Sunday, November 30, 2008

Rich

"rich and welcome enough in its way" (Bronte, 392).

Not only is Jane now rich in money, but she has finally found blood relatives. For the first time in her life she has found true family. also, by inheriting this large sum of money, she has closed the social gap that had once separated her from Rochester. If she ever meets him again, the gap will be much smaller.

Mild

" The air was mild; the dew was balm" (Bronte, 366).

Throughout Jane Eyre, little excerpts from the History of British Birds have been referred to in dire situations. Because the book shows a piece of Jane, it is clear that as a whole, she has not changed from the free spirited child she once was. She still longs to adventure and discover, like a true British bird.

Hearth

" a group of more interest appeared near the hearth" (Bronte, 337).

Bronte is once again foreshadowing the plot of her novel. By introducing these new characters with fire, she is telling the reader that these people are good and will have a positive influence on the novel.

Nature vs. Religion

" saw the mighty Milky-way... he was God's" (Bronte, 330).

In today's society, people believe in one of two main faiths, nature or religion. Although people attempt to mix the two, one always has the upper hand on the other. As Jane is out in nature she can only think of God. Although science didn't have the same argument as it does now, Jane still completely believes in the existence of her god, and puts all of her faith into him.

Meet Again

" Do as I do; trust in God and yourself. believe in Heaven. Hope to meet again there" (Bronte, 321).

Jane is putting her trust in religion to make her happy, which may not be that wisest choice. Before she was sent away to her school, religion wasn't a large part of her life. Now that it is, she trusts it more then anything. As she gives up her only hope for complete happiness, she once again falls back into her faith.

French

" quand il y avait du monde... cela en appren" (Bronte, 169).

Bronte fills her novel with french not only to show that Jane is intelligent, but also to point out Jane's desire to go explore the world she lives in. She has only really been three places in her entire life, her aunts house, the school, and now Rochester's. She is itching at the chance to witness things larger then herself, and to find out exactly who she is.

Religion


"I keep it and rear it rather on the Roman Catholic principle... I'll explain it all someday" (Bronte, 142).


Rochester is using a subject he knows that Jane fells comfortable with to try to even the space separating them. He knows that religion is something that has had very important meaning in Jane's life, and she knows it well. By discussing this topic, he can relax her and make her feel like his equal. Bronte is once again bring religion into the novel.

Fire


" Half reclined on a coach appeared Mr. Rochester... the fire shone full on his face" (Bronte, 122).

Bronte is putting fire into the setting to relax the reader, along with Jane, because in the novel, fire is a positive symbol. When Jane first met Rochester, he treated her kindly and fairly, which is rare with men in Jane's life. It is possible that Bronte means him to be a positive influence on Jane, or just a good person in general.

Mothers

" 'She treats me like a visitor... I anticipated only coldness..." (Bronte, 97).

Jane is actually surprised to be treated like a worthy human being by this new character. Everywhere she goes she expects only coldness and dislike. Bronte has this character act like this to Jane not only because she s a nice character, but because she is a motherly women. Jane is an orphan who has never had a real motherly figure. Some of her teachers at school were kind to her, but they never filled the position that she lacked.

Cold

" Before the long hour and a half of prayers and Bible reading was over, I felt ready to perish with cold." (Bronte, 52).

Whenever something negative happens, it is either foreshadowed with cold or described with cold. Jane's red-room was cold, the school is cold, the winter is frozen, the list goes on and on. Bronte is using ice in a negative light, while she uses warmth as a positive one. She also writes about it being cold when religion is talked about.

Rasselas

" it was "Rasselas"; a name that struck me as strange" (Bronte, 49).

The full title of the book is actually The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia. It was written by Samuel Johnson in the nineteenth century. It is strange that Jane would have found this new book at her new school because her school is very religious, and this book is not the Bible. In Jane's point of view, it is also not worth the trouble because it appears to be boring, it is not filled with adventure or fantasies, much like her new situation.

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The Red Room

" They went, shutting the door, and locking it behind them. The red-room was a square chamber...This room was chill" (Bronte, 12).

Red is a color that means many different things. It can refer to passion, lust, love, or even hatred. These reasons are why it is so peculiar that the room is described as "chill". When a person thinks of the color red, they normally associate it with warmth. Bronte is developing a setting that has much more meaning to the book then the reader can yet decipher from the text. Jane is being locked in a room that is completely colored red, and that room is cold.

John Reed

" Accustomed to John Reed's abuse, i never had an idea replying to it, my care was how to endure the blow which would certainly follow..." (Bronte, 9).

John Reed is Jane Eyre's cousin. By showing that Jane received abuse by a man so early in her book, Bronte will probably develope a theme about men later in the story. It is also important that Jane knows how to avoid the onslaught, but still chooses to fight.

Northern Ocean

" Where the Northern Ocean... pours in among the stormy Hebrides" (Bronte, 7).
This passage is taken out of the previously mentioned History of British Birds by John Bewick. the reader now knows that this book has a much greater meaning to Jane then her possible love of birds. It seems a though Bronte has used this allusion to show an insight as to what is going on in Jane's head, which has actually helped the novels characterisation.

British Birds


"I returned to my book- Berwick's History of British Birds" (Bronte, 7).

Berwick's History of British Birds is a book that was written by John Berwick in the late eighteenth century. It is interesting that Charlotte Bronte used this allusion in the very beginning of her novel because it appears to the reader that it is a book about birds and holds no real importance to the text.


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