Jane Eyre 3
In Jane Eyre, the themes of servitude and liberty are brought to life and contrasted with each other in many instances throughout the novel. Inside, Jane at first desires to be a free spirit, but the social class stratification and conditions of the world that she lives in make this dream impossible to truly fulfill. Jane regards the concept of such absolute freedom a fleeting, ethereal, and "hollow" notion, and accepts her servitude; it is a vehicle that helps her learn more about herself and her true desires. From her experiences in servitude, Jane learns what she needs in a relationship and also what she cannot bear; she recognizes the foolishness of class distinctions and realizes ...
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and accepting a life of solitude like St. John, and chooses instead to remain in a type of servitude as Rochester's wife. However, she consoles herself with the fact that this is a different type of servitude unlike her others, it is that of a lover caring for another, someone who needs and appreciates her, and someone who treats her with respect. These are the things that she has wanted all of her life, and she is willing to put aside her personal freedom to enjoy them and to for once be loved, accepted, and appreciated.
Throughout the book Jane serves many different masters, and her situation, thoughts, and desires change greatly as she develops, as do her feelings concerning freedom and servitude. The first of her masters is the Reed family, most notably John and Mrs. Reed. These opening characters serve to represent a transformation in her character, as she goes from obedient and unassertive to very opinionated and defiant. While Jane at first obeys their orders because ...
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for. Later, when Mrs. Reed tells Mr. Brocklehurst that Jane is a liar, Jane again rebels against her aunt's underhanded move and delivers an impassioned speech, in which she openly rejects Mrs. Reed and states: "You think I have no feelings, and that I cannot do without one bit of love or kindness; but I cannot live so…People think you are a good woman, but you are bad, hard-hearted. You are deceitful!"(45-46). Here, Jane makes clear what she needs as a human being and what she will not tolerate from the Reeds; she needs to be loved, and to be acknowledged as a real person with real feelings. She will not stand for obedient servitude under these conditions, and for the first ...
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"Jane Eyre 3." Essayworld.com. September 26, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Jane-Eyre-3/90489.
"Jane Eyre 3." Essayworld.com. September 26, 2008. Accessed November 23, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Jane-Eyre-3/90489.
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