Character of Jane Eyre

All About English Literature
2 min readMay 2, 2020

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The portrayal of the heroine Jane Eyre is one of Charlotte Bronte’s greatest achievements in the arena of English fiction. Jane Eyre has been made to live before us in the pages of the novel; and the manner, in which an account of her life and her actions has been written by the author, would leave an indelible mark upon the mind of every reader.

Jane Eyre : Her Spirit of Defiance and Revolt

The first trait of Jane Eyre’s character, which we note at the very outset and which she continues to display throughout her career, is her spirit of defiance and revolt. Jane Eyre, as a ten-year-old girl, rebels against Mrs. Reed’s cruel treatment of her. Subsequently, she has to endure the degradation and the humiliation to which she is subjected by Mr. Brocklehurst at Lowood School. She is in no position to defy the director of the school, but she begins to detest and abhor this man. At Thornfield Hall, she tells Mr. Rochester that he has no right to give her orders and commands just because he pays her a salary. At Moor House she refuses St. John’s repeated proposal of marriage and does not surrender to him despite the pressure which he exerts upon her.

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Jane Eyre : Her Passionate Nature, and Her Constancy in Love

Jane has a passionate nature; and, when she falls under the spell of Mr. Rochester’s magnetic personality, she becomes deeply devoted to him. Her love for him is so intense that he seems to her to be the most handsome man, even though he is, by his appearance, one of the most unattractive males. Here she aptly says to herself that beauty lies in the eyes of the gazer or the beholder. She finds Mr. Rochester to be a fascinating man, and her love for him becomes profound. Here we also perceive Jane’s unconventional attitude to life, not only because she has fallen in love with a physically unattractive man but because she has fallen in love with a man who is twice her age. Her love for him is not a passing fancy as would have been the case with a girl of a superficial nature. Her love has an abiding quality, and it continues even after she leaves Thornfield Hall and forsakes Mr. Rochester under the compulsions of her conscience. Eventually, of course, she is united with him, and finds perfect bliss in her conjugal life with him. Click the link below for reading this full article

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