Mental Illness In Jane Eyre Essay

Through Marianne’s illness, she comes to realize that her uncontrolled feelings and emotions led her to be selfish towards others, especially towards her sister. On the way home from their visit to London, the Dashwood sisters, along with Mrs. Jennings, stop in Cleveland. While in Cleveland, Marianne takes long, wistful walks in the rain, and as a consequence, grows deathly ill. Marianne fortunately grows stronger and stronger, and the Dashwood’s are then able to go home to Barton Cottage. While she and Elinor are taking a walk one day, while continuing to recover from her illness, Marianne begins to reflect on her behavior, ‘“Had I died,- in what peculiar misery should I have left you, my nurse, my friend, my sister!- You, who had seen all the fretful selfishness of my latter days; who had known all the murmurings of my heart!”’ (333) Marianne acknowledges the way that she treated her sister with disrespect, as well as how she disregarded Elinor’s observations about Willoughby throughout the novel. …show more content…
The reader firmly realizes that Marianne’s sensible nature has shifted and she has become more rational as a result of her illness. During the same conversation with Elinor while on their walk, Marianne goes on to state, ‘“Every body seemed injured by me. The kindness, the unceasing kindness of Mrs. Jennings, I had repaid with ungrateful contempt.”’ (333) Marianne uses the word “injured”, which implies a negative connotation, to describe the result of her actions. When reflecting back on the time before her illness, Marianne is reminded of the way that she had treated Mrs.