Convention vs. Self- Righteousness in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essa

Jane Eyre   - Jane's Struggle: Convention vs. Self- Righteousness   Ã‚  Ã‚   In Charlotte Bronteà ­s novel Jane Eyre, the protagonist continually shows a struggle in deciding whether to live her life self-righteously, or whether to conform to societyà ­s demands and expectations. The imagery and biblical symbolism employed by the orchard scene of Chapter 8 show this struggle; for Jane must decide whether to conform to society and reject Mr. Rochester's declaration of love, or to be true to herself and marry him. Throughout this scene, as in most of the novel, Jane is portrayed as a headstrong and self-principled individual. This quality carries her through this decision, as well as her other struggles; such as in leaving Mr. Rochester; deciding not to marry St. John; and coming back to Mr. Rochester in the end. It is when Jane realizes that happiness is not a sin that she begins to embrace her own nature. Therefore, because Jane is true to herself in making these decisions, she is portrayed not as an immoral person, but as a self- righteous one. She lives for herself, not for religious prescriptions.    Throughout the novel, Jane's nature as a headstrong individual makes people question her morality. This is because she doesn't comply to norms of Victorian society, where women are subjugated to men. For instance, when Mr. Brockelhurst goes to Gateshead to see Jane, her up front manner seems to corroborate Mrs. Reed's allegations that she is a naughty child (Bronte 41). This is because most girls in Victorian society, such as Georgiana, are raised as placid and reserved individuals. Similarly, in the orchard scene, this headstrong quality of Jane allows her to speak equally and truthfully to Mr. Rochester, an... ...om, Margaret. Charlotte Bronte. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977. Brontà «, Charlotte.   Jane Eyre.   New York, Penguin Books, 1997. Eagleton, Terry. " Jane Eyre: A Negative Heroine." Modern Critical Interpretations: Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Ed. Harold Bloom. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987: 29-46. "Jane Eyre." Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism. Vol. 3. Ed. Laurie Lanzen Harris. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1982: 42-3. McFadden-Gerber, Margaret. "Critical Evaluation." Masterplots. Rev. 2nd edition. Vol. 6. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, 1996: 3290-4. Mitchell, Sally. "Jane Eyre." Critical Survey of Long Fiction. Vol. 3. Ed. Frank N. Magill. Englewood Cliffs: Salem Press, 1983: 297-302. Oates, Joyce Carol. Introduction. Jane Eyre. By Charlotte Bronte. New York: Bantam Books, 1987: 5-14.