Jane Eyre Themes Flashcards
Growing up- “Flowers peeped out amongst the leaves” (Jane)
- Growth and development
- Spring= new life, hope
- She’s different from the norm, she’s the flower, bold, passionate. CONTEXT GIRLS SHOULD NOT BE PASSIONATE. BRONTE= SHOWING THAT PASSION IS MEEDED FOR CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT
Growing up- “Take her away to the red- room, and lock her in there.” (Aunt)
•Imperative- shows Aunt Reed treats everyone coldly
•Red- room- (sexuality) janes entry in to adolescence.
Sexuality- she should be quiet. Not talk about puberty. Contrast to Janes character and the verb lock.
•red= blood= death of uncle. She was mentally and physically abused by her family
• LOCK= restricted. CONTEXT WOMEN DURING THE VIC. ERA WERE NOT MEANT TO PASSIONATE. THEY WERE RESTRICTED
•Foreshadows Bertha. As she too is locked away shows a link in character
Religion- “God will punish her: He might strike her dead in the midst of her tantrums
- Punish= dictator
- “God” is used to show that people should always fear Him/ a threat. CONTEXT. BRONTE MAY BE GOING AGAINT THE NORM OF HAVING A STICT CHRISTIAN FAITH, WHICH WOULD BE CONSIDERED WRONG
Religion- “Again I questioned, but this time only in thought.” “Where is this region? Does it exist?”
- she isn’t influenced easily
- she’s curious, as a child should be
- Bronte reminds us that Janes only a child. She’s going through shit. We should feel sorry
GI-“Oh! I saw a light, and i thought a ghost would come”
- foreshadows Lowood. LIGHT->HOPE
- Ghost- Uncle died here. As a child would expect these things
- Bronte reminds us how young she is through the word GHOST. Should feel bad for Jane
GI-“I heard thence a snarling, snatching sound, almost like a dog quarrelling. “
- Bertha= mad= inhumane/ animalistic. MAD BECAUSE OF RACE( VICTORIAN ERA BS)
- Physically violent/ frightening
- Readers should feel sorry for Mr R.
Love-“No nook in the grounds more Eden-like; it was full of trees, it bloomed with flowers”
•GOE- prelapsarian innocence
Love and Jane= Innocent
•Beautiful image using nature :. their love is beautiful and natural
•They sinned, thrown out of garden (evil). Mr R. Was going to sin. Foreshadows the part when Jane finds out about Bertha
Love-“it is as if it I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knitted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame.” Mr R
- Left rib-> heart is located. Shows their love
- Eve is made from Adams ribs :. Jane is a part of Mr R which shows that they are meant to be and connected
- inextricably- cannot separate/disentangle/ escape from her love > shows love is real
- strings > heart strings needed to survive. Mr R needs her to survive
Appearance and reality- “I saw a robes and and veiled figure, so unlike my usual self that it seemed almost the image of a stranger”
- she doesn’t even recognise herself.
- it’s not truly her. She is and always will be plain and simple
- would never think of getting married as she’s plain
Marriage market- “my farther and my brother Rowland knew all this; but they thought only of the thirty thousand pounds, and joined in the plot against me” Mr R
- family made him go through crap just so they could have money
- shows greed and selfishnesses consequences
- shows how similar Jane and Mr R are as they are both distant from their families. They’re so similar, they’re meant to be
Social class- “he is not of your order”
- she has a lower status than him
- No point falling in love
- makes love more real as it went against societies norm
SC-“Bessie Leaven had said that i was quite a lady; and she spoke the truth- I was a lady”
- lady. CONTEXT NO POWER
* Sounds positive. She’s a powerful lady. Not a regular one
Identity- “I had once vowed that I would never call her my aunt again: i thought it no sin to forget and break that vow now.”
- Aunt= love/ family.
- She has matured and is able to forgive her since meeting Mr R. Contrast to Aunt reed who’s still a bitch
- Broke her vow she made as a child. Realises that she may not have been the best child
Identity-“No, sir! I am an independent woman now.”
- she has inherited money. She i able to take care of herself
- doesn’t need to rely on Mr R which is the norm. CONTEXT WOMEN HAD NOTHING MEN HAD EVERYTHING. BRONTE BREAKS THE NORM
Jane eyre-“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me” feminism
- cannot be trapped- context women weren’t allowed to do anything
- bronte viewpoint through jane-proto-feminist ideas
- she expresses that she is a human- women were not treated as- rather objects
- =controversy at time of book
