Themes

Question 1

Social class

Answer 1

•	Jane Eyre is critical of Victorian England’s strict social hierarchy
Like Heathcliff in Wuthering Heights, Jane is a figure of ambiguous class standing and, consequently, a source of extreme tension for the characters around her. 
Brontë tries to illustrate how personal virtues are better indicators of character than class.

Question 2

Religion

Answer 2

• Jane receives three different models of Christianity throughout the novel, all of which she rejects either partly or completely before finding her own way.

Question 3

Gender

Answer 3

In her quest for independence and self-knowledge, Jane must escape Brocklehurst, reject St. John, and come to Rochester only after ensuring that they may marry as equals.
Furthermore, Rochester is blind at the novel’s end and thus dependent upon Jane to be his “prop and guide.”
• Even though Bertha Mason is insane, she is a provocative symbol of how married women can be repressed and controlled.
- Jane fends off marriage proposals that would squash her identity and strives for equality in her relationships.

Question 4

Search for love

Answer 4

Jane is both guide and servant to Rochester. She finds and creates her own family, and their love grows out of the mutual respect of free minds.