Bertha represents womanhood of the 19 th century, implying that women were. Although she meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, she repeatedly succeeds at asserting herself and maintains her principles of justice, human dignity. Jane eyre inspired various film, tv, and stage adaptations, including a 1943 movie that starred orson welles as rochester and joan fontaine as jane. In a book that makes use of many of the stock situations and characters of the gothic genre, jane stands out as a woman who runs against the gothic stereotype of the submissive woman in distress. The development of jane eyre s character is central to the novel. Brocklehurst, maria temple, miss scatcherd, alice fairfax, bertha mason, grace poole. Brocklehurst, miss temple, blanche ingram, adele, grace poole, diana. Rochester, is introduced as a good landowner and a wellliked man. Rochesters mistress, celine, and for whom jane is hired to be a governess.
When the novel begins, she is an isolated, powerless tenyearold living with an aunt and cousins who dislike. By the conditions and jane s experiences created her strong personality. She at this point is an orphan, living with her cold aunt reed and cruel cousins. Jane eyre characters from litcharts the creators of. His handsome appearance indicates moral and intellectual superiority he has a straight, classic nose. The protagonist and narrator, jane is an orphaned girl caught between class boundaries, financial situations, and her own conflicted feelings. Jane eyre and gothic elements in the book freebooksummary. A servant named bessie provides jane with some of the few kindnesses she receives, telling her stories and singing songs to her. Jane s harsh and cruel aunt who takes jane in against her will, because of a promise made to her husband, jane s late uncle. Jane eyre the protagonist and narrator of the novel, jane is an intelligent, honest, plainfeatured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. She is prepared to face nearstarvation, rather than enter a bigamous marriage, and she remains true to her christian faith throughout. Bronte, especially in chapter 23, uses elements such as the weather to create contrasts between what is happening in the world, i.
Both are in many ways outsiders or others, both have passionate sexual desires for rochester. Orphaned as a baby, jane struggles through her nearly loveless childhood and becomes governess at thornfield hall. The development of jane eyres character is central to the novel. She becomes jane s friend after jane grows up and becomes an instructor, and when miss temple marries and leaves the school, jane decides to seek a life beyond lowood. In the novel jane eyre by charlotte bronte, characters develop and change considerably. Jane is a young woman, looking back on her life of an orphan and a governess. At the start of the novel jane is 10 years old, the events of the novel track the next 10 years of her life and the final chapter of the novel is set a further ten years later so jane is approximately 30 years old at the end of the novel. Her integrity is continually tested over the course of the novel, and jane must learn to balance the frequently conflicting aspects of herself so as to find contentment. The evangelist who takes jane in at moor house, brother to diana and mary and. The protagonist and narrator of jane eyre, jane begins the novel as an angry, rebellious, 10yearold orphan and gradually develops into a sensitive, artistic, maternal, and fiercely independent young woman.
Jane eyre click the character infographic to download. Jane finds herself drawn to his troubled yet kind spirit. Jane eyre the protagonist and narrator of the novel, she is an intelligent, honest, plainfeatured young girl forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Throughout the novel, jane struggles to find the right balance between moral duty and earthly pleasure, between obligation to her spirit and attention to her body. We will learn the important role that helen plays in the story. Jane eyre is the fictional heroine of charlotte brontes 1847 novel of the same name. Jean rhys s novel wide sargasso sea 1966 offers an account of rochesters first marriage.
Married to an insane creole woman, bertha mason, rochester sought solace for several years in the arms of mistresses. Rochesters plain, quakerish governess, an orphanturnedteacher whose clothes are all either black or gray and who never really kicks the habit of calling. When the novel begins, the title character is a 10yearold orphan who lives with her uncles family. Her female cousins, georgiana and eliza, tolerate, but dont love her.
Represented as a monster, bertha mason is the most gothic and most frightening character in the book, standing side by side with jane eyre when it comes to their importance in the novel. She grows into a highly sensitive, independent woman. The author deliberately created jane as an unglamorous figure. Rochesters ward, the little girl who was the daughter of mr. Character analysis edward fairfax rochester while jane s life has been fairly sedate, long, quiet years at lowood, rochesters has been wild and dissipated. Character analysis of jane eyre 792 words bartleby. Finally, he seeks to purify his life and wants jane eyre. One day, as punishment for fighting with her bullying cousin john reed, janes aunt imprisons jane in the redroom. The narrator, central character, and heroine of jane eyre, jane is both a fully realized fictional creation in the novel and, in many ways, a voice for the author, charlotte bronte.
In this lesson, we will discuss helen burns from charlotte brontes jane eyre. Addicted to drinking and gambling, john supposedly commits suicide at the age of twentythree when his mother is no longer willing or able to pay his debts. Main characters the heroine and narrator of the novel. John helps jane become a teacher and later offers to marry jane and take her. The protagonist and narrator of jane eyre, jane begins the novel as an. Other than the nursemaid, the family ostracizes jane. Norman conquest based in french catholicism the gothic feature in jane eyre, represented by edward rochester and had. This version of jane eyre works in some novel twists that fit into the original plot, such as jane s pursuit of rochester and st. Bronte could have chosen a male character to be the main character, so why did she choose to cast a female character. She forms jane s character by the living conditions. The novel charts the growth of jane eyre, the firstperson narrator, from her unhappy childhood with her nasty relatives, the reeds, to her blissful marriage to rochester at ferndean. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Characters in jane eyre with examples and analysis literary. If jane had her way, she would probably tell us that she doesnt have any character to speak of. In charlotte brontes jane eyre, edward fairfax rochester, or mr. Orphaned as a child, jane has felt an outcast her whole young life. Characters jane eyre gcse english literature revision.
Jane eyre the main character starts out the book at the age of ten. Rochester initially appears to be a profoundly unlikable person, one who acts with disregard towards others and follows a moral code that serves his best interests. If it wasnt for his sinful past, edward rochester would be janes perfect match. Rochester demonstrates this clear character development.
He and his sisters care for jane when they find her sickly and dying on the moors. From the beginning, jane possesses a sense of her selfworth and dignity, a commitment to justice and principle, a trust in god, and a passionate disposition. Jane eyre is the protagonist and the main narrator of the novel. Jane eyre jane is the central character of the novel.
Jane is noted for her dependability, strong mindedness and individualism. Jane eyre the protagonist and narrator of the novel, jane is an intelligent, honest. John rivers while rochester is a prototype of the fiery, passionate man, st. In her youth and again as a governess, jane must depend on others for support read full character analysis. Although she meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, jane repeatedly succeeds at asserting herself and maintains her principles of justice, human dignity, and morality. Thursday has read the book many times and a copy of the book saved her life when she was shot in the chest by acheron hades. An example of the byronic hero, rochester is a passionate man, often guided by his senses rather than by his rational mind. Jane eyre the novel, not the character looks down its nose in disgust at the existing victorian class hierarchy. The novels narrator and protagonist, she eventually becomes the second wife of edward rochester. List of characters in jane eyre flashcards quizlet. In this lesson, we will examine minor characters in charlotte brontes jane eyre. Rochester, in full edward rochester, fictional character in charlotte brontes novel jane eyre 1847, the brooding and tormented master of thornfield hall, who.
Jane eyre r is a novel by english writer charlotte bronte, published under the pen name. John reed janes nasty and spoiled cousin, responsible for janes banishment to the redroom. There are gothic qualities within the novel such as the usage of masks, the atmosphere in many of the scenes, and a heroin being the main character and living happily ever after. Jane is ten years old, an outsider in the reed family. The novel is a firstperson narrative from the perspective of the title character. In the novel jane eyre written by charlotte bronte the gothic style of writing is used to help bring out the different themes. Jane eyre is the heroine of charlotte brontes novel jane eyre. In the novel jane eyre, the main character is jane is an orphan, and is missed treated in her early years of life. The eponymous protagonist of the book is introduced as a poor relation of aunt reed, physically unattractive. The characters who are most interested in the trappings of wealth and status are hypocritical or morally misguided, but characters who take poverty on themselves to demonstrate their great moral natures are also mocked.
The protagonist and narrator of jane eyre, jane begins the novel as an angry, rebellious. Jane, an orphan, is employed as a governess, and becomes romantically involved with her employer, the mysterious and moody edward rochester. Jane travels to gateshead, stays with her cousins until her aunts death and learns that she has a wealthy relative, john eyre of madeira, who would like to adopt her and bequeath her his fortune. Despite his stern manner and not particularly handsome appearance, edward rochester wins janes heart, because she feels they are kindred spirits, and because he is the first person in the novel to offer jane lasting love and a real home.
The book comes abruptly to an end on page 107 when hades kidnaps jane eyre. Orphaned as an infant, jane eyre lives with at gateshead with her aunt, sarah reed, as the novel opens. Jane is a strong willed, plain looking daughter of a poor clergyman. If the protagonist was male, for example if rochester was the main character, the novel would not have been as effective. Bertha mason is the most gothic and most frightening character in the book. Young orphan who grows up, goes to school, works, marries, creates a life for herself. The evolution of rochesters character essay, jane eyre. The character bertha mason serves as the main protagonist for this novel which acts as a prequel to jane eyre. Her neglected childhood leads to an attitude of rebellion and jane is often punished for her tantrums, and physically abused. The importance of a female protagonist the protagonist of the novel, jane, is a strong independent woman. Reading, education, and creativity are all essential components of janes growth, factors that help her achieve her final success. She plans to write to him upon her brief return to thornfield, but when she arrives, she is immediately distracted.
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