| Major Themes
The need for love contrasted with the need for independence: The main quest in Jane Eyre is Jane's search for her kindred spirits, for a sense of belonging and love, but her search is constantly tempered by her need for independence. Jane begins the novel as an unloved orphan and overly relies on the love of others for her happiness. But she gains self-esteem through the loving surrogate maternal figure of Miss Temple and her own success at Lowood. When Rochester, seeing in Jane his intellectual equal, asks her to marry him, she ultimately rejects him, feeling that their marriageone based on unequal social standingwould compromise her autonomy. Jane similarly denies St. John's marriage proposal, as it would be one of duty, not of passion. Only when she gains financial and emotional autonomy, after having received her inheritance and the familial love of her cousins, can Jane accept Rochester's offer. In fact, the blinded Rochester is more dependent on her (at least until he regains his sight). Within her marriage to Rochester, Jane finally feels completely liberated, bringing her dual quests for love and independence to a satisfying conclusion.
Jane's search for religion: Jane receives three different models of Christianity throughout the novel, all of which she rejects either partly or completely before finding her own way. Brocklehurst's Evangelicalism is full of hypocrisy, spouting off on the benefits of privation and humility while he indulges in a life of luxury and emotionally abuses the students at Lowood. Also at Lowood, Helen Burns's Christianity of absolute forgiveness and tolerance is too meek for Jane's tastes; Helen constantly suffers her punishments silently and eventually dies. St. John, on the other hand, practices a Christianity of utter piousness, righteousness, and principle to the exclusion of any passion. Jane rejects his marriage proposal as much for his detached brand of spirituality as for its certain intrusion on her independence. However, Jane frequently looks to God in her own way throughout the book, particularly after she learns of Rochester's previous marriage and before St. John takes her in to Moor House. She has also learned from Helen's forgiveness without being a pushover, and returns to Rochester when she feels she is ready to accept him again. The spiritual culmination of the book is her and Rochester's mystical experience that brings them together through a spirituality of profound love.
The barriers of social class: Shot through Jane Eyre is Brontë's critique of Victorian class differences. Jane is consistently a poor individual within a wealthy environment, particularly with the Reeds and at Thornfield. Her poverty creates numerous problems for her, including low self-esteem and the denial of opportunities. The beautiful Miss Ingram's higher social standing, for instance, makes her Jane's main competitor for Rochester. However, Jane's rising from poverty clearly makes her a better personfew of the rich people in Jane Eyre receive flattering portraitsand she generously divides her inheritance with her cousins. Jane is also determined to be financially independent and not reliant on Rochester for her livelihood, and she rejects his marriage proposal largely on these grounds. Jane occasionally stands up for herself by avowing that her poverty does not make her an inferior person.
The barriers of gender: Alongside Brontë's critique of Victorian class hierarchy is a subtler condemnation of the gender gap. The novel begins with Jane's imprisonment in the "red-room" at Gateshead, and later in the book Bertha's imprisonment in the attic at Thornfield is revealed. The connection implies that Jane's imprisonment is symbolic of her lower social class, while Bertha's containment is symbolic of Victorian marriageall women, if they marry under unequal circumstances as Bertha did, will end up going crazy and confined by their husbands in some manner. While it is difficult to separate Jane's economic and gender obstacles, it seems clear that her being a woman prevents her from venturing out into the world as many of the male characters doRochester, her Uncle John, and St. John, for instance. Indeed, her desire for worldly experience ironizes her last name, as "Eyre" derives from an Old French word meaning "to travel."
Fire and ice: The motifs of fire and ice line the novel from start to finish. Fire is viewed as positive, creative, and loving, while ice is destructive, negative, and hateful. The cruel or detached characters, such as Mrs. Reed and St. John, are associated with ice, while the warmer characters, such as Jane, Miss Temple, and even Rochester, are linked with fire. Interestingly, fire is positive even in destruction, as when Jane burns Helen's humiliating "Slattern" crown, and with the two fires Bertha sets. The first brings Jane and Rochester closer together, while the second destroys Thornfield and leads to Bertha's death, thus liberating Rochester from his shackled past. Although the fire also blinds Rochester, this incident helps Jane see that he is now dependent on her, and erases any misgivings she may have about inequality in their marriage.
Gothic elements: Jane Eyre is filled with many elements that comprise the late 18th- and early 19th-century Gothic novel. These include the prevalence of mysteries (Rochester's past); suspense (Rochester again); a ghostly atmosphere (Jane thinks she sees her uncle's ghost, and Bertha is also a ghostly figure of sorts); a setting in a castle (Thornfield); the appearance of a fortune-teller (Rochester disguises himself as one); "damsels in distress" (this is given a twist: Bertha is something of a "damsel in distress" when imprisoned in the attic, and while Jane is at times helpless and even faints in the red-room, she also inverts this paradigm when she saves Rochester from the first fire); and romantic elements of unrequited, passionate love (Jane and Rochester).
Surrogate mothers: After receiving no parental love from Mrs. Reed, Jane finds surrogate maternal figures throughout the novel. Bessie, Miss Temple, and even Mrs. Fairfax care for Jane and give her the love and guidance of an older woman she needs. She returns the favor by caring for Adèle and the students at her school.
ClassicNote on Jane Eyre
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