Jane Eyre Sympathy Analysis

There are many stages throughout the book in which the reader can feel sympathy for Jane Eyre; these include when she is locked in the Red Room, when Helen Burns dies at Lowood, and when she and Mr. Rochester are married the first time.
The situation when Jane in locked in the Red Room occurs because she has retaliated against John Reed hitting her and the fact that she is being punished for doing so. The mere fact that she is being locked in the Red Room can already accumulate sympathy within the reader because she is seemingly being very unfairly punished whereas her cousin John has attacked her already and managed to escape any punishment whatsoever. However in the events leading up to being locked in the room, the reader could not feel …show more content…
Before this incident Helen was Jane's closest and earliest friend at Lowood and they had become very close. Many were ill at Lowood already, so many people had been leaving and the book does not mention Helen Burns for quite some time. She is then reintroduced in quite a different situation, as she is told to be ill. The reader may feel sympathy at this stage in the story, though not necessarily for Jane Eyre, more so for Helen Burns, as Jane is portrayed to have other friends as well. Although she does have other friends in the book she ‘never tired of Helen Burns'. This may make the reader start too have sympathy for Jane Eyre, as her closest friend is ill. Throughout this stage in the book there are parts where Jane is told too have seen Helen in the distance, this can be quite sad for Jane as she is not communicating with her. Once Helen was with Miss. Temple and Jane was ‘not allowed to go and speak to her'. This may make the reader feel sympathy for her as she seemingly does want to speak to Helen very much and she is not being allowed to do so. This is more like tearing too people apart than helping one person recover. Jane and the reader and then informed that Helen is likely to be dead very soon and once again that Jane is not being allowed to see her on her sick bed. The reader probably does feel sympathy for Jane at this time because it is being confirmed that she is going to lose …show more content…
Rochester is quite a distressing and passionate part of the story as many secrets come out at this point. The preparation and before the wedding itself the reader does not really have the need to feel any sympathy for Jane as she is marrying the man that she loves in a happy situation. The reader continues to have no need to feel sympathy for her until the moment where there is protest against their marriage. At this point the reader probably does feel sympathy as the ceremony is no longer peaceful and has been in a way ruined. When the solicitor explains why he is protesting it is quite a shocking statement to have made against a man, and Jane's feelings are portrayed not with speech but with silence. Since she had no idea whatsoever that this was going to happen or what had happened in the past the reader probably does feel sympathy as it is in no way her fault. Mr. Rochester's reaction to the situation can be seen as selfish and that he is not treating Jane correctly. He is not referring too her or speaking to her and not seemingly caring particularly about how she feels in this situation. He is questioning what is being said, but then admits it himself, making no apology to Jane or too anyone else. Without speaking to her Mr. Rochester ‘still holding me fast, he left the church'. Jane has got no say in the matter, which can be seen as unfair as it is her wedding as well and she is entitled to a say in the matter. Although the solicitor