Fire In Jane Eyre

         As we all know Charlotte Brontë has a thing for symbolism, one of her favorite and most used symbols in Jane Eyre is fire. Fire in Jane Eyre represents passion, emotion, and irrationality. Things women were told to oppress during Brontë's time. A clear example of this motif is when St. John asks Jane to marry him, but she believes that "a marriage to [St. john] would "[force]... the fire of [her] nature continually low, [it would] compel it to burn inwardly and never utter a cry, though the imprisoned flame consumed vital after vital this would be unendurable” (470). In Christianity fire represents sin and hell. When asked what hell is, a young Jane responds with "A pit full of fire" (39). In her childhood, Jane is punished for showing anger and passion, and subsequently sent to the Red Room. This room symbolizes the suppression of her natural emotion and passion, the room being described as cold, literally as "seldom [having] a fire" (17). This early association of passion with punishment results in Janes "cool" seemingly detached demeanor later in life. Once she arrives in Thornfield this demeanor is tested on various occasions, one being when Bertha Mason sets fire to Rochester bed. The fire is a very blunt association of fire with passion; Rochester's bed is literally on fire and Jane literally puts it out. The symbolism is played out later when Rochester asks Jane to stay with him but she denies him. Jane symbolically douses the fire of his desire for her. The motif of fire as passion comes to a head at the end of the book when Bertha sets fire to Thornfield, and commits suicide. Rochester and his way of life is destroyed by a product of his passion; Bertha. The fire represents Rochester's emotional irrational side, and how eventually it came to blind him and burn his home. Fire in Jane represents passion, which can be seen as both a good and bad facet of human nature. Something to be controlled, but not entirely denied.

Jane Eyre Has a Facebook!

Jane Eyre just recently started a Facebook account. Go check it out at https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100011597280325

A Drawing of Jane Eyre

          Here I drew a portrait of Jane, but instead of features, I filled her face in with quotes from the book concerning Janes appearance and temperament. The overwhelming quality of the quotes represent Jane's tendency to criticize herself and the different ways she struggles and fights against other perception of her. In Jane Eyre people see jane as the drawing above; by the labels society places upon her. The only person who truly sees Jane for who she is, see her true features, not just a mask of labels, is Mr. Rochester.

Why Jane Eyre is on the Hero's Jouney

         
          Jane Eyre's journey through life closely resembles the Hero's Journey, a template created by Joseph Campbell to describe the path every hero, in all stories throughout the world, take. It starts with a call to adventure, the first beckoning call of change for Jane this is when Mr. Lloyd  "recommended [Jane be] sent to school"(31). She receives her first summons to break away from Gateshead and start on her "quest". The next step in the Hero's Journey is assistance, where the hero meets someone who mentors them; usually, a master who is older and wiser. This mentor to Jane is Helen Burns, who teachers Jane a great many things about life, most importantly how to be a good Christian. Jane claims Helen "was  qualified to give those who enjoyed the privilege of her converse, taste of far higher thing" (93). The next stop in the Hero's Journey is departure, when the hero leaves their ordinary world and enters a "special" one.  The real heart of the adventure starts at this point. This happens when Jane leaves Lowood to become a Governess at Thornfield. Just as the story is leading up to her arrival at Thornfield,  Jane in some ways has been training her whole life to go to live at that dreary hall. All the skills she possess are precisely the skills she need to survive and thrive at Thornfield. Her departure is made even more significant by the arrival of Bessie who reminds her where she comes from and gives her a sort of final farewell.The Hero's Journey next stops at trials, these are the smaller tasks the Hero must complete before facing their worst enemy. This is the stop Jane is on now, all her encounters with Mr. Rochester and indeed, all her moments at Thornfield are small trials; testing her resilience, strength, and wit. There are certainly more trials to come, including her biggest and most dangerous; I am sure as the story progresses, more stops on the Hero's Journey will be met. Jane is now at the middle point of her journey; a follow-up argument will be made once she reaches its end.

If Jane Eyre Had Craigslist

Analyzing Adele Varens Through Sketches and Art

Adele Varens
age 7
(France)

I chose this image to represent Adele Varens at age 7 because the sketch is a portrait of a french bourgeois pre-teenage daughter painted in 1778. Adele would have been living in France around this time, and due to her mother profession, an opera singer, it seems highly likely that her attire would have been that of the middle class.

Adele Varens
age 14
(England)

I chose this painting to represent Adele Varens at age 14, because  high society english portrait artist, George Romney painted it in1787 of a young girl who shared Adele's situation. The woman, described as "Miss Constable" was almost certainly a member of the upper class in England; similarly to Adele, through her adoptive father Mr. Rochester. Additionally the woman, with her masses of curly hair and comely face, closely resembles how adele is described in the novel. Jane Eyre observes that Adele was "Quite a child... slightly built, with a pale, small featured face, and a redundancy of hair falling in curls to her waist" (119).

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Psychological Profile: Helen Burns

Basic Information 
Patient: Helen Burns

Sex: Female

Age: 13

Primary Diagnosis: Attention-Deficit Disorder (ADD)

Notes
-- After careful observation of the patient, Helen Burns, I have come to the conclusion that she suffers from Attention-Deficit Disorder or ADD. Miss Burns is a bright girl with a passion for reading an learning, however her passion is not reflected in her grades and academic performance. She is observed to be a relatively shy and introverted pupil and exhibits many sign of an intellectually gifted individual. Despite her high intelligence her teachers note her to be lazy and disobedient; reporting that, "nothing can correct [her] of her slatternly habits" (65). The patient has agreed with these assessments of herself, but claiming that, " even... praise, though I value it most highly, cannot stimulate me to continued care and foresight" (67). Miss Burns inability to correct her forgetfulness and lack of organization is a classic symptom of ADD. Seen clearly in state of her room which she often forgets to clean. It is not that Burns is lazy or unwilling to improve herself, she simply cannot; her ADD makes it close to impossible. Teachers have also stated that she is not attentive in class and she rarely pays attention. However burns exclaims that, "[her thoughts] continually rove away: when [she] should be listening to [her teacher]... [and] often [she loses] the very sound of [her teachers] voice. Her "absent-mindedness" is characteristic of children with ADD. Contrastingly,  Miss Burns claims that she pays attention most intently when the subject matter interest's her. I believe she is describing a sate of "hyperfocus", where children with ADD can over focus if the topic is interesting to them. As to a cure, unfortunately, there is no solution I can suggest that could be reasonably executed within the environment of Lowood School. That being said, Miss Burns' resilient spirit and positive outlook give me hope that she will find a way to manage her symptoms and graduate successfully.

Phsycological Profile: John Reed

Basic Information 
Patient: John Reed

Sex: Male

Age: 14

Primary Diagnosis: Anti-Social Personality Disorder- Sociopathy. Sadistic tendencies

Notes
-- After thorough examination of Master John Reed, heir to Gateshead Hall, I have come to the conclusion that Master Reed suffers from an Anti-Social Personality Disorder specifically Sociopathy, and shows Sadistic tendencies. Reed demonstrates many classic signs of a developing sociopath. Including, animal torture; his younger cousin Jane Eyre stating that he, "twisted the necks of pigeons... [and] set the dogs at the sheep" (18). Many reports of abuse committed against the said cousin have been documented. Miss. Eyre has stated that he has, "bullied and punished [her]... not once or twice a day, but continually" (12) without any clear motive or just cause. This blatant and brutal abuse of power had led me to conclude that it is impossible for Reed to empathize with others. It is also clear from Miss. Eyre's testimonies that he is prone to violent outbursts, another indicator of Sociopathy. In my professional opinion, isolation from his peers (on account of his delicate health) and the lack of a permanent father figure (or any stern parental entity) in the homestead has only served to worsen his condition. My advice would be to keep Master Reed under constant supervision, scold him when he expresses himself in a violent fashion, and re-enroll him in school. My observations and diagnosis will most likely be rejected by his mother, Mrs. Reed, so probability of a recovery on the part of John Reed is exceedingly low.