Jane Eyre (English)
Jane Eyre; considered one of the masterpieces of English literature, it is the greatest work of Charlotte Brontë, one of the Brontë sisters. There are some claims about this novel, which tells about the difficult life of an orphaned little girl since she was given to her uncle. It is known that Anne, the youngest of the Brontë sisters, suddenly returned from the house where she was a governess for 5 years, without informing her siblings. It is said that she did not even talk to her sisters about her life at that house. Charlotte Brontë allegedly took her inspiration for Jane Eyre from her younger sister Anne, another claim is that Jane Eyre was actually written by Anne and that Charlotte stole the novel from her. We do not know if these claims are true, but we think there are many reasons why Jane Eyre has an important place in world literature. It is not for everyone to write a woman of such a strong character in the 1800s therefore the book's regarded as one of the first feminist movements.
First of all, there are a few points I would like to touch upon before dealing with Jane Eyre with a specific plot. I think Jane Eyre gave us serious clues about the England of that time. We especially see the stratification in society, people who are strict and strongly committed to their traditions. In addition, we can easily observe the place of women in society.
Another point I want to make is that Jane Eyre had impressive thoughts for the period in which it was written. Jane Eyre's questioning of women's place in society and the fact that it is a novel that tries to express women's power makes it one of the first feminst novels.
To examine the events in a certain order, the book begins with the events happened in Jane's aunt's house. It speaks of the stone-hearted despotism of his cousin John Reed, the arrogant carelessness of John's sisters, and the coldness of his aunt. Also we see that her aunt does not even attempt to punish her son's behavior and he is a spoilt child no matter what he does. In fact, this behavior of his aunt is clearly shown in the book as a person who is incapable of taking responsibility for any behavior of her "dear boy" in the future.
We witness Jane's innocent friendship with Helen and her communication with Mrs. Temple after she was sent to boarding school. After Jane's successful student life, there was a teaching period in her school for 2 years. In this process, Jane appears as a mature young woman.
After 2 years of experience, Jane now wants to get to know real life. Tired of the mediocrity of her life, Jane takes a job at Thornfield to become a governess for a French girl. Thornfield is a warm home for Jane. In this period, Jane often mentions between the lines that men were not superior to women, that it was narrow-minded to ask women to be content with cooking and knitting socks, playing the piano and embroidering, and the thoughtlessness of ridiculing women wanting to learn something, to do more than what tradition deemed sufficient for them. If we come to the relationship between Rochester and Jane; It was an extremely pleasant process that their relationship started with conversations between Rochester and Jane, and Rochester's slow progress of being charmed by Jane's quickness and intelligence. In addition, we see that in the relationship between Rochester and Jane, although their social status is different, they constantly emphasize that they are equal to each other.
The image of the free, independent woman that Jane constantly speaks of is emphasized during her escape from Thornfield. In addition, her escape from here in order not to lose her self-respect reflects her willpower clearly to us. The last part I want to talk about is Jane and Rochester's union at the end of the book. Here, we know that the two are in an unconditional love and are completely equal. Charlotte Bronte effectively emphasizes unconditional love and equality, which is the main idea of the book, for the last time.
"Talking to each other feels like just thinking out loud. I am telling all that went through me, and he tells me all that went through. We are well balanced with each other in terms of creation; the result is a complete agreement. "
Jane Eyre
ACTON BELL
The protagonist of the novel, Jane Eyre, is a strong character. She was cast in a separate mold from the majority in Rochester's words. She was left an orphan at a young age. Her uncle opened his house to her, but when he died, she was always despised by her aunt and cousins. Early in the novel, we read Jane's efforts to confront the bad attitude she encountered in that house and her questioning why she was suffering. Since her cousin John Reed is the only man in the house, he has always been glorified and not confronted with the consequences of his actions, and his mother's blind eye to these wrong attitudes is the main factor in the future of John's life. Jane's disobedience to John's attitude and standing upright is one of the events that shows that she is a strong character.
At the end of the novel, when Jane returns to her old home, her attitude reveals the development of her character. I think Lowood had an undeniable effect on her change. Lowood is a very oppressive school. Jane befriends a girl named Helen there. Helen's way of thinking is very different. Reading her ideas was intriguing. Her cool face of mistreatment may have caused Jane to become calmer as she grew older. That's why I loved the novel. Each character has a very different mindset, and we get to know them better thanks to Jane's observations.
After the principal's marriage, Jane doesn't want to stay in Lowood any longer. Because in these eight years her world has only been Lowood. She remembers that another world once existed and wants to see different places. There are huge differences between Jane when she first came to Lowood and when she left. But she still hasn't been able to discover the real world. She doesn't like monotony because she is free-spirited. Leaving Lowood and stepping into the unknown excites her.
Thornfield Manor, which later became her new home, is a very flamboyant place. The owner of the manor, Rochester, rarely stops there during the year, and the house assistant, Mrs. Fairfax is delighted to the arrival of Jane. But for Jane, life is getting ordinary again. Her heart strikes with the desire for freshness. The arrival of Rochester adds excitement to Jane's monotonous life. Their conversations with Rochester at the manor were impressive. One of the traits I love about Jane is that she stands upright and responds confidently to Rochester's rude manner.
"I don't believe that you have the right to command me, sir, because you see more places than me where you are bigger than me. Whether you are right in your argument for superiority depends on your age and the extent to which you benefit from your experience. "
Jane Eyre
I think this talk Jane gave gives a lot of insight into her personality. My deep admiration for Jane Eyre was that she could say what she thought with courage, and that what she said was impressive and justified. Jane is a character who acts on her own values. According to these value judgments, she leaves Rochester and struggles for life without any money. While one side wants to follow her love, she goes away and establishes a new life for herself. She is struggling for an honorable life with her own labor. Rather than being happy with the inheritance left to her, she was happy to find her relatives and to share the legacy with them. It shows her sublime willingness. At the end of the novel, despite the fact that Rochester was blind and unable to take care of herself, Jane's love for him was the same and the purity of her love was very impressive. One thing I liked about the book was that the author did not spare them the end they deserved.
ELLIS BELL
Jane Eyre starts to live with her uncle, aunt and three cousins after losing her parents. While her uncle never separates her from her children (even though he sometimes puts Jane above), life becomes a prison for Jane after he dies (I couldn't help thinking that her uncle's fondness for Jane was also a small factor.) Despite being subjected to all kinds of bullying from her aunt and cousins, she has not lost anything from her stubborn, quick-hearted, outspoken and brave spirit, and even these qualities have increased exponentially. I think this kind of behavior by the host has also been a factor in the different attitude of the employees (except Bessie - mostly) towards Jane. Jane has always expressed the injustice done to herself instead of being drawn to her box, and has always defended herself, even though she could not resist the punishments. Even the closest Bessie in the house did not defend Jane, although she loved her. In such situations, you can feel Jane's loneliness to the fullest. I think one of Jane's greatest traits when she was younger is that she always expresses the injustice and grudge against her with anger. It may be anger and courage from his childhood, but I think most of this is rooted in her character. Again, as a result of her sudden outbursts, rage and uncool-blooded movements against these events, she is locked up in the Red Room as a result of her fight with cousin John Reed and is sent to the boarding school "Lowood" with the decision of her aunt.
In Lowood, her frankness, ability to withstand older people, and courage cost her many punishments. Her friendship with Helen Burns, who has a mystical side, and Helen's death have a major impact on the positive alleviation of Jane's haste and rage in her character. It's as if Jane took her first step into adulthood after Helen's death. After she was a governess at school for a while, I can say that it was the first time I had seen Jane's dignity and patience on her way to her first real job in Thornfield Mansion. When she went to Thornfield Mansion, the absence of anyone other than the staff and the student at home, Adela, she was tired of shutting herself up somewhere which creates a deep depression in Jane's soul. Fortunately, with the arrival of the master of the mansion, Mr. Edward Rochester, she encountered a man who could discuss her thoughts and understand her, who was her "spiritual partner" (although their status was not equal). The friendship of the two and their speeches show that Mr. Rochester's admiration for Jane, her quickness, intelligence and courage, and soul, is evident from their small gestures. You can feel that Mr.Rochester, who have begun to have a deep respect for Jane through these talks, and Jane are slowly becoming connected. In the book, Jane can tell Rochester, who has a tough and brutal nature, his mistakes, regardless of whether her employer is also a man. I especially liked the after-dinner talks of Mr. Rochester and Jane on these pages. Because contrary to what was believed (even still) at that time, women's own ideas, passions, and opinions about every field of life showed us that they had the right to exist in society with their consciousness and character, just as men do , although these feminist ideas led to humiliation and marginalization at that time. That's why I think Charlotte Brontë actually got Jane to say what she wanted to say in public during these conversations.
In addition to these conversations, the mystery of the assistant named Grace Pool at home also makes Jane think. When Jane saved Rochester's life one night, I fully understood Rochester's feelings for Jane, and that's where Jane understood his feelings too. Meanwhile, I was sure Jane felt a great deal of liking for Rochester, but I was not sure that love was the exact feeling she conveyed to us. I thought that this feeling in Jane (which she thinks is love) might have been due to the fact that she might have been caught up in the pleasure of communicating with a person who regards her as his equal. Beginning to hope with this development, Jane is excited for the next day. But Mr. Rochester leaves the house and returns to the mansion with some of his friends (including Blanche Ingram, who is rumored to be married soon with Mr. Rochester). The guests' treatment towards Jane is by no means acceptable. All of them, especially Blanche Ingram, constantly humiliate her and do not hide that they see her from the lower echelon. Here it was frustrating to see that class differences as well as gender inequality still play a decisive role in society. Despite having more soul, culture, knowledge, humanity than themselves, not having a title was enough reason for Jane's humiliation among these people. My biggest disappointment with Mr. Rochester was that, despite having witnessed all of this, he never said anything against the people who segregated society and humiliated people. However, his previous speeches made me think that he would not accept such separations, even though he had a rough style. When he was alone with Jane in public, his respect and love for her remained unchanged, and I must admit that the fact that Rochester was not as brave as Jane had pissed me off.
As the days pass, Jane, who is called to her old home after the death of her cousin John Reed and the illness of her aunt, sets off. You can understand that she is completely free of her old anger, fury and hatred when she enters the house. Jane has become a strong, smart, determined, dignified but she is not afraid of telling the truth. And she behaves with humanity and conscience despite all the treatment she has received. Personally, I am almost sure that I would not be able to act with dignity like Jane in this situation, so Mrs. Reed's showing no sign of remorse at this kindness suprised me. I'm pretty sure the little Jane wouldn't stop for a second in that house against this attitude. From here, I could especially feel that change in her character. I couldn't help thinking that Jane, who left her childhood home learning that she had a relative and closing that sad page of her past, might be better off thinking of herself in her old house. At least in her shoes, most people wouldn't be so calm and forgiving when their pride was damaged.
Returning to her adult life, I became convinced during this journey that Jane's liking towards Mr.Rochester is actually love. Returning to the mansion longing for him, Jane is further devastated by the news that Rochester will soon marry. Even then, she does not forget about little Adela, whom she always cared for, and talks to Rochester about what will happen to her after this marriage. Jane, who escapes from Mr. Rochester as much as possible, must finally make that confrontation with him. Confessing her love for him, Jane tells Rochester that their souls are also equal, that she also has feelings and ideas, and that she is a person just like him. Jane's brief happiness begins when Rochester also confesses his love for her.
"Now when I speak to you, I ignore traditions, habits, even my mortal self. As if we both passed away from this world. My soul speaks to your soul, we both appear before God, as if we were equal ... which of course we are equal indeed. "
Jane Eyre
Rochester grows naturally closer to Jane and buys expensive gifts for Jane. Jane doesn't like governess Jane Eyre to change and wants her old self. She wants Rochester to love the real Jane, her soul, rather than loving a woman in expensive clothes. I have to say that Rochester's style bothered me a little during the engagement process, maybe it wasn't his intention to change Jane, but as a reader it made me feel like he wanted Jane to be better dressed, a more worthy wife. Jane finds out that Rochester has kept a big secret when her wedding day comes and she has no choice but to leave the house. I think Jane exemplifies a great will and desire to be independent despite Rochester's plea. At that time, it was considered a great blessing for a lower class woman to marry someone like Rochester, but despite all that she broke up with him, rejecting many of the advantages that come with marriage, eventhough she loved him from heart. But the good times did not start for Jane, who ran away from home. We can also see that Jane, who opened a new page for herself thanks to John and her sisters, couldn't throw Rochester from her soul.
Throughout the book, the only time I felt that divine justice had been fulfilled was when we learned that Jane had a great legacy, but again, as if to show what is important to her in life, she shares all her money with her cousins, whom she just learned, and they start living together. As time passed, St. John tells him that he wants her to be a missionary's wife. I cannot understand here how could a strong woman who always fond of her independence and put her own will in the foreground throughout the book couldn't clearly say no to St. John? While she was directly rejecting the person she fell in love with, Jane's behavior towards St. John act against her personality. The only explanation I found that she didn't want to lose her newly found family, which I thought she could handle with her intelligence. I think this is an episode in the book that goes against Jane's character. Hearing Rochester calling herself in her daydream, Jane goes to see him, but all she finds is the ashes of Thornfield Mansion. Learning of Rochester's heroism during the fire incident, Jane immediately goes to find him. Edward Rochester's old majesty is no longer present. Blind and lost a hand, Rochester's reunion with Jane was perhaps exactly in the right time, because Jane could now look at Rochester as Rochester had looked at her before. I guess it's understandable no matter how true it is for an emotional relationship. It was nice to read Rochester's rage, brutality, all its angularity being filed with Jane. Especially with Jane, who did not change her own desires, independence, frankness, that is, her strong character for someone else. Seeing that their opportunities and capabilities as well as their souls are equal is a great ending to an impressive book. It's not hard to understand why Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is considered a masterpiece after reading the book.
CURRER BELL