Jane Eyre: Symbols, Themes, and Character Analysis
1. Narrator
The narrative point-of-view is straightforward: our protagonist, Jane Eyre, tells her own story. Written in the first person, the central character is doing the talking, but Jane is a narrator who forces you to read between the lines. Jane is skilled at describing her surroundings, but she is not always adept at revealing her internal state. She explains her decisions and feelings, yet she often appears modest, suppressing intense emotions to seem composed. Fortunately, we gain significant insight into Jane through the other characters.
2. Symbols and Allegories
The Red-Room
The red-room, once the bedroom of Uncle Reed, was the chamber in which he died. Locked inside and believing her uncle’s ghost is manifesting, Jane experiences extreme trauma leading to hysteria. The red-room is a space where the purity of childhood (the white bits) meets the bitter emotions of unpleasant life experience—anger, fear, and anxiety (the red bits). Think of Jane as “seeing red” at this moment. Alternatively, the red-room represents the indescribable trauma of suffering; Jane loses consciousness because she cannot process the experience or verbalize the problem. Whenever Jane suffers in the future, it emotionally transports her back to the red-room.
Gross Porridge
There are two important moments when nasty porridge figures in Jane’s life. The first is at Lowood, where Jane and the other girls are served burnt porridge. It is so disgusting that Miss Temple provides an extra meal, which angers Mr. Brocklehurst. The second occurs during Jane’s homeless wandering, when she is given a bowl of cold, congealed porridge that even a pig would reject. This symbolizes a level of humility and subjection that is unnatural. Mr. Brocklehurst believes that if girls are served inedible food, they should “mortify the flesh” by eating it or going hungry. When Jane is forced to accept this, we realize she has been brought to the low status that figures like Mr. Brocklehurst or Mrs. Reed intended for her.
Fire
In Jane Eyre, Bertha’s two fires represent the destructive power of sexual passion:
- The Bed Fire: Symbolizes Bertha’s “unchaste” past and sexual appetite. By extinguishing it, Jane replaces Bertha’s chaotic fire with her own growing love for Rochester.
- The Thornfield Fire: Bertha destroys the house starting from Jane’s room, symbolizing a transfer of intensity between the two women. It also mirrors the ruin caused by Rochester’s attempted bigamy.
- The Connection: Both women are linked by fire—Bertha through literal arson and Jane through her internal spirit—showing that Bertha acts out the passions Jane tries to suppress.
Ice
As a child, Jane takes a special interest in images of birds in arctic landscapes. As an adult, she draws a fantasy landscape filled with ice and snow. When she decides to leave Rochester, she tells herself she “must be ice and rock to him” to hide her returned passion. The iciest character is St. John Rivers, who possesses an “ice of reserve.” Jane’s fascination with ice stems from her own hot-headed, fiery nature; she is mesmerized by frozen things because she cannot be that way herself. Her attempt at icy behavior—rejecting Rochester—leads her to St. John, who demonstrates that a cold-hearted approach is undesirable and arguably immoral.
3. Major Topics
- Marriage: A successful union requires a balance of compatibility, passion, and ethics. Unions based solely on status are doomed.
- Education: Serves as the primary tool for social mobility, providing an emotional haven and the means for self-improvement.
- Appearances: Outer beauty is often inversely related to inner worth. “Plain” characters often possess hidden depths of passion.
- Society and Class: The story criticizes the Victorian class hierarchy, suggesting that poverty is respectable if joined with an earnest desire for self-improvement.
- The Supernatural: While the novel uses Gothic elements, most are explained by rational circumstances, which often prove more sinister than the otherworldly.
- Morality and Ethics: The true challenge lies in choosing morality over happiness.
- The Home: Defined by safety and love, not a physical building.
- Foreigners and the Others: Interaction with the outside world offers gain but brings a fear of contamination.
4. Characters
- Jane Eyre: A resilient protagonist who hides intense passions behind a meek exterior.
- Mr. Edward Rochester: An unconventional hero defined by past mistakes and raw authenticity.
- Bertha Mason: Rochester’s wife, whose violent outbursts represent a trapped, tragic nature.
- St. John Rivers: A cold, ambitious clergyman representing frozen, intellectual morality.
- Mrs. Reed: A cruel woman whose oppression of Jane provides the protagonist’s first lesson in injustice.
- Helen Burns: A pious friend who teaches Jane how to endure suffering without bitterness.
- Mr. Brocklehurst: A hypocritical supervisor who uses religion to intimidate and deprive others.
- Miss Temple: A compassionate mother figure who encourages Jane’s education.
- John Reed: A childhood bully who represents a total lack of moral character.
- Eliza Reed: A rigid woman who seeks structure through religious life.
- Georgiana Reed: A superficial sister obsessed with vanity and status.
- Bessie: A nursemaid who provides Jane with her only childhood affection.
- Blanche Ingram: A haughty socialite who serves as a foil to Jane.
- Adèle: Jane’s vivacious pupil whose transformation highlights Jane’s skill as a teacher.
- Grace Poole: The mysterious servant who guards Bertha Mason.
- Diana and Mary Rivers: Independent women who provide Jane with family and intellectual companionship.