Jane Eyre’s rude, spoiled and self-centered cousins are not suitable to be around her. This simple quote reveals all of Jane’s facets: she is passionate, angry and subtly confident. Charlotte Bronte’s story could easily continue in the same way. She could portray Jane as an eternally bitter, proud heroine incapable of growth due to her traumatized childhood. However, Bronte does not want to paint her heroine with a flat, uninteresting character. Jane is a character who grows and matures throughout the book, learning to forgive and retaining her sense of courage. Jane’s maturity is best shown in the way she develops intimate relationships and visits the Reed home in adulthood. Her sense of self, however, is evident in her decision to remain true to herself with Rochester and St. John.
Jane’s visit at the Reed house when she was nineteen shows her remarkable growth. She has a passion outburst the last time she comes into direct contact with her cousins and aunt: “I do not lie: if it were possible, I would have said I loved them, but instead I declare I do not. I dislike John Reed more than anybody else on earth” (38). Jane unleashes her anger in a short, but powerful speech. She has been suppressing it for years. She holds onto her contempt for the Reeds, even after meeting Helen Burns. Helen’s response to Jane’s story of woe is not what she expected. In fact, Jane receives an entirely different response.
You have been treated badly by her, there is no doubt about that. Would you be happier to try to forget the intensity of her words and the emotions they evoked? It seems to me that the life we have is too short for us to waste it on resentment or grievances. (61)
Jane is not able to fully explain to the reader how this advice affected her. However, one can assume that Jane took the advice to heart, and it softened and transformed her. As she became close to Helen, Jane began to make fewer and fewer references about the Reeds. Jane takes on Helen’s spirit of forgiveness after Helen dies. It doesn’t eliminate Jane’s assertiveness completely, but it does make her more forgiving. Our heroine, upon her return to Gateshead has overcome her anger and wrongs, and is now able to say to her dying Aunt, “I love you but am not vindictive…I was glad to have you as my aunt if only you had allowed me to” (242). Jane, despite her aunt saying nothing nice to her or admitting to hiding Jane’s other relative from her for years, is mature enough not to let the incident negatively impact her. Jane stays in Gateshead to help her relatives pack up and leave after her aunt’s death. She even hides her true feelings about them to avoid conflict. Bronte’s skill as a writer would have made Jane either refuse to go to see her aunt or have her say horrible things about her “family” if she had been less talented. Jane’s ability to move on from the past, and help the Reeds, shows Bronte’s skill as a writer.
Jane’s ability cultivate close relationships with other people is another facet that shows her character development. Although she has experienced a lot of abuse and pain in her early years, Jane never tries to limit herself or be unfeeling. She still has self-control and loves people. All she wants is to be loved back. Bronte may have also used this opportunity to make Jane predictable and uninteresting. Jane’s childhood in Gateshead was characterized by Bessie being her only companion, and during her adolescence, love was limited to rations of bread. Jane could therefore have protected her feelings so tightly that she would have refused to form any other relationships than working ones. Jane allows herself, however, to fall in love with Thornfield and Adele. When Edward finally confesses to her his feelings, she becomes passionate. She still has the ability to develop new relationships even after her ill-fated marriage. She would have been a typical disgruntled, angry young woman if she had not grown up and learned to trust. But her maturity and ability to grow as a person has made her an open, good-hearted character despite her past.
Jane’s strong sense of identity, which she displayed in her fights with Aunt Reed, never fades. Jane has been subjected to constant criticism by Gateshead, including Mr. Brocklehurst who tries his best to make her believe that she lied. Lowood’s atmosphere does not encourage self-esteem. Jane Eyre’s depression is short-lived. It is possible to see her self-criticism as more realism and less self-hatred. Her sense of self comes through in the difficult situations she faces with both men who are interested in marrying her. Jane’s assertiveness is what gives her character authenticity, because she would not be able to go from being a fiery, feisty girl into a passive woman, without any trace left of the bravery that was once in her. Edward Rochester is not happy when Jane learns about Edward’s marriage. Edward is confident that Jane will continue to love him despite the fact they are not married. He also believes she will travel to France to be with him. Jane and Edward are in a very passionate relationship. Jane loves Edward fervently. So it takes self-confidence and respect to tell Edward this. But it’s also immoral for her to leave Thornfield, at night, even without looking at him. St. John Rivers proposes and Jane shows her true self, her love for Edward and her complete understanding of herself. Because of her insatiable desire for love and her fear of being rejected, she might have weakened to accept this proposal. She has chosen to stay true to herself: “As wife to him, he would always be by my side. I’d have to restrain and check the fire in my heart, force it to burn internally and never cry. This would be unendurable.” (410). She is aware that marrying St. John will require her to compromise her values and leave the one man she loves. But she has the strength to refuse to do so. Jane knows who she is and puts her trust in that.
Jane Eyre has many opportunities to be made into a “textbook-case” angry teenager incapable of rising above the abuse she’s suffered. Charlotte Bronte could have written “Jane Eyre,” but her ability to create dynamic characters would make the book stand out. Jane appears as a mature woman who is able to forgive despite the fact that she was told about her aunt’s death. She has also developed intimate relationships and can trust others despite what happened to them. She does not lose her self-confidence or self-understanding and does not remain in situations that she believes are immoral. Jane Eyre is a believable character and a memorable novel because of her self-retention and growth. Charlotte Bronte was a great writer.
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