Her aunt and her cousins are practically prosecuting her, just because she isn't one of them. These types of experiences are traumatic for children. Jane is nothing more than a mere child; she has done no wrong. Yet, those around her attack her. As shown in this passage, “Take her away to the red-room, and lock her in there.” (Bronte 10). Jane's aunt decides to keep Jane locked up in the same room her uncle died in, and despite Jane's cries for help, her aunt keeps her in there. This would have a negative on many other people, Jane simply brushes the dust off her shoulders and moves on.
Let’s fast forward now. Things are starting to look up for Jane; she has a respectable job, a pleasant home, and she is even in love. She has fallen in love with Mr. Rochester and he has even proposed to her. Things are going her way; fate seems to favor her now. Yet, on the very day she plans to marry she learns that Mr. Rochester is already married. Her heart, her spirits were raised above the stars, only so that they could crashing back down. How heart breaking it must be to go through that. In the words of Alan in his blog, “She never thought that would happen to her in mass, the moment her life was suppose to change for good just back fired on her and became the moment where she lost her love, Mr. Rochester.”(The Love She Lost) She was so close to happiness, but out of nowhere a hand came and grabbed her back in, put her back in her place. For example, “Jane Eyre, who had been an ardent, expectant woman-almost a bride-was a cold, solitary girl again: her life was pale, her prospects were desolate.” (Bronte 300). For days she just can’t grasp it, yet she comes back to her senses and gets off the floor after one another of life’s mortal blows.
Jane has now done the only thing she could think of; she has fled Thornfield Hall and Mr. Rochester. But, there where a few things Jane overlooked and when she runs away she finds life ready to beat her down yet again and this time it is equipped with brass knuckles and a baseball bat. This time she shall be beat like never before. As Ana says in her blog, “ Jane has now degraded herself; she use to have a job and earn money now she has hit rock bottom. She has sunk into some kind of depression.” (Hitting Rock Bottom). Jane has faced many hardships before, but none quite like this one. Now she is entirely alone; no place to sleep and no food to eat. Take for instance, “: I lay on the ground some minutes, pressing my face to the wet turf. I had some fear-or hope-that here I should die: but I was soon up; crawling forwards on my hands and knees, and then again raised to my feet-as eager and as determined as ever to reach the road.” (Bronte 327). Homeless, cold, and starving she finds strength; part of her wishes to just give up and it tempts her, but she fights it off. Despite how broken she is how weak and fragile she continues to walk the long and strenuous path that we call life.
How is it that Jane was able to overcome these hardships? what strength did she find in herself that allowed her to move on? A fine example of her inner strength is shown in this passage, “No; you shall tear yourself away, none shall help you: You shall, yourself, pluck out your right eye: yourself cut off your right hand: your heart shall be the victim; and you, the priest, to transfix it.” (Bronte 302). And as Arof says in his blog, “Basically, what Charlotte Bronte is telling us through Jane is that life is truly a gamble and you are the only thing that can better it.”(Life's a gamble, Have fun). Jane is strong because she knows the only way her situation is going to change, is if she changes it. That is what drives her. She knows that if she's stuck in a hole no one will pull her out; she has to climb out
Jane went through a lot, but in the end it was worth it. As Liszette says in her blog ''After everything Jane has been through, she has finally found happiness. She has been through so many hardships.''(Love Prevails). Jane was strong throughout and she fought with everything she had. Most of all Jane taught me to keep going no matter what. No matter how dark the tunnel is you need to keep on walking or crawling or whatever it is you can; no matter how many times you stumble into something keep pushing through the darkness so that you may one day find the light.
Lessons to be Learned
The novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte motivated me to go for more constructive experiences in life. Through out the book there are many life lessons, and the one that has stood out is: someone needs to go through certain situations before becoming independent. Jane’s independence was a major factor in the novel. I relate to Jane in the fact that I too have had a rough childhood, and I wish to someday have a good life where I have become independent financially and mentally, just like Jane has done. I know I have to go through more experiences in life to become more prepared to fight for what I want.
Jane, since her childhood, she has suffered through many situatuions where she has had to face the world alone. One example, Jane lived in Gateshead Hall, and she wasn't happy at all. Her cousin, John Reed, was always teasing her, bullying he, and getting her into trouble. Jane, even called him "master Reed". Apart from the fact that Jane had to refer to her own cousin that was one year older than her "master" was just a sign that Jane couldn't possibly be have been happy living there. Jane had nothing in Gateshead Hall, she was lonesome and miserable. Mrs. Reed, Jane's aunt, had no campasion for her, she would chastise her even when she knew Jane was a victim of her son's bullying. Mrs. Reed was an awful person in Jane's childhood, she would lock her up in a room where Jane would be terrified to go into because of the fear of her uncle's spirit hunting that room. She knew that Jane was petrified to go in there and still she left her to her misery.
If I would have had that childhood, where the maid herself pitied me because in her eyes I was not even superior to her. Like how, Bessie, the house keeper of the Reeds, said, “No; you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep.”. I would truly be unhappy if the maid would say that to me, why?, because I would think I'm surround by family and I shouldn't have to owe anything to my family, but in Jane's case she was taught to believe ,after her uncle's death, that she was worth nothing to the Reeds and she was just an object that was suppose to live pretending she didn't exist.
This harsh and limited childhood has molded Jane to be the character, I would one day wish to be like, like my classmate Richard said, “This bold statement has affected Jane throughout her life and it has shaped Jane's personality throughout the novel.”. (It can only hurt you if you let it) Richard agrees with the fact that what Bessie said was something that has scared Jane.
Jane hasn't just had bad encounters with live, when Jane grew up and found herself a job as a governess at Thorn field Hall, she began to experience something new. She was beginning to experience love,but not just brotherhood love but real love, love for someone who isn't really related to you. Jane was finally adapting herself in a life were there was a possibility in being happy with the person she loved, Mr. Rochester. Jane is a person who never thought of herself a person who would be able to experience happiness through love. Mr. Rochester made her think otherwise, when he proposed to her in the orchard, at first Jane was especticual about the intentions Mr. Rochester had but he later convinced her that he loved her too. And after the very romantic proposal she began a live a life where she thought she was going to be a happy at the side of her loved one. Everything was like a fairy tale, Jane seemed happy because she was marrying the man she truly loved and like Alejandra said, “Happiness is one of the things Jane never had as a child”(Happiness) because of the fact that Jane wasn't acustom to happiness she really didn't know what to expect from her “happy” marriage. Jane was bulnerable against things that might go wrong.
The fact that Jane hadn't experienced love or happiness made her more open to mistakes and posibilities for wrong things to happen. She wasn't prepared to be happy because she hadn't experienced enough to be truly happy. Yes, Jane had to overcome her hate for Mrs. Reed, the fact she had no one to lean on when she needed a shoulder, and now she has to experience the unexperience. She wasn't prepared for the news she received on the day of her wedding. She wasn't strong enough to face the fact that Mr. Mason had come to interrupt her wedding because Mr. Rochester was married with someone else and that the other woman not just was alive but also lived at Thornfield Hall. This came to Jane like a terrifying news. Like Alejandra said, “But she got carried away, she made her decision and now she’s suffering the consequences. She was thinking with her heart, but unfortunately she wasn’t thinking with her head.” (Happiness)Yes, I agree with Alejandra, Jane did get carried away but it wasn't her fault. Jane wasn't use to being treated with love or respect so she let her self go and the outcome came to be that she suffered more.
Jane, has suffered throughout her live, because she hadn't gone through the life lesson that she needs to be happy. At the end of the novel, Jane says, “"Reader, I married him" this line symbolises Jane's true happiness, but one thing I know for a fact is that Jane now is truly happy not because she married Mr. Rochester, her love, but also because she is now independent and with a family. Jane had to go through sadness, rejection, and even depression, for her to realize that she was now prepared for life. Yes, if not soon nor later, life would give chances to does who have learn and gone through certain things. Jane thought that she would never see herself happy but I always thought otherwise.
Jane, since her childhood, she has suffered through many situatuions where she has had to face the world alone. One example, Jane lived in Gateshead Hall, and she wasn't happy at all. Her cousin, John Reed, was always teasing her, bullying he, and getting her into trouble. Jane, even called him "master Reed". Apart from the fact that Jane had to refer to her own cousin that was one year older than her "master" was just a sign that Jane couldn't possibly be have been happy living there. Jane had nothing in Gateshead Hall, she was lonesome and miserable. Mrs. Reed, Jane's aunt, had no campasion for her, she would chastise her even when she knew Jane was a victim of her son's bullying. Mrs. Reed was an awful person in Jane's childhood, she would lock her up in a room where Jane would be terrified to go into because of the fear of her uncle's spirit hunting that room. She knew that Jane was petrified to go in there and still she left her to her misery.
If I would have had that childhood, where the maid herself pitied me because in her eyes I was not even superior to her. Like how, Bessie, the house keeper of the Reeds, said, “No; you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep.”. I would truly be unhappy if the maid would say that to me, why?, because I would think I'm surround by family and I shouldn't have to owe anything to my family, but in Jane's case she was taught to believe ,after her uncle's death, that she was worth nothing to the Reeds and she was just an object that was suppose to live pretending she didn't exist.
This harsh and limited childhood has molded Jane to be the character, I would one day wish to be like, like my classmate Richard said, “This bold statement has affected Jane throughout her life and it has shaped Jane's personality throughout the novel.”. (It can only hurt you if you let it) Richard agrees with the fact that what Bessie said was something that has scared Jane.
Jane hasn't just had bad encounters with live, when Jane grew up and found herself a job as a governess at Thorn field Hall, she began to experience something new. She was beginning to experience love,but not just brotherhood love but real love, love for someone who isn't really related to you. Jane was finally adapting herself in a life were there was a possibility in being happy with the person she loved, Mr. Rochester. Jane is a person who never thought of herself a person who would be able to experience happiness through love. Mr. Rochester made her think otherwise, when he proposed to her in the orchard, at first Jane was especticual about the intentions Mr. Rochester had but he later convinced her that he loved her too. And after the very romantic proposal she began a live a life where she thought she was going to be a happy at the side of her loved one. Everything was like a fairy tale, Jane seemed happy because she was marrying the man she truly loved and like Alejandra said, “Happiness is one of the things Jane never had as a child”(Happiness) because of the fact that Jane wasn't acustom to happiness she really didn't know what to expect from her “happy” marriage. Jane was bulnerable against things that might go wrong.
The fact that Jane hadn't experienced love or happiness made her more open to mistakes and posibilities for wrong things to happen. She wasn't prepared to be happy because she hadn't experienced enough to be truly happy. Yes, Jane had to overcome her hate for Mrs. Reed, the fact she had no one to lean on when she needed a shoulder, and now she has to experience the unexperience. She wasn't prepared for the news she received on the day of her wedding. She wasn't strong enough to face the fact that Mr. Mason had come to interrupt her wedding because Mr. Rochester was married with someone else and that the other woman not just was alive but also lived at Thornfield Hall. This came to Jane like a terrifying news. Like Alejandra said, “But she got carried away, she made her decision and now she’s suffering the consequences. She was thinking with her heart, but unfortunately she wasn’t thinking with her head.” (Happiness)Yes, I agree with Alejandra, Jane did get carried away but it wasn't her fault. Jane wasn't use to being treated with love or respect so she let her self go and the outcome came to be that she suffered more.
Jane, has suffered throughout her live, because she hadn't gone through the life lesson that she needs to be happy. At the end of the novel, Jane says, “"Reader, I married him" this line symbolises Jane's true happiness, but one thing I know for a fact is that Jane now is truly happy not because she married Mr. Rochester, her love, but also because she is now independent and with a family. Jane had to go through sadness, rejection, and even depression, for her to realize that she was now prepared for life. Yes, if not soon nor later, life would give chances to does who have learn and gone through certain things. Jane thought that she would never see herself happy but I always thought otherwise.
A Door Knob Away
In the society of Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, women are portrayed as submissive, silent, and uneducated, and yielding to serving males; who are normally viewed as dominate and aggressive. Bronte’s novel is a guide that serves to inform the reader that if you break the chains of stereotypes and society’s views on what is right or wrong, you are able to develop one’s own autonomy and gain success.
Jane Eyre is the character that is used as an example to show Bronte’s phenomenon. She challenges society and is continually beaten to be forced to submit to the stereotypes of the Victorian period. On the first page of the novel, the reader already sees the stereotypical view of women: silent. When Jane asks why she is punished, her Aunt, who bitterly dislikes Jane, replies, “Jane, I don't like cavillers or questioners; besides, there is something truly forbidding in a child taking up her elders in that manner. Be seated somewhere; and until you can speak pleasantly, remain silent.” Jane’s relentlessness to comply with the society’s unjust faculties is how she continues to gain independence progressing throughout the novel.
In Jane’s time at Thornfield, she speaks of the vanity of the thought that humans should and will be satisfied with tranquility. She talks about the imprisonment of women, behind the bars of the Victorian society, and how they are constantly in a silent rebellion, within the guarded walls of their brain, against this overwhelming society. Jane does not want to be obliged under the duties of nineteenth-century woman and their fettered stagnation of knitting and feckless duties revolving around the excited, ambiguous, and free of the fastened rope that ties woman down, lives of the man. Charlotte Bronte wants the woman to be able to exercise her mind and the strength it possesses that is always being oppressed by the society and its condemnation. This quote explains Jane’s feelings towards this “silent revolt” that women are suffering from:
“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; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. 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.” (Bronte 111)
Breaking free from the bars of “society’s rules” and grasping the short rope for independence that women have longed for, is exactly that Jane tries to retain. Charlotte Bronte expresses through Jane’s experiences with Mr. Rochester that woman do not always need to aid of men. In fact, she stresses that it can be the complete opposite; Men may sometimes need the aid of women. Numerous times, Mr. Rochester has been in predicaments in which Jane has been seen lending a shoulder and helping Mr. Rochester. Anonymous commented on the blog, “Everything happens for a reason”, saying that “All throughout the book Jane has in some way helped Mr. Rochester.”. I think that Charlotte Bronte and Anonymous are trying to say that a man needs a woman and a woman, a man. Anonymous recounts the times in which Jane has been needed by Mr. Rochester, and this shows how Jane is proving that she is not the coward that society tries to portray about women. She shows that she can, for once, be the provider and not the taker.
At the end of the book, and Charlotte Bronte’s ending condemnation of the Victorian society, Jane opens the chapter with the bold statement, “Reader, I married him.” (Bronte 457) This is a step for Jane, because it symbolizes her growth and final jut that entangles her from the society and its wide road that many women take. It shows how Jane has finally gained some power and strength that many women, from the Victorian period to this day, have not been able to achieve. Kersia Salazar also commented on the blog, “Everything happens for a reason”, stating, “I believe that because Mr. Rochester and Jane were in different social classes, Mr. Rochester's handicap (becoming blind) put them on an even playing field as far as society is concerned. Instead of Mr. Rochester being the sole provider in the relationship, Jane now has her place as well.” This is true. Due to Mr. Rochester’s estate being burned down and his physical injuries and Jane’s gain of money, when they marry, Mr. Rochester is now reduced in the social hierarchy, and Jane has climbed up the ladder of this hierarchy and dwells on the same steps as Mr. Rochester, making them equal. Charlotte Bronte symbolizes Mr. Rochester’s handicap and his dependency on Jane as a step for women. She lets the reader know that, in a marriage, both spouses are dependent on each other; this is the equality that Jane and women have been longing for.
Through Bronte’s novel, I notice that sometimes I confine myself under the society’s rights and wrongs. javascript:void(0)I find myself meshing with the stereotype of males being aggressive and never thinking about breaking free from those “truthful lies”. From withstanding the Reed’s vituperative manner to finding herself clinging to the bare hands of Mother Nature, Jane has fought the struggles of restricting herself under a male-dominated society, and succeeded in breaking those chains and shackles that refrain so many women from being different. I learned, from Jane’s journey, that if you continue to fight against the society, striving to be different than the rest, then you can do so much more. If you understand what morality is and build your own independent conscience, then preparing yourself for success is only a door knob away.
Jane Eyre is the character that is used as an example to show Bronte’s phenomenon. She challenges society and is continually beaten to be forced to submit to the stereotypes of the Victorian period. On the first page of the novel, the reader already sees the stereotypical view of women: silent. When Jane asks why she is punished, her Aunt, who bitterly dislikes Jane, replies, “Jane, I don't like cavillers or questioners; besides, there is something truly forbidding in a child taking up her elders in that manner. Be seated somewhere; and until you can speak pleasantly, remain silent.” Jane’s relentlessness to comply with the society’s unjust faculties is how she continues to gain independence progressing throughout the novel.
In Jane’s time at Thornfield, she speaks of the vanity of the thought that humans should and will be satisfied with tranquility. She talks about the imprisonment of women, behind the bars of the Victorian society, and how they are constantly in a silent rebellion, within the guarded walls of their brain, against this overwhelming society. Jane does not want to be obliged under the duties of nineteenth-century woman and their fettered stagnation of knitting and feckless duties revolving around the excited, ambiguous, and free of the fastened rope that ties woman down, lives of the man. Charlotte Bronte wants the woman to be able to exercise her mind and the strength it possesses that is always being oppressed by the society and its condemnation. This quote explains Jane’s feelings towards this “silent revolt” that women are suffering from:
“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; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. 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.” (Bronte 111)
Breaking free from the bars of “society’s rules” and grasping the short rope for independence that women have longed for, is exactly that Jane tries to retain. Charlotte Bronte expresses through Jane’s experiences with Mr. Rochester that woman do not always need to aid of men. In fact, she stresses that it can be the complete opposite; Men may sometimes need the aid of women. Numerous times, Mr. Rochester has been in predicaments in which Jane has been seen lending a shoulder and helping Mr. Rochester. Anonymous commented on the blog, “Everything happens for a reason”, saying that “All throughout the book Jane has in some way helped Mr. Rochester.”. I think that Charlotte Bronte and Anonymous are trying to say that a man needs a woman and a woman, a man. Anonymous recounts the times in which Jane has been needed by Mr. Rochester, and this shows how Jane is proving that she is not the coward that society tries to portray about women. She shows that she can, for once, be the provider and not the taker.
At the end of the book, and Charlotte Bronte’s ending condemnation of the Victorian society, Jane opens the chapter with the bold statement, “Reader, I married him.” (Bronte 457) This is a step for Jane, because it symbolizes her growth and final jut that entangles her from the society and its wide road that many women take. It shows how Jane has finally gained some power and strength that many women, from the Victorian period to this day, have not been able to achieve. Kersia Salazar also commented on the blog, “Everything happens for a reason”, stating, “I believe that because Mr. Rochester and Jane were in different social classes, Mr. Rochester's handicap (becoming blind) put them on an even playing field as far as society is concerned. Instead of Mr. Rochester being the sole provider in the relationship, Jane now has her place as well.” This is true. Due to Mr. Rochester’s estate being burned down and his physical injuries and Jane’s gain of money, when they marry, Mr. Rochester is now reduced in the social hierarchy, and Jane has climbed up the ladder of this hierarchy and dwells on the same steps as Mr. Rochester, making them equal. Charlotte Bronte symbolizes Mr. Rochester’s handicap and his dependency on Jane as a step for women. She lets the reader know that, in a marriage, both spouses are dependent on each other; this is the equality that Jane and women have been longing for.
Through Bronte’s novel, I notice that sometimes I confine myself under the society’s rights and wrongs. javascript:void(0)I find myself meshing with the stereotype of males being aggressive and never thinking about breaking free from those “truthful lies”. From withstanding the Reed’s vituperative manner to finding herself clinging to the bare hands of Mother Nature, Jane has fought the struggles of restricting herself under a male-dominated society, and succeeded in breaking those chains and shackles that refrain so many women from being different. I learned, from Jane’s journey, that if you continue to fight against the society, striving to be different than the rest, then you can do so much more. If you understand what morality is and build your own independent conscience, then preparing yourself for success is only a door knob away.
A Challenge is Good in Life
“She has been trying to go against the unjust and common moral characteristics of the world and find her own moral conscience. She withstands her unfair benefactress and the unfair treatment she receives from everyone she encounters.”
-Marcus Banks
In the novel by Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, Jane has gone through many unjust, abusive and unfortunate events through out her life. She has endured many lies, beatings, verbal abuse, and humiliation. She has gone through all these misfortunes for the majority of her life, but these things are good. These incidents are what make Jane as a person. It is as if challenges and hard choices (good or bad) that are essential to question her own actions and find out who she is in the world. She doesn't learn much when she is happy. Being in that state, her being happy is precisely what leads her to being naive and allowing her heart to open up to Mr. Rochester and get hurt.
She spends most of her childhood life at Gateshead Hall, where she is taken in by her Uncle, Mr. Reed, when both her mother and father die. Her Uncle tries his best to bring her up as one of his own children (with kindness and decently), until his death. When he dies, Jane is left in the care of her careless aunt, Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed is not much of a guardian, but more like a monster who couldn’t care less about the well-being of Jane. She practically denies her existence and allows her children (mainly the boy, John) to physically abuse her for their own entertainment. The constant abuse at Gateshead is actually one of the main events that helps Jane find the strength she has stored inside. Being at Gateshead gives her a reason for her to stand up for herself and most importantly to her aunt. In the novel, Bronte describes a scene in the book where Jane expresses her feelings about her aunt and the way she has treated her and all the pain she has suffered. Jane says, “'I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty.'”(36). Mrs. Reed is spellbound at what her niece has said about her, but Jane, “...left there alone--winner of the field” (37). She has overcome one of the greatest challenges in her life, but there is more in store for Jane.
As soon as Jane leaves the miserable conditions of her life at Gateshead Hall, she endures new ones at her new home, Lowood Institution. Everyone is plainly dressed and the food scanty. She is made to walk several miles in the cold to attend mass. But these are the least of her worries, the biggest one would be the humiliation that she receives from Mr. Brocklehurst. He calls her a liar in front of everyone present and makes her stand on a stool for a half-hour with no one allowed to talk to her. She leaves the stool heartbroken and humiliated and goes to a corner to cry. Then her friend, Helen Burns, comforts her. Then, after Jane tells her that she would rather die then be unloved by people, she gives Jane a very important piece of advice. Helen says, “ 'Hush, Jane! you think too much of the love of human beings; you are too impulsive, too vehement; the sovereign hand that created your frame, and put life into it, has provided you with other resources than your feeble self, or than creatures feeble as you.' ”. The beginning of her education at Lowood is on of the most challenging situation that Jane has to overcome, but this time she has a friend to help her, which she later loses.
Then there is the Typhus epidemic that killed many girl at the school, and during this epidemic someone close to Jane dies. Helen Burns is so sick that she has to be in an insular room where she won't infect any of the other girls. Jane then goes to Helen's room to pay a visit. She sleeps with her. Then in the morning, Jane wakes up to find Helen dead. This is the first time she has ever lost lost someone she really cared about and now has to survive at Lowood alone. As the school's living conditions get better, Jane finds being at Lowood better then before. She thrives as a student and later becomes a teacher.
After leaving The Lowood Institution to be a governess at Thornfield, she falls deeply in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester. She is deeply in love with him and is going to get married to him. Jane believes this to be all too good to be true, and she is right. It turns out that Mr. Rochester is not who he turns out to be. On the day of their wedding, Mr. Mason abject to the marriage because Mr. Rochester is already married to his daughter, Bertha Mason. Jane is heartbroken by what she has heard. Everything she feels inside that is happy is dead. She describes her feelings, as “My hopes were all dead--struck with a subtle doom, such as, in one night, fell on all the first-born in the land of Egypt.”(300). She now has a hard decision to make. Should she stay with Mr. Rochester, a married man, or go away from him? She later decides to leave Mr. Rochester. It is the hardest decision that she ever has to make. It is hard because she is leaving Mr. Rochester (the man she loves dearly) and has no other place to go and has to start a brand new life. As Erick says in his blog called Mr. Rochester and the Black Gate Gates, “The gates in which Jane opens to leave Thornfiled is a symbol. She destroys her life at Thornfield and creates a new life. The gates are the thresholds to a new world. She is skeptical at first because Jane realizes that once she steps out there is no turning back.” When she leaves Thornfield, she will burn ever bridge that she knows and be alone once again.
As soon as she leaves Thornfield, she takes a coach to anywhere her money can take her. She ends up close to a town called Whitcross (which takes her two days to travel to). She forgets her parcel on the coach; now she hasn't a penny to her name and has to sleep on the street. She has never been this low in society; she has always had a roof over her head. Now she doesn't even have that. She goes hungry for the first time in her life. She has nothing to eat for most of the time, so she has to beg for food. Bronte describes how desperate Jane is food in a scene where she begged a little girl for cold porridge, “The girl emptied the stiffened mould into my hand, and I devoured it ravenously.”(335)
She goes in to the town hoping to get a job, but no one requires her services. Worst then not having any food to eat, neither does she have any employment. Jane as change a lot during this time. Liszette states it best when she talks about how much Jane has changed in her blog Falling. She says, “Living outside? Begging for food? This is not the Jane we have come to know and love. Where has her pride gone?”. The choice she has made has taught her a lot about being dependent on other people. She also learns how much she doesn't like to be dependent on others. She enjoys being an independent women. A person who can make her own decisions and have her own money.
It is all about the challenges we have in live and the decisions that come after that determine who we are as human beings. If I had not come to Chinquapin, I don't know what kind of person I would be or where I would be at this moment. I know it was the hardest of all the other choices I had for a school, but the harder the school the harder I work and the more I learn because it is always a challenge.
Emotions; Why They Make You Feel the Way They Do and How to Cope With Them
Emotions are feelings that one experiences, and if one chooses to, one also expresses how those emotions make him or her feel. Having the ability to express his or her feeling, one must know when to express them and when not to express them because the expression of one’s feelings can say a lot about one. One’s obsession with maintaining one’s image has been the root cause of our constant battle to remain emotionally isolated from others. Charlotte Brontë, in her classic novel, Jane Eyre, portrays how one’s image can be distorted by the expression or lack of expression of one’s emotions. One must know when he or she can express his or her feelings publicly or privately, or when one has to keep them hidden.
If one wants to be successful in the professional world, one must have an almost staid first impression, meaning, that one must be very serious and almost emotionless. As OTILIO describes in his blog, “Hidden emotions”, a good habit for one to acquire is having the ability to filter one’s emotions and decide when to express them or not to express them. OTILIO writes in his blog, attempting to define success, “Jane says that in order for her to be able to be a successful governess, she must mask her emotions from others; she must hide her confusion and insecurity because if people were to see this side of her, they are less likely to take her seriously, and less likely to hire her” (“Hidden emotions”). Basically, he says that to be professionally successful one must maintain an image of stability and emotional strength by not expressing emotions of weakness such as sadness or anger. In Jane Eyre Jane is approached by Mr. Rochester, and he tries to get her to show her emotions to him. Jane refuses to give in to temptation and congratulates herself, “Ere long, I had reason to congratulate myself on the course of wholesome discipline to which I had thus forced my feelings to submit,” which shows us that in the professional business world one should not give into the temptation of wanting to express his or her feelings (Brontë 164).
On the contrary, the personal life is on the extreme opposite end of the emotion expression spectrum. In a relationship, one does not want to appear heartless by not showing his or her feelings to his or her significant other. To have a successful personal life, one should be open and express his or her feelings so that one and his or her significant other can be on the same page. As ERIKA states in her blog, “Is love is in the air? [SIC]”, if one fakes his or her emotions for another or keeps them hidden things become complicated. “Its not the easiest thing, but if you approach the situation correctly, then it becomes easier because all the secrets, emotions, and feelings will be recognized and not hidden [SIC],” writes ERIKA (“Is love is in the air?” [SIC]). Acknowledging the fact that relationships are already complicated, ERIKA suggests that when one is open and shares his or her feeling in a relationship, the relationship becomes a much smoother and enjoyable ride. Later in the novel Jane realizes that she loves Mr. Rochester and that she has learned how to love him. “I have told you, reader, that I had learnt to love Mr. Rochester: I could not unlove him now, merely because I found that he had ceased to notice me…,” here Brontë is portraying, through Jane, that the expression of love, an emotion, is learned and that one should learn how to express feelings such as love with his or her feelings with his or her significant other (Brontë 188).
“Jane, I consider you a most intelligent and apt lady whom has come to learn how to control her feelings and emotions throughout her life by overcoming a variety of experiences. You are able to stop, think, analyze, think once more, and take control of a situation,” writes KAEH in his blog, “Take it if you may” (“Take it if you may”). Basically, he is complimenting Jane on her ability to stop and think about a situation and whether or not to show her emotions, which is what one should do in any situation. Emotions are like atoms, they have their positive, negative, and neutral parts. One should know when expressing his or her emotion will have a positive outcome or a negative one. There are also times in which it does not matter if you show emotions or not. The important thing is that one should know when the right time is, don’t you think so?
If one wants to be successful in the professional world, one must have an almost staid first impression, meaning, that one must be very serious and almost emotionless. As OTILIO describes in his blog, “Hidden emotions”, a good habit for one to acquire is having the ability to filter one’s emotions and decide when to express them or not to express them. OTILIO writes in his blog, attempting to define success, “Jane says that in order for her to be able to be a successful governess, she must mask her emotions from others; she must hide her confusion and insecurity because if people were to see this side of her, they are less likely to take her seriously, and less likely to hire her” (“Hidden emotions”). Basically, he says that to be professionally successful one must maintain an image of stability and emotional strength by not expressing emotions of weakness such as sadness or anger. In Jane Eyre Jane is approached by Mr. Rochester, and he tries to get her to show her emotions to him. Jane refuses to give in to temptation and congratulates herself, “Ere long, I had reason to congratulate myself on the course of wholesome discipline to which I had thus forced my feelings to submit,” which shows us that in the professional business world one should not give into the temptation of wanting to express his or her feelings (Brontë 164).
On the contrary, the personal life is on the extreme opposite end of the emotion expression spectrum. In a relationship, one does not want to appear heartless by not showing his or her feelings to his or her significant other. To have a successful personal life, one should be open and express his or her feelings so that one and his or her significant other can be on the same page. As ERIKA states in her blog, “Is love is in the air? [SIC]”, if one fakes his or her emotions for another or keeps them hidden things become complicated. “Its not the easiest thing, but if you approach the situation correctly, then it becomes easier because all the secrets, emotions, and feelings will be recognized and not hidden [SIC],” writes ERIKA (“Is love is in the air?” [SIC]). Acknowledging the fact that relationships are already complicated, ERIKA suggests that when one is open and shares his or her feeling in a relationship, the relationship becomes a much smoother and enjoyable ride. Later in the novel Jane realizes that she loves Mr. Rochester and that she has learned how to love him. “I have told you, reader, that I had learnt to love Mr. Rochester: I could not unlove him now, merely because I found that he had ceased to notice me…,” here Brontë is portraying, through Jane, that the expression of love, an emotion, is learned and that one should learn how to express feelings such as love with his or her feelings with his or her significant other (Brontë 188).
“Jane, I consider you a most intelligent and apt lady whom has come to learn how to control her feelings and emotions throughout her life by overcoming a variety of experiences. You are able to stop, think, analyze, think once more, and take control of a situation,” writes KAEH in his blog, “Take it if you may” (“Take it if you may”). Basically, he is complimenting Jane on her ability to stop and think about a situation and whether or not to show her emotions, which is what one should do in any situation. Emotions are like atoms, they have their positive, negative, and neutral parts. One should know when expressing his or her emotion will have a positive outcome or a negative one. There are also times in which it does not matter if you show emotions or not. The important thing is that one should know when the right time is, don’t you think so?
What is deserved
There is a very important lesson we've learned from Charlotte Brontë: good things happen to good people, and in the end they shall be rewarded; if someone is bad, then they will eventually get what they deserve. What better way to prove this than whilst reading Jane Eyre: the story of an orphaned little girl that suffers many hardships, but with enough hard work finds love and happiness later on in life? Although Jane is the ideal example that staying true to yourself and being a good person is in the end rewarding, characters Jane interacts with in the book also foreshadow this lesson. There were people that mistreated Jane at Lowood and Gateshead; there were also people that were kind to her at both of these places. We later see how both these types of people's lives turned out.
We all know how badly Jane was treated at Gateshead. Her cousins along with her aunt were very cruel to her. John Reed, her cousin, would torment her by throwing books at her, hitting her, telling her that she's worthless. Georgiana and Eliza, John's sisters, would treat her as if she were nothing, they mentally tortured her. Mrs. Reed, Jane's aunt by marriage, was negligent of Jane; Mrs. Reed, it seemed, held a lot of resentment towards Jane. Later, when Jane returns after 8 years to Gateshead, we see how the Reeds' lives have fallen apart. John was committed suicide, Eliza and Georgiana hate each other, and Mrs. Reed is on her deathbed. Eduardo's reaction was probably similar to ours. In his blog, Forgive and forget?, Eduardo writes:
“Dear aunt? How is she dear? When in her life did she ever treat you like a human being? How can you just forget all the pain?....I am so shocked at this reaction Jane had towards that evil woman. She never treated Jane with any type of love, why should Jane even recognize her as her aunt?”.
Eduardo is, of course, referring to the scene where Jane finally sees Mrs. Reed after such a long time and she calls her “dear aunt”. I had the same reaction; how could Jane forgive Mrs. Reed so easily? It is because Jane saw that the Reeds had suffered enough. What good would it do for Jane to treat them badly in the state they were in? They were cruel people when Jane was a child, and now they have received their punishment.
Jane endured the torture at Gateshead, and went on to study at Lowood Institute. This would have been a relief, but a very cruel man, Mr. Brocklehurst, made this experience miserable. Eric Volpe writes of one situation where Mr. Brocklehurst was especially mean to Jane. In his blog, Don't Listen to Them, Eric writes, “Mr. Brocklehurst publicly humiliates her by addressing to the entire student body that she is a liar and makes her stand on a stool for most of the day.” Mr. Brocklehurst not only treats Jane badly, though, he mistreats all of the girls at Lowood. He neglects to provide the girls with sufficient food, shelter, clothes, all the necessities they need to be healthy. Luckily, after some time Mr. Brocklehurst is relieved of his duties, and a new group of people oversee the care of the girls at Lowood. Though, to many this may not look like much, Mr. Brocklehurst got what was coming. How he looked towards others was very important to him, when he was exposed for being negligent towards these girls it really affected the way society looked at him.
The people that were cruel to Jane got their just desserts, but not only that; the ones that were kind to Jane, that were good people, also got what they deserved. While the Reeds mistreated Jane at Gateshead, Bessie was the only person that was friendly to Jane. Miss Temple was there to counteract Mr. Brocklehurst's cruelty with the small niceties she did for Jane. Both Bessie and Miss Temple were there for Jane, and both were in turn rewarded for this. Towards the end of Jane's time at Lowood, we learn that Miss Temple has found a nice clergyman and has gotten married. During the time that Jane was at Lowood Miss Temple was a mother figure to her, a friend to her, and a teacher. Miss Temple was an exemplary role model for Jane and after devoting much of her time to Lowood was rewarded with finding love. As Jane was leaving Lowood, she is reunited with Bessie and Bessie is now married to a good man and has a child now. Bessie was the only one that was kind to Jane at Gateshead, and for her kindness she was rewarded. She no longer had to suffer with the Reeds, she now had a loving family. Miss Temple and Bessie received what they deserved.
Forgive and forget: a motto by which Jane seems to go by. This seems hard for most of us to do. When someone hurts us, do we forgive right away? No; we will most likely seek revenge. At the very least, we will find ourselves with a feeling of resentment inside. So, why is it so easy for Jane to forgive Mrs. Reed, John Reed, Georgiana, Eliza, and Mr. Brocklehurst? She has seen how cruel they can be, how merciless they were, but when they were at low points in their lives, Jane was able to forgive them. Jane is not the kind of person that kicks someone when they're down. She knows that good things come to good people and bad people will get what they deserve.
We all know how badly Jane was treated at Gateshead. Her cousins along with her aunt were very cruel to her. John Reed, her cousin, would torment her by throwing books at her, hitting her, telling her that she's worthless. Georgiana and Eliza, John's sisters, would treat her as if she were nothing, they mentally tortured her. Mrs. Reed, Jane's aunt by marriage, was negligent of Jane; Mrs. Reed, it seemed, held a lot of resentment towards Jane. Later, when Jane returns after 8 years to Gateshead, we see how the Reeds' lives have fallen apart. John was committed suicide, Eliza and Georgiana hate each other, and Mrs. Reed is on her deathbed. Eduardo's reaction was probably similar to ours. In his blog, Forgive and forget?, Eduardo writes:
“Dear aunt? How is she dear? When in her life did she ever treat you like a human being? How can you just forget all the pain?....I am so shocked at this reaction Jane had towards that evil woman. She never treated Jane with any type of love, why should Jane even recognize her as her aunt?”.
Eduardo is, of course, referring to the scene where Jane finally sees Mrs. Reed after such a long time and she calls her “dear aunt”. I had the same reaction; how could Jane forgive Mrs. Reed so easily? It is because Jane saw that the Reeds had suffered enough. What good would it do for Jane to treat them badly in the state they were in? They were cruel people when Jane was a child, and now they have received their punishment.
Jane endured the torture at Gateshead, and went on to study at Lowood Institute. This would have been a relief, but a very cruel man, Mr. Brocklehurst, made this experience miserable. Eric Volpe writes of one situation where Mr. Brocklehurst was especially mean to Jane. In his blog, Don't Listen to Them, Eric writes, “Mr. Brocklehurst publicly humiliates her by addressing to the entire student body that she is a liar and makes her stand on a stool for most of the day.” Mr. Brocklehurst not only treats Jane badly, though, he mistreats all of the girls at Lowood. He neglects to provide the girls with sufficient food, shelter, clothes, all the necessities they need to be healthy. Luckily, after some time Mr. Brocklehurst is relieved of his duties, and a new group of people oversee the care of the girls at Lowood. Though, to many this may not look like much, Mr. Brocklehurst got what was coming. How he looked towards others was very important to him, when he was exposed for being negligent towards these girls it really affected the way society looked at him.
The people that were cruel to Jane got their just desserts, but not only that; the ones that were kind to Jane, that were good people, also got what they deserved. While the Reeds mistreated Jane at Gateshead, Bessie was the only person that was friendly to Jane. Miss Temple was there to counteract Mr. Brocklehurst's cruelty with the small niceties she did for Jane. Both Bessie and Miss Temple were there for Jane, and both were in turn rewarded for this. Towards the end of Jane's time at Lowood, we learn that Miss Temple has found a nice clergyman and has gotten married. During the time that Jane was at Lowood Miss Temple was a mother figure to her, a friend to her, and a teacher. Miss Temple was an exemplary role model for Jane and after devoting much of her time to Lowood was rewarded with finding love. As Jane was leaving Lowood, she is reunited with Bessie and Bessie is now married to a good man and has a child now. Bessie was the only one that was kind to Jane at Gateshead, and for her kindness she was rewarded. She no longer had to suffer with the Reeds, she now had a loving family. Miss Temple and Bessie received what they deserved.
Forgive and forget: a motto by which Jane seems to go by. This seems hard for most of us to do. When someone hurts us, do we forgive right away? No; we will most likely seek revenge. At the very least, we will find ourselves with a feeling of resentment inside. So, why is it so easy for Jane to forgive Mrs. Reed, John Reed, Georgiana, Eliza, and Mr. Brocklehurst? She has seen how cruel they can be, how merciless they were, but when they were at low points in their lives, Jane was able to forgive them. Jane is not the kind of person that kicks someone when they're down. She knows that good things come to good people and bad people will get what they deserve.
Patience Is the Key to success
When someone's young, the last thing they should be thinking about is settling down. You should live your life and take everything slow. You have your whole life to worry about settling down and getting married. At age 18, the most of one's worries should be having fun and meeting new people, not getting married. That's why I think that Jane was too young to be getting married. And Mr. Rochester isn't all that great of a guy, he had his flaws and big ones too. In Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre, she has a main character named Jane trying to settle down to soon, I think. Jane needs to have patience with love and just let things fall into place the way they were suppose to; she needs to not rush things.
To start Mr. Rochester is an odd fellow. He has many secrets and that makes him suspicious of many things. To me he's untrustworthy. I wouldn’t trust a guy that had so many skeletons in the closet. And this is a reason why I think that Jane shouldn’t rush into a relationship with him. Just like Eric says in his blog titled It is too much, “Being with him is too much for her; too much adventure and too many secrets that could hurt her in the future. He is a very secretive man. It seems that every time Jane tries to ask him something he finds a clever way to avoid the question.” It takes time to get to trusting someone and more loving someone. Jane has come from a bad past, and she hasn’t really experienced life. She doesn’t know what love or heart-break is and she needs time to learn.
At 18 years old you don’t really know what you want. That’s when you are trying to find out whom you are and what you want to do with your life. Thornfield is Jane’s first look of the real word, just because she thinks that she has found something good doesn’t mean she has to keep it. She needs to be patient and not force things. It’s kind of like my basketball coach says, “If the pass it to risky, don’t force it that way.” Even though sometimes you have to make risks. Like Arof says in this blog titled Life's A Gamble, Have Fun, “...life is truly a gamble and you are the only thing that can better it.” Jane made an excellent choice in leaving Thornfield. It was risky, because she was leaving the person she loved, Mr. Rochester, but it was a necessary thing to do. She was being patient and finding out who she was and what she really wanted in life.
I think when it comes to things like love and you have a choose between making yourself happy and making the other person happy, you should pick yourself. If you aren't happy, then your relationship it just going to fall down the drain. It doesn't work with just one person putting his or her part. And if the other person is holding you back from your happiness, then you just need to drop everything and leave. In Jane's case, she didn't feel it was right to marry Mr. Rochester at the time. She didn't feel that autonomy in order for the relationship to work out. She she left. And in my opinion that was the best decision she made. She was looked at it and said this isn't right; I can't marry Mr. Rochester on these terms. She finally thought about herself first! She is being patient and taking everything at her pace.
I believe that this old saying that was in Erika's blog titled Leave it all behind,"if it's true love let it go and it will come back." I believe this is true. Things happen for a reason. I think it was meant to be for Jane to find out about Bertha. This helped her leave Mr. Rochester and pursue what she wanted. She experienced many good and bad things along the way; poverty, no food or shelter, and family. All these experiences opened her eyes to how life really was. And made her the person she is now. The person saying “Reader, I married him.”
To start Mr. Rochester is an odd fellow. He has many secrets and that makes him suspicious of many things. To me he's untrustworthy. I wouldn’t trust a guy that had so many skeletons in the closet. And this is a reason why I think that Jane shouldn’t rush into a relationship with him. Just like Eric says in his blog titled It is too much, “Being with him is too much for her; too much adventure and too many secrets that could hurt her in the future. He is a very secretive man. It seems that every time Jane tries to ask him something he finds a clever way to avoid the question.” It takes time to get to trusting someone and more loving someone. Jane has come from a bad past, and she hasn’t really experienced life. She doesn’t know what love or heart-break is and she needs time to learn.
At 18 years old you don’t really know what you want. That’s when you are trying to find out whom you are and what you want to do with your life. Thornfield is Jane’s first look of the real word, just because she thinks that she has found something good doesn’t mean she has to keep it. She needs to be patient and not force things. It’s kind of like my basketball coach says, “If the pass it to risky, don’t force it that way.” Even though sometimes you have to make risks. Like Arof says in this blog titled Life's A Gamble, Have Fun, “...life is truly a gamble and you are the only thing that can better it.” Jane made an excellent choice in leaving Thornfield. It was risky, because she was leaving the person she loved, Mr. Rochester, but it was a necessary thing to do. She was being patient and finding out who she was and what she really wanted in life.
I think when it comes to things like love and you have a choose between making yourself happy and making the other person happy, you should pick yourself. If you aren't happy, then your relationship it just going to fall down the drain. It doesn't work with just one person putting his or her part. And if the other person is holding you back from your happiness, then you just need to drop everything and leave. In Jane's case, she didn't feel it was right to marry Mr. Rochester at the time. She didn't feel that autonomy in order for the relationship to work out. She she left. And in my opinion that was the best decision she made. She was looked at it and said this isn't right; I can't marry Mr. Rochester on these terms. She finally thought about herself first! She is being patient and taking everything at her pace.
I believe that this old saying that was in Erika's blog titled Leave it all behind,"if it's true love let it go and it will come back." I believe this is true. Things happen for a reason. I think it was meant to be for Jane to find out about Bertha. This helped her leave Mr. Rochester and pursue what she wanted. She experienced many good and bad things along the way; poverty, no food or shelter, and family. All these experiences opened her eyes to how life really was. And made her the person she is now. The person saying “Reader, I married him.”
Jane's Patience
Alan Rodriguez
December 14, 2009
Jane's Patience
Patience is one of the most difficult things to master in our life. Whether it's being patient for happiness or for love, being patient will get you these things. If you go out there looking for those things, then you're just making your self more open to sadness and different people trying to mess with your heart. But if you're patient, I will guarantee you that true love will come to you. And by having that you'll be happy.
When I was reading Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, I noticed that Jane’s life was horrible. She had no parents and her aunt’s family treated her poorly. In addition to her life being lousy, she also hadn’t experienced love. Not from her family, from her classmates at school, or from a man. Jane Eyre talks to the reader after she’s been married for over decade, "I have been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest--blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine" (459, Bronte). Jane states how she’s been waiting so long for this moment, but now that the wait is over she’s as happy as she can be. She knows that she’s been patient her entire life, and that’s what makes her love life so wonderful.
This isn’t only seen by Bronte, some of my peers also have similar opinions about patience. In Otilio's blog, he says, "But in the end things work out for the best;the fact that Jane refused to make compromises worked best for her in the end. Because she did not make any compromises she gets what she always wanted"(No Compromises). Here he talks about how Jane was patient and never made compromises, and that's why she got what she always wanted. Angelica, another classmate of mine says, "But EVERYTHING TAKES TIME! You can't rush things. There's a reason for everything"(Things happen for a reason!). Here she talks about how there's a time for everything, just be patient and you'll get what you want. And last but not least, Cassandra says, "Jane was very patient. Although she is still young, we can say she waited her whole life to be happy and in love"(Everything happens for a reason) Cassandra talks about how Jane waited so long and all that waiting paid off.
Although patience is a hard thing to master, we still have to give it a try. Just like Jane was able to handle her problems by just waiting patiently, so can we. Most people are to stubborn and don't like waiting for things to come to them but Jane is a perfect example of a person being patient. And look at the outcome out of all of this, she finally married Mr. Rochester and is very happy. Who said that if a person just waits will never get what they want.
December 14, 2009
Jane's Patience
Patience is one of the most difficult things to master in our life. Whether it's being patient for happiness or for love, being patient will get you these things. If you go out there looking for those things, then you're just making your self more open to sadness and different people trying to mess with your heart. But if you're patient, I will guarantee you that true love will come to you. And by having that you'll be happy.
When I was reading Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, I noticed that Jane’s life was horrible. She had no parents and her aunt’s family treated her poorly. In addition to her life being lousy, she also hadn’t experienced love. Not from her family, from her classmates at school, or from a man. Jane Eyre talks to the reader after she’s been married for over decade, "I have been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest--blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband's life as fully as he is mine" (459, Bronte). Jane states how she’s been waiting so long for this moment, but now that the wait is over she’s as happy as she can be. She knows that she’s been patient her entire life, and that’s what makes her love life so wonderful.
This isn’t only seen by Bronte, some of my peers also have similar opinions about patience. In Otilio's blog, he says, "But in the end things work out for the best;the fact that Jane refused to make compromises worked best for her in the end. Because she did not make any compromises she gets what she always wanted"(No Compromises). Here he talks about how Jane was patient and never made compromises, and that's why she got what she always wanted. Angelica, another classmate of mine says, "But EVERYTHING TAKES TIME! You can't rush things. There's a reason for everything"(Things happen for a reason!). Here she talks about how there's a time for everything, just be patient and you'll get what you want. And last but not least, Cassandra says, "Jane was very patient. Although she is still young, we can say she waited her whole life to be happy and in love"(Everything happens for a reason) Cassandra talks about how Jane waited so long and all that waiting paid off.
Although patience is a hard thing to master, we still have to give it a try. Just like Jane was able to handle her problems by just waiting patiently, so can we. Most people are to stubborn and don't like waiting for things to come to them but Jane is a perfect example of a person being patient. And look at the outcome out of all of this, she finally married Mr. Rochester and is very happy. Who said that if a person just waits will never get what they want.
Have Faith and Hope for the Best
Who has the control of our lives? The typical answer would be that oneself does because we make all the choices and decisions of our daily and routinely life. The idea that our future is in our hands keeps us happy, but what happens when we come across a situation in which we have no say in whatsoever? We torment ourselves and are made unhappy by this order of events. However, in her novel Jane Eyre, the author Charlotte Bronte teaches us that instead of going through life grieving that we can not make all the choices ourselves, we should simply have faith that destiny will be kind enough to let those things which we cannot alter, turn out for the best. Bronte presents this by taking the reader through the life of a young lady, who faces numerable difficulties which bring many choices for her to make, but also an equal number of decisions which she has no control over.
There are two ideas about what determines an individuals life. One is the idea of free will which states that we have full control of our lives and how it will end up. The second is the concept of pre-determination or destiny, which says that our entire lives and everything that happens in them have been determined before we are even in our mother's womb. Bronte seems to take the stance of destiny in her novel. "It can never be, sir; it does not sound likely. Human beings never enjoy complete happiness in this world. I was not born for a different destiny to the rest of my species: to imagine such a lot befalling me is a fairy tale--a day-dream."(262) Bronte's main character Jane Eyre, states here how human beings are driven by destiny, and each individuals destiny is somewhat similar, so in conclusion why be bothered by not being able to take some choices ourselves if no one else can either. Jane faces many circumstances in which she wishes certain things would or would not happen. She wishes to be together with her love Mr. Rochester, but when her wedding is ruined by the news of Mr. Rochester having another wife, she is devastated and wishes never to see Edward Rochester again. She flees from him so she won't be tempted to fall for him again. She is convinced that since that event happened, they are not meant for each other, but as the blog "Things Happen for a Reason” by Angelica Toscano says, “ If its meant to happen, its meant to happen. And if its not, its not.” Jane tries to alter her destiny by running away from what would lead her to it because she is afraid to get hurt again, and if it were her choice. she would never see Rochester again. But indeed things do happen for a reason, and Angelica explains in her blog why this unpleasant event had to occur to Jane before she could marry. “Throughout the year she has been through a lot. From poverty and having to live on the streets and beg for food to inheriting 20,000 pounds from her Uncle John and finding out she has family. She went from having nothing to everything...Over the years she has become independent and has control over her own life. She has grown morally and I believe she is now ready to marry...Jane became who she is and what she wanted to be. She needed to find out who she was. And after a rough experience she knows who she is...This was for Jane's benefit and now she is ready.” Just as Jane was not able to alter her love life, neither can anyone else, so why grieve over our lack of choice in destiny.
Perhaps the greatest example of a fate and predetermination ideal is that of God. Bronte's stance on destiny is also backed up by that of a god that controls the destiny of each individual. She introduces this idea through her character Helen Burns, whom is the one that sparks up Jane's beliefs in the father of all things.
"I believe; I have faith: I am going to God."
"Where is God? What is God?"
"My Maker and yours, who will never destroy what He created. I rely
implicitly on His power, and confide wholly in His goodness: I
count the hours till that eventful one arrives which shall restore
me to Him, reveal Him to me."
"You are sure, then, Helen, that there is such a place as heaven,
and that our souls can get to it when we die?"
"I am sure there is a future state; I believe God is good; I can
resign my immortal part to Him without any misgiving. God is my
father; God is my friend: I love Him; I believe He loves me."(82-83)
Helen teaches Jane that the lord holds all things in his power and that only he knows what will become of each individual. She shows Jane that if we have faith in the all mighty one we can be sure that our future will be a good one that'll lead us to him. Helen was a true believer in her faith and some of this rubbed of on Jane. In her blog “Have a Little Faith”, Lizett her view on how Jane was able to overcome all her troubling adversities. “ Why has Jane dealt with everything she's been through? Is it because she knows that in the end she will come out a better person? I think not. I think she believed that God had good things planned out for her. Everything that she has been through would have just been torture if nothing good had ever come from it. She had faith....All Jane ever had to do was stay true to herself and trust in God. That's all anyone has to do, trust that God knows what's best for him.” Lizett explains that no circumstance is too troublesome for you when you believe that God will come through to you. Perhaps if one is not happy for not being able to take all the choices by oneself, they can set their eyes on the lord who will always take a better choice for us than we would.
Some will never be happy knowing that the conclusion to their life is not in their hands. They will continue to live in denial and trying to run away from their destiny. However, Bronte wants the reader to know that our happiness in life depends on us being comfortable with the circumstances, and new events that life throws at us without intending or trying to runaway or change them. We must find ways to deal with the fear of not knowing what will be of us in order to be happy. As once again Lizett states in her blog, “As humans we will always want more. It's our nature to always desire more than what we have. I'm not saying you can't be happy; being happy is possible. But if you constantly remind yourself that you can never achieve true happiness then you'll never be even remotely happy.”
There are two ideas about what determines an individuals life. One is the idea of free will which states that we have full control of our lives and how it will end up. The second is the concept of pre-determination or destiny, which says that our entire lives and everything that happens in them have been determined before we are even in our mother's womb. Bronte seems to take the stance of destiny in her novel. "It can never be, sir; it does not sound likely. Human beings never enjoy complete happiness in this world. I was not born for a different destiny to the rest of my species: to imagine such a lot befalling me is a fairy tale--a day-dream."(262) Bronte's main character Jane Eyre, states here how human beings are driven by destiny, and each individuals destiny is somewhat similar, so in conclusion why be bothered by not being able to take some choices ourselves if no one else can either. Jane faces many circumstances in which she wishes certain things would or would not happen. She wishes to be together with her love Mr. Rochester, but when her wedding is ruined by the news of Mr. Rochester having another wife, she is devastated and wishes never to see Edward Rochester again. She flees from him so she won't be tempted to fall for him again. She is convinced that since that event happened, they are not meant for each other, but as the blog "Things Happen for a Reason” by Angelica Toscano says, “ If its meant to happen, its meant to happen. And if its not, its not.” Jane tries to alter her destiny by running away from what would lead her to it because she is afraid to get hurt again, and if it were her choice. she would never see Rochester again. But indeed things do happen for a reason, and Angelica explains in her blog why this unpleasant event had to occur to Jane before she could marry. “Throughout the year she has been through a lot. From poverty and having to live on the streets and beg for food to inheriting 20,000 pounds from her Uncle John and finding out she has family. She went from having nothing to everything...Over the years she has become independent and has control over her own life. She has grown morally and I believe she is now ready to marry...Jane became who she is and what she wanted to be. She needed to find out who she was. And after a rough experience she knows who she is...This was for Jane's benefit and now she is ready.” Just as Jane was not able to alter her love life, neither can anyone else, so why grieve over our lack of choice in destiny.
Perhaps the greatest example of a fate and predetermination ideal is that of God. Bronte's stance on destiny is also backed up by that of a god that controls the destiny of each individual. She introduces this idea through her character Helen Burns, whom is the one that sparks up Jane's beliefs in the father of all things.
"I believe; I have faith: I am going to God."
"Where is God? What is God?"
"My Maker and yours, who will never destroy what He created. I rely
implicitly on His power, and confide wholly in His goodness: I
count the hours till that eventful one arrives which shall restore
me to Him, reveal Him to me."
"You are sure, then, Helen, that there is such a place as heaven,
and that our souls can get to it when we die?"
"I am sure there is a future state; I believe God is good; I can
resign my immortal part to Him without any misgiving. God is my
father; God is my friend: I love Him; I believe He loves me."(82-83)
Helen teaches Jane that the lord holds all things in his power and that only he knows what will become of each individual. She shows Jane that if we have faith in the all mighty one we can be sure that our future will be a good one that'll lead us to him. Helen was a true believer in her faith and some of this rubbed of on Jane. In her blog “Have a Little Faith”, Lizett her view on how Jane was able to overcome all her troubling adversities. “ Why has Jane dealt with everything she's been through? Is it because she knows that in the end she will come out a better person? I think not. I think she believed that God had good things planned out for her. Everything that she has been through would have just been torture if nothing good had ever come from it. She had faith....All Jane ever had to do was stay true to herself and trust in God. That's all anyone has to do, trust that God knows what's best for him.” Lizett explains that no circumstance is too troublesome for you when you believe that God will come through to you. Perhaps if one is not happy for not being able to take all the choices by oneself, they can set their eyes on the lord who will always take a better choice for us than we would.
Some will never be happy knowing that the conclusion to their life is not in their hands. They will continue to live in denial and trying to run away from their destiny. However, Bronte wants the reader to know that our happiness in life depends on us being comfortable with the circumstances, and new events that life throws at us without intending or trying to runaway or change them. We must find ways to deal with the fear of not knowing what will be of us in order to be happy. As once again Lizett states in her blog, “As humans we will always want more. It's our nature to always desire more than what we have. I'm not saying you can't be happy; being happy is possible. But if you constantly remind yourself that you can never achieve true happiness then you'll never be even remotely happy.”
Independence = Money and Solitude
One of the most interesting changes in Jane’s life is how she becomes independent. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre depicts that independence can only be gained through money and solitude. When I think of this, I think it's true. Jane does receive her independence through this process. She leaves to have a time of solitude and after a while, she inherits money. Bronte clearly writes how these factors can lead to independence.
After she leaves Thornfield, Jane actually learns that life can be harsh. Jane lives the life she could have had with her deceased family. Jane describes her life as hell: " Nature seemed to me benign and good; I thought she loved me, outcast as I was; and I, who from man could anticipate only mistrust, rejection, insult, clung to her with filial fondness."(329). What good is a life if people think of you as an abominable person? This is what Jane asks after awhile of solitude. In my experiences in life, I can see how Jane sees that her life is worthless and meaningless now. I asked myself the same question in some point in my life. I said that life puts you out in the open and in the wild to learn to take care of yourself. This is the way to independence. Jane is learning the answer to this question while she was in poverty.
Bronte writes about how Jane inherits twenty thousand pounds as her uncle dies. Bronte also metaphorically states that your place in society was marked by how much money you have. Jane is ignored by many when she searches for a new life because she doesn't have anything. She is then given a new start after she learns that her uncle has died.Mr. Rochester and St. John also refer to money as a way to gain independence. St. John says, "Your own fortune will make you independent of the Society's aid; and thus you may still be spared the dishonour of breaking your promise and deserting the band you engaged to join"(421). Even Mr. Rochester has a conversation with Jane about how she became independent:
"'No, sir! I am an independent woman now.'
'Independent! What do you mean, Jane?'
'My uncle in Madeira is dead, and he left me five thousand pounds.'
'Ah! this is practical--this is real!' he cried: 'I should never dream that. Besides, there is that peculiar voice of hers, so animating and piquant, as well as soft: it cheers my withered heart; it puts life into it.--What, Janet! Are you an independent woman? A rich woman?'"(442)
These are examples of how money is depicted as a factor of independence. But even in modern times, money still illustrates how high in society are you. Ale in her blog, You got what you wished for Jane, says, “She doesn’t have to live in someone else’s house, and depend on someone else’s money. Jane has her own school and a small apartment, but even though Jane is independent; she has now found happiness." To me, that says that Ale believes that money does make a person independent.
The biggest question is: how does these factors work? The answer is that they are sufficient and necessary conditions.What I mean is that one can't live without the other. Money is necessary to become independent. For example, a rich person has people doing all his jobs. Technically, he is not independent. He doesn't not know how to live by himself and therefore it is not sufficient. Solitude woks the same way. In order to be independent, you have to learn how to take care of yourself. In order to do that, you have to have money. Therefore, you need both to be independent.
In the end, it all works out. I will agree when Angelica says, "Over the years she has become independent and has control over her own life. She has grown morally and I believe she is now ready to marry"(Things do happen for a reason). She definitely grew up to be an independent person. There were also little factors like faith that made her who she was. In Marcus' blog, Time to break free, he states, "I believed it happened by faith that Jane finally gets married to Mr. Rochester, but that faith was influenced by Jane's will to find her true self and gain her independence from the normal society." He was right about this. It was Jane's will that made her keep on going when she was down and her luck and faith that she became rich.
After she leaves Thornfield, Jane actually learns that life can be harsh. Jane lives the life she could have had with her deceased family. Jane describes her life as hell: " Nature seemed to me benign and good; I thought she loved me, outcast as I was; and I, who from man could anticipate only mistrust, rejection, insult, clung to her with filial fondness."(329). What good is a life if people think of you as an abominable person? This is what Jane asks after awhile of solitude. In my experiences in life, I can see how Jane sees that her life is worthless and meaningless now. I asked myself the same question in some point in my life. I said that life puts you out in the open and in the wild to learn to take care of yourself. This is the way to independence. Jane is learning the answer to this question while she was in poverty.
Bronte writes about how Jane inherits twenty thousand pounds as her uncle dies. Bronte also metaphorically states that your place in society was marked by how much money you have. Jane is ignored by many when she searches for a new life because she doesn't have anything. She is then given a new start after she learns that her uncle has died.Mr. Rochester and St. John also refer to money as a way to gain independence. St. John says, "Your own fortune will make you independent of the Society's aid; and thus you may still be spared the dishonour of breaking your promise and deserting the band you engaged to join"(421). Even Mr. Rochester has a conversation with Jane about how she became independent:
"'No, sir! I am an independent woman now.'
'Independent! What do you mean, Jane?'
'My uncle in Madeira is dead, and he left me five thousand pounds.'
'Ah! this is practical--this is real!' he cried: 'I should never dream that. Besides, there is that peculiar voice of hers, so animating and piquant, as well as soft: it cheers my withered heart; it puts life into it.--What, Janet! Are you an independent woman? A rich woman?'"(442)
These are examples of how money is depicted as a factor of independence. But even in modern times, money still illustrates how high in society are you. Ale in her blog, You got what you wished for Jane, says, “She doesn’t have to live in someone else’s house, and depend on someone else’s money. Jane has her own school and a small apartment, but even though Jane is independent; she has now found happiness." To me, that says that Ale believes that money does make a person independent.
The biggest question is: how does these factors work? The answer is that they are sufficient and necessary conditions.What I mean is that one can't live without the other. Money is necessary to become independent. For example, a rich person has people doing all his jobs. Technically, he is not independent. He doesn't not know how to live by himself and therefore it is not sufficient. Solitude woks the same way. In order to be independent, you have to learn how to take care of yourself. In order to do that, you have to have money. Therefore, you need both to be independent.
In the end, it all works out. I will agree when Angelica says, "Over the years she has become independent and has control over her own life. She has grown morally and I believe she is now ready to marry"(Things do happen for a reason). She definitely grew up to be an independent person. There were also little factors like faith that made her who she was. In Marcus' blog, Time to break free, he states, "I believed it happened by faith that Jane finally gets married to Mr. Rochester, but that faith was influenced by Jane's will to find her true self and gain her independence from the normal society." He was right about this. It was Jane's will that made her keep on going when she was down and her luck and faith that she became rich.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Society
The ranking of class and social status is what I’ve learned from Jane Eyre, because she didn’t let it determine her future as an adult. Instead, she learned how to manage her money and use it wisely. She also got in contact with her inner self, because she didn’t let money decide what type of person she was going to be.
While growing up, Jane did not have a pleasant life as a child. She dealt with many hardships from the Reed's Family and when she left to go to school at Lowood too. As a child, she was told her status was "less than a servant", by Miss Abbot(pg.11). She was also treated badly and lost the only friend she ever had. When Jane was residing in the Reed's house at Gateshead Hall, she was not treated the same as her cousins: John, Eliza, and Georgiana. Mrs. Reed did not include her in any of the family affairs, such as: taking pictures, being in family portraits, and participating in carriage rides. In Mrs. Reed's eyes, Jane was not classified or worthy enough to be apart of the events and that was known throughout Gateshead Hall. Although Jane tried to do the right thing by her aunt, who was a ruffian, she was eager to let her know how she really felt on the inside. Jane has had her name dragged in the dirt by Mrs. Reed, which has caused her reputation and her image to be abased,disowned and dishonored. Lowood was also a place where Jane spent most of her life at trying to find herself. When Jane was first introduced to Lowood, she had a hard time adapting to the new environment and her new home. Jane was classified as an orphan because her parents had died and as she was telling Mr. Rochester, my uncles' wife "cast me off", "because I was poor, and burdensome, and she didn't like me."(pg.226,227). Since Jane's image had been tarnished at Gateshead Hall, when she went to Lowood Mr. Brocklehurst introduced her as a "liar" to all of the students and staff by saying "...You must be on your guard against her; you must shun her example; if necessary, avoid her company, exclude her from your sports, and shut her out from your converse. Teachers, you must watch her: keep your eyes on her movements, weigh well her words, scrutinize her actions, punish her body to save her soul: if, indeed, such salvation be possible, for (my tongue falters while I tell it) this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut--this girl is--a liar!"(pg.66,67). At this point her status is beyond low because of her reputation. Although Jane's status at Lowood was low, she took advice from her friend Helen, which eventually brought her to the top of her class. As life continued to prevail, Jane was able to get a job at Lowood and then move to bigger and better things in life. She soon scored a job as a governess at the Thornfield estate and soon met the love of her life.
Money is not the key to all problems and you should not let it determine your life. As for Jane's so-called family: John, Eliza, Georgiana, and Mrs. Reed, they were controlled by money. They let it be the prime concern in their life . They also thought because they have a lot of money, everything was going to be okay. Having money is a good thing, but it's how you maintain yourself and how responsible you are with it. As children, John, Eliza, and Georgiana were treated better than Jane, because they were rich. Mrs. Reed also let money raise her children. They had no responsibility as children, and they were also spoiled by luxurious things. Everything that they had was better than Jane's, they were living the life of luxury. For some people, this lifestyle can become addictive because they have the need to want more and more of everything. Although they went to a better school than Jane, she came out on top when they became older. Jane's life may have been hard to bear at first, but now everything is good, because she is getting married, she's educated, and she doesn't have to worry about being content in a stable environment. If we reflect on her families life, it will be a big disappointment because all of them are having a hard time at this point. When Jane was going to back to Gateshead Hall to see Mrs.Reed for her final days, she was told by Robert, "Mr. John died yesterday was a week, at his chambers in London"(pg.224)... "he ruined his health and hesitate amongst the worst men and the worst women. He got into debt and into jail: his mother helped him out twice, but as soon as he was free he returned to his old companions and habits. His head was not strong: the knaves he lived amongst fooled him beyond anything ever heard. He came down to Gateshead about three weeks ago and wanted missis to give up all to him. Missis refused: her means have long been much reduced by his extravagance; so he went back again, and the next news was that he was dead. How he died, God knows!--they say he killed himself"( 225). Mrs. Reed took a grudge against Jane to her grave. She hid a letter from Jane that her uncle had sent, "It said that he was well-off money wise, but he had no heir. He wanted to adopt Jane. This would have been a wonderful opportunity for Jane, but Mrs. Reed never gave her the letter..." said by Richard on November 13,2009 in the blog titled "Forgive". One blogger inferred that *his was posted by Lizette on November 13,2009 in her blog titled "The Letter". Jane had forgiven Mrs. Reed for everything that she had put her through. Edwardo said "I honestly hate the fact that Jane has forgiven her". His blog was titled "Forgive and forget" on November 13,2009. Eliza and Georgiana were just not getting along as sisters were supposed to. Eliza told her sister "After my mother's death, I wash my hands of you: from the day her coffin is carried to the vault in Gateshead Church, you and I will be as separate as if we had never known each other."(pg.240) As far as their lives they were not happy or morally satisfied with themselves.
All of this information from Jane relates to me, because I'm not rich and I'm not apart of the upper class society. Although this may be true, I'm getting the same education and the same opportunity as most upper class children my age by going g to The Chinquapin School. The Chinquapin School is giving me a chance to do more and experience deep intensive learning. Just like Jane, my life hasn't always been a piece of cake, but I make the best of it because I know that one day I will be able to share my experience with my offspring and offer them a good life. Therefore, as a result I feel that it doesn't matter if your rich or poor because if your determined to control your life you can make the best out of it and be successful.
While growing up, Jane did not have a pleasant life as a child. She dealt with many hardships from the Reed's Family and when she left to go to school at Lowood too. As a child, she was told her status was "less than a servant", by Miss Abbot(pg.11). She was also treated badly and lost the only friend she ever had. When Jane was residing in the Reed's house at Gateshead Hall, she was not treated the same as her cousins: John, Eliza, and Georgiana. Mrs. Reed did not include her in any of the family affairs, such as: taking pictures, being in family portraits, and participating in carriage rides. In Mrs. Reed's eyes, Jane was not classified or worthy enough to be apart of the events and that was known throughout Gateshead Hall. Although Jane tried to do the right thing by her aunt, who was a ruffian, she was eager to let her know how she really felt on the inside. Jane has had her name dragged in the dirt by Mrs. Reed, which has caused her reputation and her image to be abased,disowned and dishonored. Lowood was also a place where Jane spent most of her life at trying to find herself. When Jane was first introduced to Lowood, she had a hard time adapting to the new environment and her new home. Jane was classified as an orphan because her parents had died and as she was telling Mr. Rochester, my uncles' wife "cast me off", "because I was poor, and burdensome, and she didn't like me."(pg.226,227). Since Jane's image had been tarnished at Gateshead Hall, when she went to Lowood Mr. Brocklehurst introduced her as a "liar" to all of the students and staff by saying "...You must be on your guard against her; you must shun her example; if necessary, avoid her company, exclude her from your sports, and shut her out from your converse. Teachers, you must watch her: keep your eyes on her movements, weigh well her words, scrutinize her actions, punish her body to save her soul: if, indeed, such salvation be possible, for (my tongue falters while I tell it) this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut--this girl is--a liar!"(pg.66,67). At this point her status is beyond low because of her reputation. Although Jane's status at Lowood was low, she took advice from her friend Helen, which eventually brought her to the top of her class. As life continued to prevail, Jane was able to get a job at Lowood and then move to bigger and better things in life. She soon scored a job as a governess at the Thornfield estate and soon met the love of her life.
Money is not the key to all problems and you should not let it determine your life. As for Jane's so-called family: John, Eliza, Georgiana, and Mrs. Reed, they were controlled by money. They let it be the prime concern in their life . They also thought because they have a lot of money, everything was going to be okay. Having money is a good thing, but it's how you maintain yourself and how responsible you are with it. As children, John, Eliza, and Georgiana were treated better than Jane, because they were rich. Mrs. Reed also let money raise her children. They had no responsibility as children, and they were also spoiled by luxurious things. Everything that they had was better than Jane's, they were living the life of luxury. For some people, this lifestyle can become addictive because they have the need to want more and more of everything. Although they went to a better school than Jane, she came out on top when they became older. Jane's life may have been hard to bear at first, but now everything is good, because she is getting married, she's educated, and she doesn't have to worry about being content in a stable environment. If we reflect on her families life, it will be a big disappointment because all of them are having a hard time at this point. When Jane was going to back to Gateshead Hall to see Mrs.Reed for her final days, she was told by Robert, "Mr. John died yesterday was a week, at his chambers in London"(pg.224)... "he ruined his health and hesitate amongst the worst men and the worst women. He got into debt and into jail: his mother helped him out twice, but as soon as he was free he returned to his old companions and habits. His head was not strong: the knaves he lived amongst fooled him beyond anything ever heard. He came down to Gateshead about three weeks ago and wanted missis to give up all to him. Missis refused: her means have long been much reduced by his extravagance; so he went back again, and the next news was that he was dead. How he died, God knows!--they say he killed himself"( 225). Mrs. Reed took a grudge against Jane to her grave. She hid a letter from Jane that her uncle had sent, "It said that he was well-off money wise, but he had no heir. He wanted to adopt Jane. This would have been a wonderful opportunity for Jane, but Mrs. Reed never gave her the letter..." said by Richard on November 13,2009 in the blog titled "Forgive". One blogger inferred that *his was posted by Lizette on November 13,2009 in her blog titled "The Letter". Jane had forgiven Mrs. Reed for everything that she had put her through. Edwardo said "I honestly hate the fact that Jane has forgiven her". His blog was titled "Forgive and forget" on November 13,2009. Eliza and Georgiana were just not getting along as sisters were supposed to. Eliza told her sister "After my mother's death, I wash my hands of you: from the day her coffin is carried to the vault in Gateshead Church, you and I will be as separate as if we had never known each other."(pg.240) As far as their lives they were not happy or morally satisfied with themselves.
All of this information from Jane relates to me, because I'm not rich and I'm not apart of the upper class society. Although this may be true, I'm getting the same education and the same opportunity as most upper class children my age by going g to The Chinquapin School. The Chinquapin School is giving me a chance to do more and experience deep intensive learning. Just like Jane, my life hasn't always been a piece of cake, but I make the best of it because I know that one day I will be able to share my experience with my offspring and offer them a good life. Therefore, as a result I feel that it doesn't matter if your rich or poor because if your determined to control your life you can make the best out of it and be successful.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Grab a hold life
Grab a hold of life
Take responsibility for your own actions. Credit yourself for what you choose to do. We have control over ourselves. We need to learn to liberate ourselves of chains we tie ourselves with. In life there are too few times when things happen the way they're supposed to. Get up and fight for what you want and the way you want it. In Jane Eyre, Jane is always ready to do make choices that change her life drastically. Jane leaving Thornfield and coming back were both choices that affected her strongly. She is the perfect example of someone who takes responsibility for her own actions. The real world is a road full of different choices. Jane choosing to leave Thornfield made her a strong, self accomplished, and independent woman. Had none of this occurred she would never be the Jane we all know. The one that got everything she ever wanted. She controlled her life and was always ready to make the difficult choices. She wasn't afraid to speak out and choose between the many paths that lay before her.
Jane's strength is one of the main factors that make her an in control woman. She is able to decide for herself when things need to be done. Jane left Thornfield without saying a word because it was the only way. She knew she would never leave if she saw him. This demonstrates exactly how strong she is, she chooses to disobey her heart. She chose to leave for her own good. It was all her choice. Her love for Mr.Rochester was too strong for her will. She says,"Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt! May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agonised as in that hour left my lips: for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love."(327) This was a time in the novel when Jane is feeling betrayed, lost, and utterly depressed. She has just been betrayed by her one true love and she feels used. This is when we see how strong she truly is. She's able to leave the love of her life on her own free will to respect herself. Mr.Rochester proposed that she stay and be his mistress, but did he ever offer to divorce his wife? Why couldn't things have been on Jane's terms? Jane couldn't choose for Mr.Rochester, but she can choose for herself. Since Mr.Rochester chose to give Jane no other choice she leaves, while he foolishly thought she would become his mistress. I foolishly believed that Jane was a fool for leaving. However, I was wrong, Jane made the right choice. She was strong enough to see when she was being mistreated and even stronger to choose to leave. Besides like Lizett said in her blog, “Jane is a fighter.” “Have a little faith” Jane isn't foolish enough to leave her fate without a sole master. She controls herself. She is willing to take things into her own hands.
We all have control over what happens to us. Leaving Mr.Rochester opened up a few roads for her. She was able to discover her family. Yes, her family was just miraculously found, but had she not left she would never have discovered the truth. It was her choice that led to her feeling accomplished. It was nothing other then her choice that led her to find her family. Everything is in our hands if we want it to be. Had Jane not made the choice to leave she wouldn't be the Jane we know. She wouldn't feel self accomplished. She would have felt like she says,“...full of struggle, blackness, burning!”(321) She has just been destroyed by the love of her life. And she truly did feel all this agony at one time. No human should ever feel how Jane felt. We must all learn to change the day. Like Jane make the hard choices that might tear you up inside, but will help help your inner self so much more. More, than the agony that she felt. She left and that made all the difference. She of course still felt the pain, but her absence from her love helped her discover herself. She couldn't possibly betray herself and just let Mr.Rochester make the choice for her. She as Otilio said in his blog,“ ...will not make any compromises when it comes to love.” “No Compromises” Had Jane compromised her own beliefs she would never have reached this sense of self accomplishment. Love is to be pure and true and only to happen when both partners are ready. Jane had to make the choice of refusing his proposal for her own good. KAEH says, “She tried to run away and forget her whole experience at Thornfield Hall and to tear Edward Rochester from her heart.” “At the End of the Day Destiny Prevails” My companion is delegating that Jane had no choice in this and that she merely tried to do this, while all along it was destiny controlling her fate. However, Jane didn't just try, she did leave and she didn't want to forget. She left to cleanse her sole, but with no real want to forget him. In fact, while she is leaving Thornfield she says,“Mr.Rochester, I will love you and live with you through life till death,”(325). Jane is torn about leaving her love without a word, but it was all for the best for her. Things happened as she chose for them to happen. Jane made all these choices on her own and in the end it was all for the better.
We are all our own person and it isn't in our right ignore the good we do for ourselves. If we become strong and independent people it is simply because we choose to be. We need to learn to accept the good we have done for ourselves. If we become independent as we grow it is because we choose to be. Jane became independent the moment she became a teacher. Of course, she herself didn't feel so, because she had no real life. She had no companion to share her success with. She had a thirst to live and explore and that thirst would not be quenched until she felt accomplished and became even more independent. She truly found her independence when she discovered her new found wealth. Throughout the novel we see that Jane feels a bit insecure when she is too dependent on others. For example, when she is preparing to get married to Mr.Rochester, she disliked feeling like his little princess. She didn't like the fact that people would say she was only getting married to him because of the money. Clearly after she becomes wealthy she feels more comfortable being with Mr.Rochester because it is no longer about the money. She became wealthy because of the life she's lived. Like Lizett says in her blog,“Everything that she has been through would have just been torture if nothing good had ever come from it. She had faith. She hung on from living with a cruel aunt in a magnificent home to getting her heart torn to pieces and ending up homeless.” “Have a little faith” Jane chooses to have faith and live life. We all choose and for the life she's lived some type of compensation was due. All the choices she's made have transformed her into an independent woman. She truly got everything she wanted not by mere chance, but because she chooses.
“Through all the negativities and legal system, Jane fights to find her true love and gain power in independence. I believed it happened by faith that Jane finally got married to Mr. Rochester, but that faith was influenced by Jane's will to find her true self and gain her independence from normal society.” “Time to Break Free by Marcus” In all honesty it is her faith that makes her who she is. Her faith is based on choice. She chooses to have morals and be kind and good. Her aunt was a cold heartless woman, who was the only person Jane had to look up to as an adult figure. However, Jane chose to be different. Her drive to find her true self should be inspiring to us all. It was her want to be honest with herself that lead to her being the strong, independent, self accomplished woman she is.
In life we have but two choices that will shape the rest of our life: do you take responsibility for yourself and choose to be who you are or do you ignore your own responsibility and let everything that comes your way be? Should you take life by the waste and change it if you want to? Or should you just let it fly you by as it is? In the end, whichever which way our life turns out is only because we chose it that way. As AROF said,“...life is truly a gamble and you are the only thing that can better it.” “Life's a Gamble, Have fun”
Take responsibility for your own actions. Credit yourself for what you choose to do. We have control over ourselves. We need to learn to liberate ourselves of chains we tie ourselves with. In life there are too few times when things happen the way they're supposed to. Get up and fight for what you want and the way you want it. In Jane Eyre, Jane is always ready to do make choices that change her life drastically. Jane leaving Thornfield and coming back were both choices that affected her strongly. She is the perfect example of someone who takes responsibility for her own actions. The real world is a road full of different choices. Jane choosing to leave Thornfield made her a strong, self accomplished, and independent woman. Had none of this occurred she would never be the Jane we all know. The one that got everything she ever wanted. She controlled her life and was always ready to make the difficult choices. She wasn't afraid to speak out and choose between the many paths that lay before her.
Jane's strength is one of the main factors that make her an in control woman. She is able to decide for herself when things need to be done. Jane left Thornfield without saying a word because it was the only way. She knew she would never leave if she saw him. This demonstrates exactly how strong she is, she chooses to disobey her heart. She chose to leave for her own good. It was all her choice. Her love for Mr.Rochester was too strong for her will. She says,"Gentle reader, may you never feel what I then felt! May your eyes never shed such stormy, scalding, heart-wrung tears as poured from mine. May you never appeal to Heaven in prayers so hopeless and so agonised as in that hour left my lips: for never may you, like me, dread to be the instrument of evil to what you wholly love."(327) This was a time in the novel when Jane is feeling betrayed, lost, and utterly depressed. She has just been betrayed by her one true love and she feels used. This is when we see how strong she truly is. She's able to leave the love of her life on her own free will to respect herself. Mr.Rochester proposed that she stay and be his mistress, but did he ever offer to divorce his wife? Why couldn't things have been on Jane's terms? Jane couldn't choose for Mr.Rochester, but she can choose for herself. Since Mr.Rochester chose to give Jane no other choice she leaves, while he foolishly thought she would become his mistress. I foolishly believed that Jane was a fool for leaving. However, I was wrong, Jane made the right choice. She was strong enough to see when she was being mistreated and even stronger to choose to leave. Besides like Lizett said in her blog, “Jane is a fighter.” “Have a little faith” Jane isn't foolish enough to leave her fate without a sole master. She controls herself. She is willing to take things into her own hands.
We all have control over what happens to us. Leaving Mr.Rochester opened up a few roads for her. She was able to discover her family. Yes, her family was just miraculously found, but had she not left she would never have discovered the truth. It was her choice that led to her feeling accomplished. It was nothing other then her choice that led her to find her family. Everything is in our hands if we want it to be. Had Jane not made the choice to leave she wouldn't be the Jane we know. She wouldn't feel self accomplished. She would have felt like she says,“...full of struggle, blackness, burning!”(321) She has just been destroyed by the love of her life. And she truly did feel all this agony at one time. No human should ever feel how Jane felt. We must all learn to change the day. Like Jane make the hard choices that might tear you up inside, but will help help your inner self so much more. More, than the agony that she felt. She left and that made all the difference. She of course still felt the pain, but her absence from her love helped her discover herself. She couldn't possibly betray herself and just let Mr.Rochester make the choice for her. She as Otilio said in his blog,“ ...will not make any compromises when it comes to love.” “No Compromises” Had Jane compromised her own beliefs she would never have reached this sense of self accomplishment. Love is to be pure and true and only to happen when both partners are ready. Jane had to make the choice of refusing his proposal for her own good. KAEH says, “She tried to run away and forget her whole experience at Thornfield Hall and to tear Edward Rochester from her heart.” “At the End of the Day Destiny Prevails” My companion is delegating that Jane had no choice in this and that she merely tried to do this, while all along it was destiny controlling her fate. However, Jane didn't just try, she did leave and she didn't want to forget. She left to cleanse her sole, but with no real want to forget him. In fact, while she is leaving Thornfield she says,“Mr.Rochester, I will love you and live with you through life till death,”(325). Jane is torn about leaving her love without a word, but it was all for the best for her. Things happened as she chose for them to happen. Jane made all these choices on her own and in the end it was all for the better.
We are all our own person and it isn't in our right ignore the good we do for ourselves. If we become strong and independent people it is simply because we choose to be. We need to learn to accept the good we have done for ourselves. If we become independent as we grow it is because we choose to be. Jane became independent the moment she became a teacher. Of course, she herself didn't feel so, because she had no real life. She had no companion to share her success with. She had a thirst to live and explore and that thirst would not be quenched until she felt accomplished and became even more independent. She truly found her independence when she discovered her new found wealth. Throughout the novel we see that Jane feels a bit insecure when she is too dependent on others. For example, when she is preparing to get married to Mr.Rochester, she disliked feeling like his little princess. She didn't like the fact that people would say she was only getting married to him because of the money. Clearly after she becomes wealthy she feels more comfortable being with Mr.Rochester because it is no longer about the money. She became wealthy because of the life she's lived. Like Lizett says in her blog,“Everything that she has been through would have just been torture if nothing good had ever come from it. She had faith. She hung on from living with a cruel aunt in a magnificent home to getting her heart torn to pieces and ending up homeless.” “Have a little faith” Jane chooses to have faith and live life. We all choose and for the life she's lived some type of compensation was due. All the choices she's made have transformed her into an independent woman. She truly got everything she wanted not by mere chance, but because she chooses.
“Through all the negativities and legal system, Jane fights to find her true love and gain power in independence. I believed it happened by faith that Jane finally got married to Mr. Rochester, but that faith was influenced by Jane's will to find her true self and gain her independence from normal society.” “Time to Break Free by Marcus” In all honesty it is her faith that makes her who she is. Her faith is based on choice. She chooses to have morals and be kind and good. Her aunt was a cold heartless woman, who was the only person Jane had to look up to as an adult figure. However, Jane chose to be different. Her drive to find her true self should be inspiring to us all. It was her want to be honest with herself that lead to her being the strong, independent, self accomplished woman she is.
In life we have but two choices that will shape the rest of our life: do you take responsibility for yourself and choose to be who you are or do you ignore your own responsibility and let everything that comes your way be? Should you take life by the waste and change it if you want to? Or should you just let it fly you by as it is? In the end, whichever which way our life turns out is only because we chose it that way. As AROF said,“...life is truly a gamble and you are the only thing that can better it.” “Life's a Gamble, Have fun”
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