How Does Charlotte Bronte Create Tension In Jane Eyre

As a statement novel of Victorian times, Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, addressed many issues of Victorian society as they were perceived by Brontë. One of the larger themes woven into the story entailed the struggle between the expression of passion and the restraint of emotion, the latter resulting in what was perceived as the most acceptable behavior. At the time, there were many factors such as gender, class, and age that had defined boundaries for where emotions were to be expressed. By presenting the protagonist as a poor, passionate, lower-class woman, Brontë aimed to create a story in which an individual that was not very well-off could challenge the Victorian ideals and ultimately achieve a happy ending. This concept seemed …show more content…
Within Jane Eyre, the expectations on the behavior of individuals largely depended on their class (among other labels) and for this reason, the protagonist, Jane, experiences an internal conflict throughout the book involving the decision of whether to conform to Victorian ideals or break away and express the passion she is often consumed by. In many ways, the novel acted as a reflection of the events occurring at the time of its publication and was designed to challenge the ideals of Victorian time. During this time period, it was not uncommon for “social classes [to be] distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, education, religion, and culture” and …show more content…
After traveling for days, Jane eventually finds herself exchanged into the care of a man named St. John Rivers, a practicing minister at Morton that takes her into his residence where he and his two sisters live together. In many ways, the character of St. John can be perceived as a foil for Rochester, but most notably due to his icy disposition that provides a stark contrast to the fiery passion that was conveyed for Jane by Rochester. Unlike Rochester, St. John is very cold and calculating when it comes to his interactions with Jane (and others for that matter), seemingly detached from his emotions. After Jane had spent a few months living with St. John, he suddenly asks Jane if she would take his hand in marriage, evoking a less than desirable response. When faced with this question, Jane realizes that being “his wife--at his side always, and always restrained, and always checked … it would be unendurable,” and that if she were to marry St. John, she would lose her passion, and therefore a large part of who she is (Brontë, 359). After experiencing first-hand how it is to live with only restraint and calculated action through St. John, Jane realizes that without passion, she would live a lesser life