Victorian England and Gothic Elements

The moral attitudes of Victorian England are displayed in the novel through both parallels and contrasts. Bronte writes of strong and determined women, which went against Victorian standards. There does exist a parallel, however, in that a strong social ethic was valued at the time, and in the novel, Jane lives a life of moral ethics and tries to refine her life through attained goals.

The elements of the Gothic novel are portrayed in Jane Eyre through Rochester’s wife, Bertha, as well as through the red room. The supernatural is dealt with in these situations with mysterious and dreadful undertones. Like other Gothic literature, the novel illustrates a gloomy house, the supernatural, mystery, ghosts, insanity, and family curses. Rochester’s secret (his marital status and the fact that his wife is locked up) also contributes to the Gothic elements present.

Characterization (Jane and Rochester) and symbols

Jane Eyre is the central character; the other characters are merely influential people. Jane is part of a lower social class, but she is committed, strong-willed, and appreciates moral values. Her integrity is constantly tested as Jane has to balance various conflicts in order to ultimately find happiness. Bertha can symbolize Jane’s problems. She is the central obstacle preventing Jane and Rochester’s union and happiness. Bertha is also an example of the confined Victorian wife.

Mr. Rochester, a reckless and troubled character, deals with an internal torment of his past impulsive nature centered around his mad wife. Jane is attracted to Rochester because she senses a common spirit between them, and he offers her a home and lasting love. Even though Jane does not want to sacrifice her identity, she does want love. At first, Jane refuses a life as his mistress but eventually opens up to him as he makes her fall in love with him. Jane’s solidity of character is affected by Rochester’s impetuous and eccentric nature. Jane eventually dismisses some of her goals and her economic independence for love. I think Jane was justified in not marrying Rochester at first because it would have thrown off the balance of her quest to find a medium between moral integrity and her sought love. Jane should not have to give up a piece of herself if she is entering into a sincere, loving relationship. Rochester has his wife locked up a flight of stairs away and lies to Jane about his secret, which gives her further justification. Jane goes back to Rochester after experiencing a healthy, stable, happy relationship that lacked love. She visited the other side of the scale for a while as she taught and searched for faith. However, Jane still felt empty and had to go back to Rochester in order to find a true happiness through the entity of love.

The red room is a symbol in the novel that exemplifies the obstacles Jane must conquer in order to find freedom, a sense of belonging, and happiness. The red room symbolizes Jane’s spiritual and religious imprisonment at the beginning. Jane feels socially underprivileged and is stuck behind the barriers in a woman’s life. Although Jane is eventually freed from the room, she deals with social and romantic exclusion and financial issues.

Theme, tone, point of view

The themes in Jane Eyre center around the subject of love, one of them being love versus integrity/ moral law. Jane’s quest for love is the meat of the novel as she is emotionally empty throughout her charitable endeavors in life. She does not marry St. John, even when it seems rational to follow through with it. Jane is aloof and does not feel as though her whole person is intact. She is also hesitant about marrying Rochester because she does not want her economic independence to be compromised; she is only able to marry in the end because she has become self-sufficient and does not have to enter into a relationship as an inferior. Religion is also a prevalent theme throughout the novel and can be seen in Jane’s human versus self conflict between morality and earthly pleasures. Helen is one of Jane’s religious examples, but Jane eventually finds her own medium between religion and worldly pleasures. Jane interprets religion as a way to escape immoral passions and an entity supporting earthly goals. A theme of women’s rights wraps around the hardships depicted in the novel. Jane does not always feel completely independent.

Bronte’s tone includes both Gothic and romantic elements. The novel is sinister yet surreal with images of mystery and secrecy. Jane’s personality, however, contrasts with this tone in that she is high-spirited, determined, and friendly.

The novel is told in the first person (Jane’s) point of view. There is also much dialogue exchanged in the story.