Study of Jane Eyre

[MysteryMind]

I agree, Desdemona. I am a religious/spiritual person, but neither Helen nor St. John appealed to me, either. It's one thing to be repressed by others or by your surrounding environment, but it's another to repress yourself - and I felt that both these characters purposefully repress themselves, for the sake of God. Although that type of martyrdom may be viewed as admirable, as a real person, I felt frustrated by their words and actions. I believe Jane felt the same way towards them, but one she loved for her sweetness and the other repelled her because of what he was asking of her. Did you notice that both characters died fairly young?

The setting of the story is Victorian and that was a very restricting age, so this period is very conducive to the repression theme and to Gothic novels. If you've ever read any Dickens novels you'd understand the bleakness of this time.

Your assessment of some of the characters are quite humorous. I was surprised to find that the eldest Reed girl became a nun - and a Catholic one I believe. That brings up another theme in the early Gothics - a "rebellion" against the Catholic Church. Although it wasn't forceful, Jane's response to Helen and St. John seems to underline the antagonism towards religious extremism. Bronte's presentation of Brocklehurst could be said to do the same. What do you think?