imagery in jane eyre

Male dominance proves to be the biggest obstacle at each stop of Jane's journey: Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield Manor, Moor House, and Ferndean Manor.. Through the progre

Jane Eyre tells the story of a woman progressing on the path towards acceptance Throughout her journey, Jane comes across many

obstacles Male dominance proves to be the biggest obstacle at each stop of Jane's journey: Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield Manor, Moor House, and Ferndean Manor Through the progression of the story, Jane slowly learns how to understand and control her

repression I will be analyzing Janes stops at Thornfield Manor and Moor House for this is where she met the two most important men in her life The easiest way to compare and contrast Rochester and St John Rivers

is by examining when and under what circumstances these two

gentlemen come into contact with Jane

It is at Thornfield Manor that Jane first encounters Mr Rochester While living at Thornfield, Rochester demands undivided attention from the servants, Jane included He needs to be in control of every aspect of his life, and he needs to feel superior to all of those around him Jane decides to accept his control and she concedes to him by calling him sir, even after they begin to have an intimate relationship At one point, she even goes so far as to excuse herself for thinking She says, "I was

thinking, sir (you will excuse the idea;

it was involuntary), I was thinking of Hercules and Samson with their charmers" (p.289) This statement possibly begins to suggests Janes unsatisfaction with Rochester's position of complete dominance in their relationship To Jane, Rochester embodies the idea of love which she has so long been denied of As I stated earlier, the whole movie is about Janes journey towards acceptance, by herself and by others It is this journey which persuades her to move on when she finds Rochester's physical and material love unacceptable

Jane's next stop on her journey is Moor House Here, she meets

St John Rivers, her cousin Unlike Rochester, St John is portrayed as the ultimate sacrificer, willing to do anything for others, no matter how undesirable the task might be St John also expects this sacrifice from Jane, and she must decide whether to accept his proposal At this point in her journey, Jane understands that her search for herself can not be accomplished without real love She denies St John's marriage proposal

by saying, "I have a woman's heart, but not where you are concerned; for you I only have a comrade's constancy; a fellow soldier's frankness, fidelity, fraternity .nothing more." (p.433) She knows real love can not

be given to her by St John and she must continue on her journey She must continue towards her destiny rendezvous with Rochester

Ferndean Manor is the final stop in Jane's journey Once again, Rochester appears as the dominant figure, although his air of superiority has become greatly reduced due to the accident Due to his ailments he

is now completely dependent on those around him, a situation which humbles him A new man results in this change, and in him, Jane finds her real, spiritual and physical love She says, "

All my heart is yours, sir: it belongs to you; and with you it would remain, were fate to exile the rest of me from your presence forever" (p.469) Rochester no longer demands people to act inferior around him to boost his ego he is finally at a point in his life where he demands an equal partner He does not try to contain Jane; he sets her free He says, "Miss

Eyre, I repeat it, you can leave me" (p.468) She does not leave him though Rochester embodies the perfect balance between the physical and the spiritual, the natural and graceful, intellectual and physical

beauty, and love and servitude These were feelings that were not

present with St John Jane is now able to find her true abilities and her balance

Jane makes many stops on her journey for happiness and

equality but the two most important stops I feel are with St John and Rochester It is through the experiences with these two gentlemen that Jane learns many of her life lessons Through her experiences with these two gentlemen she is able understand and realize qualities in herself and others With each experience she has with these gentlemen, she learns how to confront her past repression, which in turn leads to her own growth