Last spring a friend recommended me “Jane Eyre” and I finally got around to reading it at the beginning of this school year. I am extremely thankful that I did. “Jane Eyre”, written by Charlotte Bronte, had everything that a good book should have. Characters whom I can admire with complex personalities and surprising back stories, and a couple plot twists throughout.
“Jane Eyre” starts out with a young girl, Jane, who had a difficult childhood due to an uncaring guardian, her aunt, who then sends her to a school that cares even less for the welfare of their students. However, Jane perseveres and grows up to become a governess for Mr. Rochester.
I admire “Jane Eyre”, because it leaves the reader with many things to think about and many messages to take away, such as: following your conscious and God can be hard, but it generally works out in the end\; age, looks, and disabilities don’t change love\; and your beginnings don’t determine your end. However, everybody who reads the book will take away their own meanings.
“Jane Eyre” took me a while to read, because I found that it was not a book that could be read in one sitting. There was too much happening and too much to think about. The book was full of complex back stories and plot twists. By reading it over the span of about two months, I feel as if I learned and took more away than if I had read it very quickly.
One of the main reasons why I like “Jane Eyre” so much is because of the characters. Jane was inherently good. Throughout the book there were many circumstances where she would be mistreated, but she did not lash out or even resent those who mistreated her. When she was younger, she was hurt by it, but as she grew up, she was able to brush off her misfortunes and greatly appreciate her success. Jane constantly saw the good in others and helped those whom she could. She always strove to better herself, whether that be through her art, knowledge, or her situation. Jane followed her conscience and God, even if it meant stepping away from everything she wanted. Overall, Jane was a strong female character, which I think this was rather advanced for the time period when the book was written, 1847.
Mr. Rochester initially seemed to be selfish, rude, and unlikable. He was very blunt with his words and said things without a care for people’s feelings. Even worse, he plays a sort of game to get what he wants without any thought for who he might be hurting along the way. Of course, Bronte’s characters wouldn’t be complete without a surprising backstory, and Mr. Rochester doesn’t disappoint. As the story progresses, the reader learns about Mr. Rochester’s troubled past and they begin to see that this has a direct relationship to how he acts. The reader will even begin to respect and sympathize with him.
Another notable character is St. John, also known as Mr. Rivers. He is a pastor who does not appear until later in the story. I found this character extremely interesting for his complexity. Often times, authors make their characters simple and easy to predict, but Bronte makes all of her characters complex and slightly unpredictable. St. John is possibly her most intricate character because he is hard to understand. He seems to be solely driven by the path he believes God has set out for him, but it gets confusing when it comes to how he believes he should accomplish this goal. He often leaves the reader asking the question, “Why?”
“Jane Eyre” is a book that I’m very thankful that I read. I think that I learned a lot from it and I would highly recommend it to everyone. I’d definitely give it 5/5 Spartan heads.