Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - An appraisal

Jane Eyre - An appraisal

Jane Eyre is the most famous book written by Charlotte Brontë, belonging to the family of drama classics. It was released in 1847, in England, being the first book the author had published. Due to the remarkable quality of the book, the author then published at short intervals a lot of new titles, though none of them beat the success of the initial one. Furthermore, just as David Copperfield represents the autobiography of Charles Dickens, Jane Eyre is said to be some sort of an autobiography for Charlotte Brontë. Personally, I was really surprised by the book, because I got into it having very little expectation, which the book soon beat. It was truly amazing, giving an interesting view upon the world of that time.

The book is set sometime before the Victorian era, probably around 1820, when an infant Jane is left orphan. She is taken into care by her maternal uncle, who is married and has three children. Soon after, her uncle dies too, living her in the hands of his now widowed wife. However, she behaves badly towards the little girl, always blaming her for everything her children did and punishing her drastically. In this terrible world, Jane Eyre succeeds in becoming a well-mannered lady, knowing her status at every step. The book presents the emotional growing of the protagonist in the years before her marriage, following her transition from a lion-hearted girl to a humble and obedient young lady. Nevertheless, she is mostly acting these attributes, as her mind is innovative and brilliant, having a rather modern way of thinking.

            The book starts by showing Jane Eyre taking action, after her cousin, John Reed, struck her for reading a book from his family’s library. Her aunt had immediately punished Jane after seeing the hand left on her beloved child’s face. This marks the beginning of Jane’s rebellion towards her foster family. Wanting to get rid of Jane, her aunt sent her to a Christian boarding school for girls, Lowood, which might help Jane with her behavior.  There, despite the terrible attitude the headmaster had showed her, she became friends with some of the pupils and one of the teachers. After finishing the school years, she remained at Lowood as a teacher for some time, but soon she got bored of that lifestyle. She was hired as a governess for Mr. Rochester’s ward, a French girl named Adèle. Every evening, she and her employer sat down facing the fireplace and talked for hours. Jane began to admire Rochester, and quickly her admiration evolved into something more. After having a serious fight with him, she left him, despite her feelings. Then, for a pretty long time, she had been strolling England, without any destination or money. While she was wandering the streets of a small village, hungry and ill, she passed out at St John’s threshold. Being a priest, he put her up. Jane immediately became friends with his sisters, well-educated women like her, and later on with her savior. After noticing her inclination for education, St John gave her the job of a teacher at the new school in the village. In the end, Jane returned to Mr. Rochester, whom she eventually married.

One of the aspects that impressed me the most was the power with which Jane loved Edward Rochester. The book presents a love above everything, timeless, one that does not belong to reality, one that even gods yearn deeply, one that could beat any obstacle. Their love for each other is so pure, that you just skip the age gap between them. Both Jane Eyre’s maturity and Mr. Rochester’s sometimes childish attitude also contribute a lot to the relationship. In my opinion, one of the most beautiful scenes in the book is the one which he proposes to her in, him realizing how fond of Jane is, that he couldn’t let her go when it was time for him to get married. Another scene that represents a big step in their relation is when he dressed up as a fortune teller and requested all the unmarried ladies in the room to come alone for him to guess their future. But when Jane came he asked her a lot of question regarding her opinion on her employer and then exposed himself in front of her. Although they were great moments, none of them beats the finale of the book, in which Jane heard Mr. Rochester’s voice calling her from miles away. In an instant, she grub her belongings and returned to him. Another aspect of the book that I particularly enjoyed was the descriptions of the important buildings. Thornfield is, metaphorical, the prison of Mr. Rochester’s heart, while the Rivers’ house is depicted as a warm and peaceful place, just how St John is.

In the end, I would like to add that Jane Eyre is an eternal treasure among the classics, a book that will be read by many future generations without becoming boring or outdated, due to the innovative view of the author on society. It is an engaging lecture, so deep and honest, presenting an extraordinary love story, a love story that will stand forever in the top of all-times romances. I recommended it to everyone as the protagonist is model of courage and dignity.