Charlotte Bronte - Jane Eyre

Reading Journal - Session 6 - 29/11/2016

Charlotte Bronte – Jane Eyre

As I already stated, I haven’t read the text before, but I already knew quite a bit due to different sources, so I was prepared for Mr. Rochester and the mad woman in the attic who sets everything on fire, as well as the proposal from a missionary who wants Jane to go to the West Indies with her.

Therefore, I expected the story to start with Mr. Rochester, not with her early childhood and the systematic abuse she had to suffer because of her inferior standing. I did not expect to like the part of Jane being in school to like the most and find more interesting than anything that followed. While it was also not a completely happy part of her life, it was nice to see people treat Jane kindly, giving her the benefit of the doubt. While servant Bessie was also nice to Jane most of the time, she also helped restrain her and took an active part in her abuse. But Miss Temple was really the first completely positive role model she had. Helen Burns was another character that was really interesting to get to know, with her unyielding trust in any of the adults, admitting to “terrible character traits” that she deserved to be punished for. While it was not easy to read about the treatment of the teachers, it was at least a good contrast to see a character so at peace with her situation and her suffering, even though Jane is much more relatable in her desire for fairness and a right to fight against mistreatment, no matter her social standing.

The class system was also a prevailing theme in the novel. One scene that stuck with me after reading was during a chapter in which Mr. Rochester entertained some higher class guests who talked dismissively about Jane, her occupation, her looks and her being present in general and went on to fondly reminiscent about how much they mistreated their own governesses, how they enjoyed it and how much their employees deserved it, wither their biggest crimes being that they actually obey the parent’s wishes to teach their children. And the parents join in at the party and even praise their children for the thoughtless actions. It really drives home the careless regard from the upper classes to the lower classes who deserve being looked down upon even though they are actually the ones who work hard so the lives of the upper classes are easier. While it becomes very obvious in this novel, especially because it is presented from Jane’s point of view, it is still a common issue that people still naturally take part in without being aware of it.

Generally, it was an interesting and enjoyable book and I wonder how much more of an impact it had when people still perceived it to be an autobiography. Did it change the view of the upper classes on the lower classes? Did it validate their existence because Jane joined their ranks after her inheritance? I haven’t read many other Victorian novels, but I remember Oliver Twist turning out to be upper class as well, after the character suffered throughout the novel from being poor. Was it perceived in a similar manner?

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