Jane Eyre
Relationships
C A R L E Y B O L E N
O L I V I A W A L L A C E
Helen Burns
Jane finds her first real friend Helen Burns when she goes to
Lowood. Jane sees Helen reading a book, and approaches her
because she realizes that she needs to build new and healthy
relationships. Jane learns how to use kindness in unfavorable
situations as well as effectively practice forgiveness through
her time at Lowood and throughout the rest of her life. When
it comes time, Helen is not fearful of death. She has this
mindset because she believes that God is doing this for a
reason and that she has nothing to worry about. Brontë draws
admiration for Helen when she provides Jane with a role
model and positive relationship. Helen is a good sign for Jane
as she hopes for a better future. When Helen speaks, she is
very spiritual and confident allowing her to be quite assertive
and powerful. In the last paragraph of Chapter 9, we finally
receive closure for Helen's death, giving a peaceful ending to
her story. It should receive the proper memorial to signify that
she was a positive impact in Jane's life and allow her to finally
rest.
Mr. Rochester
From the beginning of Jane and Mr. Rochester's relationship it was
strong. They would talk a lot, as Mr. Rochester liked many qualities
about Jane, but the most prevalent features were her honesty and
forgiveness. Mr. Rochester preferred Jane over Blanche Ingram
because he enjoyed her personality more then Ms. Ingram's
appearance. Jane's description of Mr. Rochester allows the reader to
know how she feels about him, she describes in great detail their
conversations, and reactions to one another which influences the
reader to like Mr. Rochester yet, still question the unknown about
him. As Jane talks about Mr. Rochester the reader can see feelings
developing in Jane, as she think over all the conversations they have.
Brontë uses the theme of sight and blindness in a ironic way. Jane
was extremely unconfident in her looks, but in the end Mr.
Rochester was blind and that was the last thing on his mind. As for
the theme of sanity and madness Jane was pushed to her limits of
the madness in her life, yet kept sanity and ended up happy. Brontë
did not use many supernatural elements in this novel, but she did
use that element in Jane and Mr. Rochester's relationship which
showed how strong their love was for one another. Yet their
relationship was natural in the fact that there was no real spirit
involved. Their relationship was extremely powerful, and their love
stated true to the end.
AP Literature
2nd Hour
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Mrs. Reed
Jane and Mrs. Reed has never been strong. Mrs. Reed
never truly wanted to be a parental figure for Jane,
but on her husband's death bed he made her
promise to take care of his orphan niece. As her aunt
faces death, it becomes known that Jane had an uncle
looking for her. This uncle has a decent sum of
money to his name and is looking to possibly give it
to Jane. In not telling Jane, Mrs. Reed feels as though
she has beat Jane yet again. She ultimately fails in the
sense that Jane receives an inheritance and finds her
family. In the long run, Mrs. Reed helps Jane by
making her stronger and teaching her how to be
independent. The brutal treatment that she directed
at Jane set her up for a strong ability in overcoming
obstacles. When Mrs. Reed reappears in the story it
shows that this is the end of that time in Jane's life
and brings closure to the suffering that she went
through in her time with the Reed's.
St. John
Jane and St. John have a solid relationship right from the start.
They both share many characteristics and traits that draw them
to each other. St. John is attractive in the eyes of many because
of his physical appearance as well as his kind spirit. Jane
rejects the proposal to St. John because she still have feeling
for Rochester and does not truly love St. John. When it comes
to Helen Burns and St. John, Jane finds real friendship in these
two. They are both very spiritual people who teach Jane a lot
about herself and the life around her. They share similar
qualities of forgiveness, kindness, and selflessness. Jane shows
the reader that St. John is a very kind and spiritual person. An
example of this would be the fact that when Jane was at her
lowest, he brought her into his home and cared for her. She
ends the novel with his achievements to portray that if Jane
would've married him, she would be a widow, living a life that
was not for her. It also showed that with his hard work, St. John
got to accomplish his goals. He deserves this for his countless
acts of kindness and dedication to his missionary.