Jane Eyre - close reading
This extract from Charlotte Bronte 's 'Jane Eyre ' presents a pinnacle moment within the relationship between Jane and Rochester; particularly the spiritual equality that Jane establishes between them in her frank confession, thus transcending from his subordinate. While focussing on the this confrontation of Rochester, this essay shall consider the extracts place within a chapter whereby nature heavily symbolises Jane 's true feelings and eventually undercuts the otherwise positive outlook by the chapters end.
Issues of class and physical inferiority are consistently areas of concern for Jane, yet in this extract Bronte allows her protagonist to momentarily elevate herself from such confines. Taking what could be seen as a considerably feminist stance in expressing her feelings towards Rochester, Jane appeals to him with words beyond the 'medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh '1, and levelling with as him as two spirits; 'it is my spirit that addresses your spirit...equal – as we are! ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253) In this speech and comparatively to the novel as a whole, we see a decidedly more direct and powerful Jane, mimicking her earlier tendencies of being provoked to a fiery nature as she is 'roused to something of a passion ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253). Finally she addresses her destiny, gaining a level of social control that she has often been denied. By moving the relationship outside of the material and social, Jane creates concrete equality, implying that Rochester and herself stand side by side 'at God 's feet ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253), whereby neither is dominant. This signifies a shift in the nature of the couples relationship from one of formalities to one that moves beyond the bounds of class; a love that is uncontrollable and essential – 'I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is more me to leave you ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253). We can see that Jane is possessed by unconditional powers that social expectations may not
Issues of class and physical inferiority are consistently areas of concern for Jane, yet in this extract Bronte allows her protagonist to momentarily elevate herself from such confines. Taking what could be seen as a considerably feminist stance in expressing her feelings towards Rochester, Jane appeals to him with words beyond the 'medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh '1, and levelling with as him as two spirits; 'it is my spirit that addresses your spirit...equal – as we are! ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253) In this speech and comparatively to the novel as a whole, we see a decidedly more direct and powerful Jane, mimicking her earlier tendencies of being provoked to a fiery nature as she is 'roused to something of a passion ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253). Finally she addresses her destiny, gaining a level of social control that she has often been denied. By moving the relationship outside of the material and social, Jane creates concrete equality, implying that Rochester and herself stand side by side 'at God 's feet ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253), whereby neither is dominant. This signifies a shift in the nature of the couples relationship from one of formalities to one that moves beyond the bounds of class; a love that is uncontrollable and essential – 'I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is more me to leave you ' (Jane Eyre, p. 253). We can see that Jane is possessed by unconditional powers that social expectations may not
Bibliography: Bronte, Charlotte, 'Jane Eyre ' (Oxford University Press: 2000) p’s. 248, 253, 256