Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that gothic novels often establish a sense of mystery which is aided, to a greater or lesser extent, by some involvement with supernatural forces, often relying on religious
conventions for expression in the text. In Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", this sense of religious or supernatural mystery allows Jane to expostulate from her double-narrative point of view on the suspicious happenings at Thornfield House, where Jane is employed as a governess. The author points out that the role of religion can be seen in many ways in the novel using the characters Mr. Brocklehurst, St. John Rivers, Jane (the protagonist) and Rochester as the opposite of the role of religion. The paper relates that "Jane Eyre" takes place in a
society plagued by situations in which women are regarded as religious angels who are kept in a state of either decorative consumption or holistic servitude.

From the Paper:

"When Jane is relating to Mr. Brocklehurst at the school, he is a religious figure who gives mandates and constantly draws attention to the faults of others. Like St. John Rivers later in the novel, this character represents what Jane sees to be religious authority, and its goal towards her life is apparently repressive in nature. "And I was placed there, by whom I don't know: I was in no condition to not particulars; I was only aware that they had hoisted me up to the height of Mr. Brocklehurst's nose, and that a spread of shot orange and purple silk pelisses, and a cloud of silvery plumage extended and waved
below me. (He said) 'You see she is yet young... Who would think that the Evil One had already found a servant and agent in her?'" (Bronte). It can be seen therefore that Brocklehurst represents a sort of oppression over Jane in terms of influencing perceptions of her early in the novel."

More papers on Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre":

• Comparison Essay # 34562 : "Jane Eyre": Fiction and Film"
• Analytical Essay # 83900 : "Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre"
• Analytical Essay # 135468 : "Destiny in "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte"
• Analytical Essay # 61081 : "Jane Eyre's Attitude Toward Rochester"

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