Autonomy vs Love in Bronte s Jane Eyre Essay
From songs, to television, to books, and even to newspapers, the need for love is
universal. Love is an emotional necessity that even Jane, from Charlotte Bronte s
book Jane Eyre, cannot ignore. Throughout the story line, Jane is constantly
searching to find love. She was looking, not just for the love of a man, but for the
love of a family. However, Jane s search for love sometimes ends up challenging
her autonomy. While Jane is longing for love, she is not willing to give up her
independence for it. Yet as Jane becomes older and her independence grows, she
realizes that, while one needs to be independent, she also needs love in her life. In
the early years of Jane s life, she was a very autonomous girl. She grew up with her
aunt Mrs.... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
(Bronte 81) Helen spent the time to elucidate to Jane that the love of another was
not to be thought of as so much. Helen became one of Jane s only friends and
helped to guide Jane through the difficult times during her schooling. Though, the
friendship did not last long, and Helen died from the typhus fever at a young age.
Jane was able to find some love at Lowood, but not enough to keep her sustained.
After 6 years of education, and 2 years of teaching, she left the school in search for
a new atmosphere and job. Jane finds a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall. She
teaches a young French girl named Adele, to whom she grows a fondness for. As a
lover, Jane was a neophyte, but she soon found the love that she had always craved
for. She fell in love with the master of the home, Mr. Rochester, and after some
time, he asked her to marry him. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a
solemn passion is conceived in my heart, it leans to you. . . It was because I felt
and knew this that I resolved to marry you (Bronte 383). Jane soon finds out
though, that Mr. Rochester already has a wife Bertha Mason. Bertha has gone mad
though, and is locked in a room for the safety of others. Jane is unable to accept Mr.
Rochester s marriage proposal because, as Rochester was a married man,