Thoughts on Jane Eyre

For my vacation reading this year, I chose Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. I finished it this morning, and below are some general thoughts on the novel.

In my AP Literature course this past year, I had a student pick this book for her independent read and oral presentation. As she was presenting on the novel, much of what she said was unfamiliar to me. There were bits and pieces which sounded vaguely familiar, but on the whole, I couldn’t remember if what she was saying about the plot was accurate.

I had thought that I had read Jane Eyre previously, either in my own AP Lit class in high school or one of the various British Literature classes I took in college. However, after finishing it this morning, I don’t think that I had ever read it before. At least not all the way through.

The title character, Jane Eyre, is one of the strongest, most independent female characters that I have read, especially from the time period it was written (mid-1800s). She struggles through numerous adversities and always maintains her quick wit and outspoken nature. Her thoughts are always her own, and she never has qualms about expressing them. Oftentimes that level of free expression gets her into trouble, starting in her youth and continuing at almost every stage in her life. I grew to envy her for her candid nature; she often speaks before thinking, which I something that I am completely incapable of doing.

The plot of the novel was very intriguing. I found myself wondering about how all of the interconnected pieces of Jane’s life would tie themselves together in the end. I was (for the most part) not disappointed. There was one loose end that I would have liked a more firm answer to: the mysterious voice. It came up only twice in the novel. First, at the beginning when Jane was locked in the “Red Room,” and again at the end when she was questioning whether or not to travel to India with her cousin (as his wife). The second instance is more easily explained as some sort of mystical bond between Jane and Edward, but the first instance had no connection to that. I was left wondering if it was the same voice, or if there was more to that initial apparition.

All-in-all, I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the proto-feminist nature portrayed through the incredible strength, resilience, and intelligence of the title character. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys similar novels of the period, or anyone who wants to empathize with a very well-written female lead.