Introduction
Jane Eyre is a 1987 novel written by Charlotte. The novel is about a classic girl who toils through her life's struggles and comes out strong in the end. The plot of this interesting novel is tailored to conform to the bildungsroman style. The bildungsroman format in the novel is exemplified through the narration of the main character’s life experiences from childhood to adulthood – the author keenly depicts key aspects of Jane Eyre's feelings and experiences during every stage of her life. Jane's encounter with numerous life struggles and small wins are the highlight of the novel as the former seems to build her character, paving the way for the latter. Her family's lack of acceptance is depicted by her Aunt's Reed treatment, the abuse and cruelty she experiences in school, and her complicated love life are some of the negatives that bring her pain and struggle. In hindsight, these struggles develop virtues that end up bringing her happiness and content as exemplified through her marriage to her love, Rochester, and their beautiful family. Charlotte uses the first-person narrative so that the reader can relate to Jane’s thoughts and feelings better. In the novel, Jane is already an adult who and thus, her story is more of a reflection of her past and present life (Godfrey 861). Her reflection into adulthood increases the bildungsroman's effectiveness as the adult Jane comments about her complicated history and the changes she has undergone. Through the various themes in the novel, Jane’s character as a bildungsroman is evidenced by discussing her transition from childhood to adulthood and showing the triggers behind her experiences and progress.
The theme of social divisions and social rules: Jane’s position as the governess of Thornfield coupled with her status as an orphan at Gateshead forces Jane into the society where she interacts with people of various social levels, working-class servants to aristocrats. The author seems to investigate the sources and consequences of class boundaries by exploring Jane’s social mobility. Jane’s and Rochester’s love exemplifies how class differences can cause many problems (Brontë 38). Charlotte. Charlotte uses the themes of social class and social rules to show how personal virtues are better at displaying an individual’s character than class. She ensures that her character – Jane - stands up for herself against all class prejudices so that people can respect and recognize her by her personal qualities.
Gender roles: In the 19th-century, gender roles affect how people behave along with their identity. Women tolerate demeaning attitudes, especially in the sense that they are inferior to men and should thus not voice their thoughts. The notion that they do not possess any intelligence is another reason why their opinions are seen as insignificant. In the novel, Charlotte uses nuptials to portray the power struggle between the sexes – the nuptials between Rochester and Bertha and, later, between Rochester and Jane (Wilks 283). Bertha Mason's character is symbolic of how married women can be suppressed and contained. Jane strives to overturn this notion through her independence and intelligence. Her efforts are seen towards the end as she manages to achieve equality in relationships.
Religion: Religion and spirituality play a vital role in the development of the characters. Jane is introduced to the New Testament by Helen Burns, thus beginning her Christianity journey. As she matures and develops her relationships with God, Mr. Rochester needs to adjust and learn how to pray and be meek. Besides Charlotte bringing out different forms of religion, she uses characters to portray; you can be a virtuous Christian without allowing religion to consume your personality. Jane is a reverential Christian who still has the freedom to love and also to express her feelings.
Feeling versus judgment: Readers of Jane Eyre experience Eliza and Georgiana, who show no control of their emotions. On the other hand, Jane’s character is also experienced in her efforts to balance her feelings in different situations and her judgment. The author portrays Jane's judgment with regards to her love life as one that is purposeful. She is constantly seen to be working towards attaining a balance between independence and submission as he battles her contradicting natural emotions.
The theme of affection, family, and independence: Jane’s status as an orphan at Gateshead portrays her oppression and independence (Wilks 286). During her childhood, Jane keeps herself company by sitting alone and reading a book since she cannot play with her cousins. This signals her loneliness and odd position at Gateshead Hall. Despite this, Jane is not deterred and chooses to busy herself with reading instead of moping, proving that she is indeed independent. The books she chooses also show her efforts to remain independent. For instance, in choosing The History of British Birds, her imagination is inspired by mysterious stories and arctic scenes, further exemplifying her autonomy.
A balance between mastery and service: Throughout the novel, tremendous efforts have been made deliberately by Jane to strike an equilibrium between being a servant and a master. To achieve this equilibrium, Jane achieves freedom by committing herself to have respect and love as necessary virtues regardless of the role she plays (Godfrey 867). Her ability to strike a balance between mastery and service is evidenced by her actions as both a guide and servant to Rochester. Consequently, Jane finds and builds her family based on the love between Jane and her husband, as well as the respect principle of each other’s freedom. Additionally, the novel builds Jane as a character with a harsh background, especially in her young days. Throughout the novel, Jane encounters several challenges that reconcile her past and present life and the life decisions that she has made. The love affair between Jane and her spouse, Edward Rochester, is the book's main highlight. In the novel, Jane severally refers to Rochester as a master (Brontë 51). Nevertheless, Jane is not entirely submissive to Rochester as per society's expectations, even though the two get married in the end.
Resilience: Mrs. Reed is Jane’s childhood guardian. To Jane, Mrs. Reed is family even though she is always treating her with high degrees of cruelty and inhumanity. Jane is later taken to Lowood School after accidentally hitting her cousin. At the Lowood Institution, Jane undergoes challenges and a lot of humiliation under Mr. Brocklehurst’s watch, one of them being starvation (Godfrey 869). Despite them all, Jane’s resilience earns her the position of governess to Adele at the Thornfield Hall, which is headed by Mr. Rochester, her future husband. It is during that period that Jane and Rochester fall in love. Sadly, during their wedding, Jane realizes that Rochester was married to another lady who became insane, Bertha. Jane decides to end the marriage by running away. She finds a new place to call home with the Rivers and later finds out that the Rivers are her cousins. Coincidentally, she secures a teaching vacancy in a country school. St. John Rivers's proposal to her also signifies her resilience in that turning him down could risk her being sent away. Nonetheless, she refuses to be his missionary wife because she has no feelings for him and still feels affectionate towards Mr. Rochester. These events prompt her to return to her husband, who is already blind and disabled due to a fire started by Bertha's former wife. Jane chooses to stay and even agrees to marry him despite his disability, further exemplifying her resilience.
Dedicated career woman: The author describes Jane’s character as one that seeks more than women in her time are allowed. Unlike the other women, Jane is a focused career woman, and her dedication to her course is authentic. Despite the challenges she faces in the pursuit of her career, she never seems to get tired or inclined to give up. Throughout her childhood and adulthood, her dedication to remaining focused in the face of whatever challenge is evident – she asks questions without fear and turns down requests that she feels do not support her goals (Wilks 291). Her appointment as a governess, her social interactions during her time in the role, and her application for a teaching vacancy in a country school are some of the examples that portray her dedication as a career woman.
Sentimental woman- although there are several incidences in the novel where Jane has been portrayed as independent, Jane is sentimental. For instance, after realizing what Rochester’s former marriage was like, she runs away. However, after St. Rivers’ proposal, she decides to return to Rochester and even agrees to marry him even though he is blind and disabled (Godfrey 871). Additionally, her resilience does not mask her sentiment. While most of her life challenges have built her into something she never imagined, she does not shy away from the feelings she experienced during the difficult times. She is aware that her aunt's treatment of her is inhumane, and her sadness during that time can be felt. Her love for her family is also a sentiment that is easy to notice through her actions and plans.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Charlotte portrays Jane as a bildungsroman character through various themes that enable the reader to get a deeper understanding of the main character, who is also the narrator. Jane is an all-around character who does not shy away from admitting that she has experienced challenges, some worse than others. Her progress and development in the story are seen in every life stage. For instance, her resilience during childhood is different from that of her adulthood as it only keeps growing stronger. However, resilience does not mean that she is free of emotions. On the contrary, her emotions define her character in the same way her struggles do. Without them, she may not have accomplished the much that she has. Through the various themes discussed and their contexts, it is clear that Jane Eyre is a bildungsroman. Her change throughout the book is both physical, psychological, and behavioral. Her physical growth is exemplified by her transition from a young girl to a woman. Psychologically, her priorities and goals change between childhood and adulthood, and her life becomes more complex. Morally, she strives to maintain a good personality despite the challenges and becomes more understanding that people’s treatment of her is not a reflection of who she is. More importantly, the triggers for these transitions are numerous, as evidenced through the themes, and they indeed play a key role in her progress.
