Charlotte Brontë, writer of the novel ‘Jane Eyre’, was a born in a typical British family. She was one of six children, of which three survived into adulthood. Except for her time spent at a boarding school in Brussels, she stayed most of her life in England. In ‘Jane Eyre’ though, a variety of foreign countries are talked about. India, France and Jamaica play an important role in the novel.
The novel shows us the relationship between England and a handful of other places. Jane is the main character and fully British. Her character is sincere and bold. Some other women in the book, though, are in contrast with Jane. For example, the Varens family (Céline and her daughter Adèle) are regularly cut down for their levity and their need for material …show more content…
She explained in her book Shirley that her use of the French language ‘reflets’, after which she challenges you as a reader to find an English word instead that can channel the same meaning: “Find me an English word as good, reader, and I will gladly dispense with the French word. Reflections won’t do.” (Shirley, 527) Furthermore is learning the French language is a very important part of the main character Jane’s education as well. When Bessie mentions Jane going to Lowood school, she tells her about all the French books she will have to translate. When she is at school eventually, she expresses herself by writing and reading in French. Speaking French raised your social status in the 18th century, showing on page 78 when Jane boasts about her fluent accent to Bessie “you are quite a lady” (Jane Eyre, …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, for example, Jane claims to Mr. Brocklehurst (Jane Eyre, chapter 4) that she sometimes reads her Bible and that she regularly prays to God: “Do you read your bible?” “Sometimes.” “With pleasure? Are you fond of it?” “I like Revelations, and the book of Daniel, and Genesis and Samuel, and a little bit of Exodus, and some parts of Kings and Chronicles, and Job and Jonah.” In that time colonizing countries used religion as their basis of capturing countries. Colonisation is therefore a topic that comes forward often. Charlotte Brontë makes India, for example, seem like this risky and too far away country. Jane even says that, “if I go to India, I go to premature death” (Jane Eyre, 395). She makes you believe that India is a completely different world where you would never be able to survive. Jane also doubts whether or not to go to India based on her relationship with St. John Rivers . Eventually, she chooses to stay in the ‘safe, educated, secure England’. This again portrays how the English saw India as a harsh, uncivilized country.
A final big issue in the novel for some people is the way that Bertha Mason is described. She’s half-Creole and half-English, raised in Jamaica among the British half of her family. She is this crazy woman who suffers from congenital insanity (meaning: madness runs in her family). She has gotten married to Mr.
The novel shows us the relationship between England and a handful of other places. Jane is the main character and fully British. Her character is sincere and bold. Some other women in the book, though, are in contrast with Jane. For example, the Varens family (Céline and her daughter Adèle) are regularly cut down for their levity and their need for material …show more content…
She explained in her book Shirley that her use of the French language ‘reflets’, after which she challenges you as a reader to find an English word instead that can channel the same meaning: “Find me an English word as good, reader, and I will gladly dispense with the French word. Reflections won’t do.” (Shirley, 527) Furthermore is learning the French language is a very important part of the main character Jane’s education as well. When Bessie mentions Jane going to Lowood school, she tells her about all the French books she will have to translate. When she is at school eventually, she expresses herself by writing and reading in French. Speaking French raised your social status in the 18th century, showing on page 78 when Jane boasts about her fluent accent to Bessie “you are quite a lady” (Jane Eyre, …show more content…
In the beginning of the book, for example, Jane claims to Mr. Brocklehurst (Jane Eyre, chapter 4) that she sometimes reads her Bible and that she regularly prays to God: “Do you read your bible?” “Sometimes.” “With pleasure? Are you fond of it?” “I like Revelations, and the book of Daniel, and Genesis and Samuel, and a little bit of Exodus, and some parts of Kings and Chronicles, and Job and Jonah.” In that time colonizing countries used religion as their basis of capturing countries. Colonisation is therefore a topic that comes forward often. Charlotte Brontë makes India, for example, seem like this risky and too far away country. Jane even says that, “if I go to India, I go to premature death” (Jane Eyre, 395). She makes you believe that India is a completely different world where you would never be able to survive. Jane also doubts whether or not to go to India based on her relationship with St. John Rivers . Eventually, she chooses to stay in the ‘safe, educated, secure England’. This again portrays how the English saw India as a harsh, uncivilized country.
A final big issue in the novel for some people is the way that Bertha Mason is described. She’s half-Creole and half-English, raised in Jamaica among the British half of her family. She is this crazy woman who suffers from congenital insanity (meaning: madness runs in her family). She has gotten married to Mr.