In the book "Jane Eyre", is Jane a strong Character?

Jane Eyre is a plain and very petite girl. She believes she is unloved and because of this develops an attitude particular to herself. She is a very moral lady. In this essay I want to explore Jane’s character and determine whether she is a strong character, with reference to events throughout her life.

Firstly we know that Jane is an Orphan living with her aunt, and benefactress, at Gateshead Manor. At the beginning of the story Jane is only ten years old, we are led to believe she is the youngest of the children living at Gateshead. She is physically bullied by John, Georgina and Eliza Reed and is constantly shunned from family life. She feels unloved and she possibly is right, Mrs. Reed wants nothing to do with her - "She regretted to be under the necessity of keeping me at a distance...". As a result of this Jane develops a personality that gets her into trouble with Mrs. Reed and the servants. When John Reed assaults Jane, she is obstinate she did not instigate the fight but Mrs. Reed does not believe her. Jane’s principles and beliefs in many ways get her into more trouble as she fights the servants on their way to the Red Room.

Jane is strong principled and strong willed and for her to get through her time at Gateshead she needs to support herself. She says "Unjust!, Unjust!" in the Red Room because she is so upset and thinks she is blamed for everything. Although this seems a fairly normal power struggle that most families endure, the incident helps Jane build her character.

Jane is driven by love, and the need for love, throughout the book. This is particularly evident in chapter four where Jane says "Human beings must love something" and continues to love and care for her doll.

When Mr. Brockelhurst arrives on Mrs. Reed’s invitation to consider Jane for admittance into Lowood Institution, Jane’s reactions to Brockelhurst’s questions show something of her character. The Red Room incident is passed but still in everybody’s mind. Jane may appear insolent to Mr. Brockelhurst ("What must you do to avoid it [going to hell]?", Jane replies "Keep in good health and not die"). Jane acknowledges her cheekiness and is silently amused by it. She brings forward her principles and strong wills again when Brockelhurst asks her about the Bible. She quite simply tells him what she thinks:

"I like Revelations, and the book of Daniel and Genesis and Samuel, and a little bit of Exodus, and some parts of Kings and Chronicles, and Job and Jonah."

She tells him she doesn’t like the Psalms, which shocks him, and shows us how Jane is unwilling to conform to common practises.

Jane moves to Lowood. She has endured her time at Gateshead by just getting on with life regardless of her situation, something she becomes adept at doing as the story progresses.

At Lowood, Jane is pleased to be away from the Reeds and finds friends in Miss Temple, the headmistress, and Helen Burns, a pupil. When Jane meets Helen, Helen is reading a book, Rasselas. It is about how to live life patiently. Jane’s reaction to it, one of disinterest shows us that Jane has little time for other peoples beliefs on how she should live.

Over time, mostly spent with Helen, Jane learns to deal with situations calmly and patiently. However , Jane’s passion still lies beneath the surface. This is particularly obvious when Jane has to stand on a stool all day alone. She tells us:

"What my sensations were, no language can describe."

She was angry at being made an example of, but when Helen visits her, Helen’s nature calms Jane down. Jane has respect for Helen and as their relationship blossoms, Jane learns to control herself, as I said previously. Also Jane rediscovers her need for liberty through her relationship with Miss Temple.

When Helen dies and Jane comes to terms with the loss, she carries on at Lowood and is given the position of teacher. However when Miss Temple marries and leaves the institution, Jane finds that she desires something other than the life she has at Lowood and eventually acquires a position at Thornfield. Although Jane realises that she must take up a life of servitude, she recognises that it is up to her where she goes. Whatever happens Jane will have control. Also, she recognises that she has to be a servant, but she can retain her independence. This is evident when Rochester and Jane talk the second time. "Do as you please" she tells him, it makes no difference to her what he does and leaves her to do as she pleases.

Jane is naturally curious, she is always asking questions. Thornfield is a mysterious place and Jane likes to explore. However, she becomes restless and her mind wanders as a form of escape. She is very independent and wary of forming strong relationships because of past experiences and due to this wariness, Jane relies on her imagination to provide her with experience and love that no one else provides for her, she is totally self-dependant.

At the end of the book however, this self-dependence changes. She and Rochester depend on one another, she is not being weak but between the two of them they sustain one another with out depending on anyone else.

We have learnt that Jane is frank with her opinions - evident in chapter four when Brockelhurst visits. Jane’s frankness shows how strong she is. It takes great strength to say what you believe, and particularly when you know it will get you into trouble. Jane knows that speaking her mind to Brockelhurst may get her into trouble but says what she thinks anyway. However at Lowood Jane bites her tongue when stood on the stool as she knew she would be severely reprimanded . Again she is not being weak, but strong. She is overcoming her instinct to make sure she does not worsen her situation.

Later in the book she has to find a way to deal with her love for Rochester. She must endure the ‘set backs’ of Blanche Ingram, Rochester’s past, and Rochester’s wife, Bertha. Although she feels betrayed that Rochester did not tell her about Bertha before their wedding day, and that to marry Rochester meant going against all her morals, she does love him but is insistant that she must leave. To tear herself away from some one she loves shows great strength. Her morals mean her "intolerable duty" was to leave, and she believed this to be true.

She ends up with the Rivers and through her whole time with the Rivers she is plagued by memories of Rochester. She was always searching for love and when she found it she left it. She always feels she and St.John are unsuited and is strong enough to resist going to India with him. Then she hears Rochester’s voice calling her. This is when she knows she needs him and strives to find him. When she does, and he is hideously deformed, she ‘sticks with him’ and they support each other.

Finally, I think that Jane Eyre definitely is a strong character, because she had to be. Her awful time at Gateshead laid the basis of her character, which develops at Lowood. The events and situations she faces through the book require her to be strong, so she strives to be strong, and succeeds.