Abstract
Jane Eyre is a realistic masterpiece in 19th century, which has a strong romanticism color.People universally consider that the work is based on its author’s life story,.This thesis discues the similarities and differences of characters between the writer Charlotte Bronte and the heroine Jane Eyre and mainly focuses on the character of Jane Eyre.This article includes life experiences of Charlotte and Jane and the true love but complicated between Jane and Rochester.Therefore, the novel succefully builds a feminine image that is born to be mean and live a path winding, however, actually keeps a positive attitude which maintains independence and keeps initiative in love, life and society, and dares to struggle, and dares to strive for the free equal standing.The aim to write this article is through Jane Eyre, we can find a new female who enjoys noble quality which involves self-respect, tough and independent.
Key words Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, equality, independent, love
摘 要
《简爱》是 19 世纪一部具有浓厚浪漫主义色彩的伟大现实主义长篇小说， 人们普遍认为该作品是其作者生平的真实写照。 本论文结合当时社会背景讨论了 作者夏洛蒂?勃朗特和女主人公简?爱的性格异同点，并着重分析简?爱的性格。 论文内容包括夏洛蒂?勃朗特和简?爱的生平事迹以及简?爱与罗切斯特之间一波 三折的爱情故事，成功地塑造了一个出生低微，生活道路曲折却对爱情，生活和 社会始终坚持独立自主，维护独立人格的积极进取态度和敢于斗争，敢于争取自 由平等地位的坚强女性形象。写作本论文的目的在于，透过简?爱的人格魅力， 我们看到了一个新时代女性身上赋有的自尊自爱自立自强的高贵品质.
关键词：夏洛蒂·勃朗特, 简·爱,平等, 独立, 爱情
Contents
1.INTRODUCTION OF SOCIAL BACKGROUND AND JANE EYRE ............4
2 THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE’S AND JANE EYRE’S
CHARACTERS...........................................................................................................4
2.1 THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE’S CHARACTERS ................................4
2.2 THE DEVELOPMENT OF JANE EYRE’S CHARACTERS ...............................................5
3.CONTRAST THE CHARACTERS BETWEEN CHARLOTTE BRONTE AND JANE EYRE ..................................................................7
3.1 THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHARLOTTE BRONTE AND JANE EYRE ....7 3.1.1 Different characters in childhood ................................................7
3.1.2 Different situations on pursing equality ......................................8
3.1.3 Different situations on pursing independence .............................9
3.2 THE SIMILARITY BETWEEN CHARLOTTE BRONTE AND JANE EYRE........9
4.CONCLUSION ...................................................................................11
Analysis of Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre
1.Introduction of social background and Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is Charlotte Bronte’s representative work in 19th century and it is such a great novel that it holds an important position in the history of British literature.Our eyes were caught by her words which struggled for equality and freedom.Charlotte Bronte made herself as a prototype, created succefully a new woman, Jane Eyre, who was plain but constantly strived to become stronger, she had courage to fight continuously for freedom and equality in the male word.Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre had some experiences in common.So through the analysis of the novel, we can see the miserable predicament of English women in that time and their strong desire of seeking for equal social position with men.The novel begins with little Jane as a despised orphan in the house of her uncle’s widow.Being rebellious, she is packed off to a charitable boarding school, which administers harsh discipline with especial vigor.Jane sets herself to learn, qualifies herself as a teacher, advertises for a post, and is employed as governe of the illegitimate French daughter of Rochester in his country mansion, Thorn field.Dramatically, Jane and Rochester have affections; they two fall in deep love with each other.When they prepare to get married, Jane unfortunately gets the news that Rochester has a legal wife.Without any complains, Jane leaves.After rescued by the River family, Jane happens to get a sum of heritage.When John proposes for Jane’s love, she hears a supernatural cry from Rochester, without hesitation, she rushes back to Thorn field only to find the house has been burnt down and Rochester has been maimed and blind.However, Jane decides to marry him in the end because she thinks they are in real equal.
2.The development of Charlotte Bronte’s and Jane Eyre’s characters
2.1 The development of Charlotte Bronte’s characters
Charlotte Bronte is a typical female who is rather independent and tough in character.She is born in 1816 at Thornton, in Yorkshire, England.Her father is an Irish Anglican clergyman, and her mother is a housewife, who is unfortunately dead of cancer when Charlotte is only five years old.Charlotte is the third child of the six children.In 1824, Charlotte is sent with three of her sisters to the Clergy Daughters’ School at Cowan Bridge in Lancashire.Because of its poor condition and awful treatment, two of her sisters die , Charlotte still maintains, but her health and physical development are permanently affected, so she and her sister Emily removed from the school and go back home in Haworth Parsonage.When Charlotte is a little girl, she is very interested in literature and she writes many short stories and poems to prepare for her literary vocations.When Charlotte grows up to fifteen years old, she continues her education at Roe Head School in Midfield.In 1839, Jane leaves Roe Head School and she takes up the first of many positions as governe to various families in Yorkshire.The job at that time is treated with bias and she suffers and bears so much.During 1839 to 1841, Jane workes as a governe two times but each period was short because she hated even abhorred the occupation so she can’t take it up any more.To make a living, Charlotte and her sister Emily want to open a school to teach children French, but they are not good at this language.In 1842, they travel to Bruels to learn French.They meet Mr.Herger, the owner of the Pension at Herger, a girl’s school, where Charlotte and Emily are pupils and Charlotte later teaching.Mr.Herger is a handsome and intelligent man.During the period of learning, Charlotte falls in love with the married man.But she puts her affections deeply in her heart.Her first novel, The Profeor published under the name Currier Bell, is based on her experiences of teaching in Bruels, but never found a publisher in her lifetime.Undeterred by her own rejection, Charlotte begins Jane Eyre, which comes out as an immediate succe.The novel is described as “the masterwork of a great genius.” To describe Charlotte’s love story, it is simple.During the period between 1839 and 1842, there are two men ask for Charlotte’s proposal, one is the brother of Charlotte’s friend, another is a young clergyman.Charlotte rejects to them for the reason that she thinks she is not their true love but a tradition but to follow the tradition to marry a woman, however, when Charlotte meets her true lover Mr.Herger, who has been married, she just puts her love in heart deeply.Her attitude towards love is very vivid; it is precious that she knows who she loves and what she wants.
2.2 The development of Jane Eyre’s characters
The heroine Jane Eyre is a very poor girl but in her temperament, she strives for equality and self-respect.Jane Eyre is an orphan, in the eyes of Mrs.Reed and the mistre’s children; Jane is an “external person”, an “alien”, “a person rather than servant”.In Gate head, everyone treats her meanly and coldly, she does not have an explicit position and identity, she does not feel comfortable about her living environment but she is not able to change it.The reality brings her up into a personality of solitary, sensitive and obstinate.She cherishes her rights and dignity as a human, especially when she is only a little girl, she uses a pair of eyes of early-maturing child and a pure child’s heart to observe and judge good or bad around.She has a rich inner world but no one to tell, so it brings her a personality of quiet and indifferent outside but paionate heart inside.As Mrs.Reed cannot hold Jane any longer, Jane is sent to a charitable school for poor girls in Logwood.At first, she thinks it is a paradise but in fact a hell except the benevolent intention in name.Bad food, thin clothes, two girls live in one small bed, six persons use one basin.People can’t receive timely cure if they catch a cold, so pestilence is spreading.Jane suffers molestation of the spirit and body continuously, but the strong motion of studying and the rebel independent spirit makes her survive in difficult environment, she grows up bravely and becomes a woman who has good accomplishment.Just like Jane says to her good friend Helen Burn: “when we are struck at without reason, we should strike back again very hard, I am sure we should hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.” During that period, Jane becomes more mature in mind and she makes a further development of her severe self-dignity and self-consciousne.Before long, Jane is employed as a tutor of the illuminate daughter of Rochester in his country mansion, Thorn field.It is a new beginning for Jane, she works very hard there and adapts to the new environment and new job easily.As a tutor, Jane knows what status and dignity she is in, she profees herself as an independent worker, when facing the master, she is neither obsequious nor supercilious, but generous in manner, she is so calm and unhurried in Thorn field.Gradually, she attracts the attention of the wise and honest Rochester.Jane’s character, which is out of the ordinary and intelligence, like a spring wind on his face, gives Rochester a shake for heart and soul.As for Jane, “Mr.Rochester is my relation rather my master.During the day in Thorn field, my thin crescent destiny seemed to enlarge, the blanks of existence were filled up, my bodily hearty improved, and I gathered flesh and strength.” They soon fall in love with each other.Though Jane’s emotion for Rochester is so deep, she feels bitterly disappointed, because she must reminds herself continuously that there is always a chasm between them.Rochester is an upper cla gentleman while Jane is a poor tutor, Rochester poe a high social status and a great sum of fortune while Jane has nothing.She encourages herself “I care for myself.The more solitary, the more friendle, the more uncontained I am, the more I will respect myself.” So, when she hears that Rochester has a legal wife, Jane leaves Rochester without hesitation, leaves Thorn field.In Brit 19th century of Britain, making such a choice is undoubtedly astonishing for a plain woman who has no social status.However, this is decided by Jane Eyre’s rebel personality.On the way of a wild and remote village, Jane Eyre loses consciousne because of cold and hunger.Fortunately, she is saved by priest John and his two sisters.They take care to her and with their help; Jane becomes a teacher in primary school.John proposes Jane in Moor house, but she refuses, because Jane recognizes John is not her ideal lover.She seems to hears a supernatural cry from Rochester steady, so she goes back to Thorn field, only to find Thorn field has burned into wasteland and Mr.Rochester loses sight of both eyes and disabled because to save his mad wife in big fire.Under this circumstance, Jane comes back to Rochester, caring him for noting but love.At that time, Jane gains completely independence of economy and human dignity.In the end, she gets married with Rochester in true equal status.
3.Contrast the characters between Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre
3.1 The differences between Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre
3.1.1 Different characters in childhood
There are something difficult in characters in their childhood because their suffers and encounters in little are resemble but not same.And the experiences they suffered produce their different characters.Charlotte Bronte is the third child of the six children, she has sisters and brother.Her mother dies when she is little, then she and three other sisters are sent to a school.During the days in school, two of her sisters die because of the poor conditions.The news beats Charlotte very seriously.After Charlotte and Emily go back home, they study by themselves and by their father’s teaching.In their daily life, they either stay in their father’s library or have imaginations on the wild field.I can say Charlotte has a bleak childhood because she has no friends and she does not keep touch with neighbors.Charlotte’s family encounters and the surroundings make her the personality of solitary, lonene quiet, and uncommunicativene.Contrast to the heroine Jane Eyre, there are some differences between their childhoods.Throughout Jane’s childhood, she is fighting all the time, fighting with her cruel aunt Mrs.Reed, fighting with her cruel cousin John.Everyone in Gate head treats her badly and she is nobody so that Jane fights to them in return.As a little girl, Jane protects herself by nature and fights to others by nature.When Jane gets to school, the suffers from being humiliated and devastated teach Jane to be persevering and prize dignity over anything else.For the two little girls, Charlotte is solitary and quiet while Jane is rebel and brave to struggle her own rights and respects.Both of them are eager to be looked as equal as men, but Jane’s character is more vivid.
3.1.2 Different situations on pursing equality
Charlotte Bronte lives in a male chauvinism society, when people look down upon females, women have no rights as men, they are just considered as angle wives.Charlotte grows up under this circumstance, so she is desirous to pursue equality.When Mr.Southey says to her that literature is not busine of women, she does not give up writing in order to prove women can do what men do.She writes Jane Eyre under the name Currier Bell and when the novel turns out to be a great succe, there is no doubt that Charlotte is winning, she gains the equality as men.In the novel, Charlotte puts her dream of pursuing equality on Jane Eyre.Jane wants equal as men throughout her life.When she is young, she fights for equality, everyone in the house is treated as ordinary, but Jane is an alien and abnormal, Mrs.Reed and her children can vituperate even beat Jane at their own will, though for little thing.Jane can’t bear the disgrace any more, so she fights back.Both of the two females are pursing for equality, but reflect in different ways and different situations.Jane is an imaginative feature of Charlotte.
3.1.3 Different situations on pursing independence
As we all know, Jane Eyre is an outstanding novel to reflect her independence.Most of her childhood, she spends in the library with her two sisters and it is her obligation to take care for them.On the other hand, Charlotte does not like to play with other children; instead, she always has imaginations on the field.These encounters make Charlotte becomes an independent girl.For Jane, she is an orphan without brothers and sisters; she has no relatives after her Uncle Reed’s death.What’s worse, the mistre even the servants in the house don't like her very much.Therefore, Jane must make the personality of independence although at her immature age, she must learn to protect herself and take good care of herself.When she is sent to the girls’ school, the hypocritical headmaster and teachers pay no sympathy for the girls, the school rulings are strict and abnormal, the girls have little food and thin clothes.After Jane’s good friend Helen Burn’s death of illne, she has no choice but to survive on her own strong independent spirit under that bad environment.Charlotte and Jane Eyre have similar personalities like equality, independence and noble human dignity, but their personalities are raised in different life experiences.Charlotte confers most of her life experiences upon Jane but not completely.The purpose is to set up an image that is staunch and self-pride.
3.2 The similarity between Charlotte Bronte and Jane Eyre
Throughout Jane’s love story, it reflects the author’s attitude towards love.So, in this aspect, the two females have many similarities in love.According to the character of Charlotte Bronte, her family life may like calm water, but she may not feel happy, she may have been poor, but she may not value the property too much, she may not be very beautiful, but she may have a romantic idea about love.Charlotte Bronte must have been thought of what the perfect partner should be, they must cherish the same ideals and follow the same path, as the trees rooted in the same soil, or two branches on the same tree, they must have the same texture, so they can gain appreciation and understanding and love from each other.In Charlotte’s life, one young man is refused by Charlotte is her intimate friend’s brother; he is a shy and quiet gentleman, with a gentle personality and good quality.If they marry, their life will be courteous, calm and happy.Moreover, she can live together with her best friend, but Charlotte flatly refuses although it is a big temptation.In her mind, love and marriage are unifying, but she intuitively captures some discrepancies between them.Her romantic paion and unyielding ambition is not adapted to his quiet life like water, Charlotte boldly predicts that a gentle soften religious woman is the right marriage partner of his.Charlotte resolutely to refuse his proposal because she is certain she could not give him happine.In Charlotte’s term, love is noble and love is built based on equal human dignity.Then, Charlotte Bronte creates a female figure, who has much in common upon her love experiences, furthermore, Charlotte makes Jane’s love story more idealism and a happy ending.Jane Eyre meets the master, Mr.Rochester when she leaves for Thorn field Hall.He is a hardy man because his unhappy marriage, he marries Mi Mason, the woman has mean mind and extremely bad temper and becomes mad in four years after their marriage.When Rochester gets the first sight of Jane, he feels there is something new, a new vitality and a new feeling.The proce from strangers to love each other, Rochester is deeply conquered by the kind of rebellious spirit and the equality of self-esteem of Jane.Also, Mr.Rochester’s grace personality and vast knowledge attracts Jane very much.When Jane finds that she falls in love with the owner after such a disparity of social status, she has the courage to love because she believes that people are equal in spirit.Jane says: “Do you think, I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulle and heartle? You think wrong! I have as much soul as you, and fill as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is for me to leave you, and we stood at God’s feet, equal, as we are!” I can say, the love of Jane is great and ordinary.Jane is great, because she love Rochester not for any of the utilitarian, even later, she aimlely leaves Thorn field Hall alone, she doesn’t take anything, including the pearls necklace Rochester gives her as a gift.Jane is ordinary, because her love is like ordinary people.We praise such love! The emotion Jane for Rochester is very sincere and single-minded, which mainly manifests on her dedicated and strong love for him.After Jane leaves Rochester, she does not abandon him emotionally, on the contrary, her loves likes a martyr, which is intended to sacrifice for him, no matter poor or rich.Throughout the numerous twists and turns, Jane finally realizes her longing for love—the love is full of freedom and equality.Though the results of the story, Charlotte wants to tell us, rebellion beats stubborn, freedom vanquishes fetter, equality defeats slavery.
4.Conclusion
Charlotte Bronte is a succeful female writer.The book Jane Eyre in other words is an autobiography through composing the image of Jane Eyre.Charlotte puts her own life experiences on the heroine in a dramatic way as she has a deep understanding of the circumstance of women in low status and points out the road of women gaining happine for themselves.The succe Jane gains wholly decided by her hardworking and lasting pursuit although she is a weak orphan girl with plain appearance in low cla.She owns nothing but ultimately gains a happy life.From the very beginning at Gates head to the last returns to Thorn field, the road is full of thorns.In this proce, she has ever had hesitance, perplexity and despondence; she never yields to the environment and the destiny.She has a heroic spirit in facing difficult.She is rebellious but we all favor this rebellion because we can see yearning and thirst for equality and freedom from her rebellion.Engels once points out “In any society, the degree of women’s liberation is the natural measure of measuring the general liberation.” What Jane Eyre has is a road of self-struggle, what she thinks is how to gain an equal status in society.From Jane Eyre, we can feel the demand of women liberation.So we still say Jane Eyre is great, Charlotte who publishes her own idea through Jane Eyre is greater.The spirit advocated by Charlotte Bronte of independence and sovereignty for women is what the modern women pursuing even today.
