Jane Eyre - Analysis Of Nature
Charlotte Bronte makes use of nature imagery throughout "Jane
Eyre," and comments on both the human relationship with the outdoors
and human nature. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines "nature" as
"1. the phenomena of the physical world as a whole . . . 2. a thing's
essential qualities; a person's or animal's innate character . . . 4.
vital force, functions, or needs." We will see how "Jane Eyre"
comments on all of these.
Several natural themes run through the novel, one of which is the
image of a stormy sea. After Jane saves Rochester's life, she gives us
the following metaphor of their relationship: "Till morning dawned I
was tossed on a ...
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in those days, Jane, was . . . not buoyant." In
fact, it is this buoyancy of Jane's relationship with Rochester that
keeps Jane afloat at her time of crisis in the heath:
"Why do I struggle to retain a valueless life? Because I know, or
believe, Mr. Rochester is living."
Another recurrent image is Bront�'s treatment of Birds. We first
witness Jane's fascination when she reads Bewick's History of British
Birds as a child. She reads of "death-white realms" and "'the solitary
rocks and promontories'" of sea-fowl. We quickly see how Jane
identifies with the bird. For her it is a form of escape, the idea of
flying above the toils of every day life. Several times the narrator
talks of feeding birds crumbs. Perhaps Bront� is telling us that this
idea of escape is no more than a fantasy-one cannot escape when one
must return for basic sustenance. The link between Jane and birds is
strengthened by the way Bront� adumbrates poor ...
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Thornfield and her acceptance into Morton.
In leaving Thornfield, Jane has severed all her connections; she has
cut through any umbilical cord. She narrates: "Not a tie
holds me to human society at this moment." After only taking a small
parcel with her from Thornfield, she leaves even that in the
coach she rents. Gone are all references to Rochester, or even her
past life. A "sensible" heroine might have gone to find her
uncle, but Jane needed to leave her old life behind.
Jane is seeking a return to the womb of mother nature: "I have no
relative but the universal mother, Nature: I will seek her
breast and ask repose." We see how she seeks ...
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"Jane Eyre - Analysis Of Nature." Essayworld.com. July 23, 2005. Accessed April 24, 2025. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Jane-Eyre-Analysis-Of-Nature/30510.
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