Jane EyreCriticism Of The Main Character Essay

, Research Paper

Jane Eyre is a novel about struggle of a little governess for self-realization and dream-fulfillment. In that determined and almost obsessive struggle Jane appears as a self-involved person in an absolute denial of the world around her. This particular layer of Jane’s complex personality is important because it shades a general course of the novel. At one point it even raises social and moral issues from the standpoint of Victorian conventionality. In this passage I will show in which way Jane expresses her self-involvement through the denial; I will seek for the evidence and reasons of that; and at last I will give the explanation of how this ‘innocent’, ‘honest’ creature developed its mechanisms that influenced broad picture of Jane’s personality.

Jane grabbed her reward with blind happiness and joy. “I thought only of the bliss given me to drink in so abundant a flow. Again and again he said, ‘Are you happy Jane?’ And again and again I answered, ‘Yes.’ ” (224). Jane doesn’t have any questions for Rochester. She accepts the rapture of the moment and steps into the future refusing to discern or reveal the vale of mystery that surrounds them. Her strong individuality and feeling of self-respect persuades her that she deserves this happiness after all the torturing that she has experienced. She is too exhilarated to think that something bad could happen. Thus, she doesn’t see the change of weather as a bad sign, but as a part of a nature. She describes how bad weather that night was, but concludes that even aware of it, she “experienced no fear, and little awe” (225). It is impossible to overlook her selectivity in what she believes to be a sign, and what she believes is nature, especially if we look at the very next chapter. Here we have Jane experiencing beautiful, sunny morning. Birds are singing, everything appears to be wonderful, and Jane thinks that this is nothing but the sign of God’s approval of her happy fortune. This is a peak of her unseeing that the horrible and for her tragic event will take place.

Another aspect of Jane’s denial comes from the moral and social point of view. ” there stood the widow, pale, grave, and amazed. I only smiled at her, and ran up stairs. ‘Explanation will do for another time,’ thought I. Still, when I reached my chamber, I felt a pang at the idea she should even temporarily misconstrue what she had seen” (225). But that was just a pang. Very next moment Jane’s thoughts are filled with joy. Her whole being is too happy to think that she has crossed the border of conventionality and what is called social decency at the…

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