Brontë uses mirrors to reveal Jane’s reflection as separate from how Jane perceives herself in order to suggest that through her maturity, Jane has suppressed certain attributes in order to function within the confines of society. During Jane’s dream, Bertha is standing in front of the mirror. Jane sees “the reflection of visage and features quite distinctly in the dark” (327). Bertha’s features contrast the dark and, therefore, are light. Thus, Brontë implies that Jane wants Bertha’s characteristics. However, these traits seem distant to her. The following day, her wedding day, Jane is dressed and preparing to go to the ceremony. She is all ready when: “[Sophie cried] 'Look at yourself in the mirror: you have not taken one peep. ' So I turned
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Literary critic Barbara Gates argues in “Critical Essays on Charlotte Brontë” that Brontë’s ability to make the “conflict between the claims of imagination and the claims of realism the propelling conflict of her herorines’ personalities” (62). Thus, Brontë uses Jane’s reflection in the mirror as a representation of her inner conflict: she is torn between the idea of being freed from her oppression and the realism of Victorian society in which she …show more content…
As a child, Jane has no filter and continuously voices her feelings to her aunt and cousins. As a result she is sent to the Red Room, which is the room that her uncle died in. On the way to the room, Mrs. Reed tells Jane that she is “less than a servant" (16). Being a “servant” is the lowest rank in society, however, being less than one Brontë suggests that Jane has no place in society. Once in the room, Jane describes the interior of the room as being “chill...seldom slept in” (17), showing its apparent coldness, despite the red, fiery color. Jane quickly assesses that "no jail was ever more secure" (17). The comparison to a jail suggests that Jane is trapped and there is no chance of escaping. By referring to it as a jail, Brontë suggests that Jane is sent there because of her criminal actions. She has committed a crime, thus, Jane must learn to filter herself and suppress her feelings or she will continue to be imprisoned. Also, Jane notes that the room is the “coffin where he [Mr. Reed] took his last breath” (17). Brontë uses the word “coffin” to describe the room in order to create an atmosphere of suffocation. Thereby, suggesting that the room suffocates her outspoken qualities and, therefore, silences her voice and feelings. Jane’s lack of voice at this moment parallels her to Bertha who
Literary critic Barbara Gates argues in “Critical Essays on Charlotte Brontë” that Brontë’s ability to make the “conflict between the claims of imagination and the claims of realism the propelling conflict of her herorines’ personalities” (62). Thus, Brontë uses Jane’s reflection in the mirror as a representation of her inner conflict: she is torn between the idea of being freed from her oppression and the realism of Victorian society in which she …show more content…
As a child, Jane has no filter and continuously voices her feelings to her aunt and cousins. As a result she is sent to the Red Room, which is the room that her uncle died in. On the way to the room, Mrs. Reed tells Jane that she is “less than a servant" (16). Being a “servant” is the lowest rank in society, however, being less than one Brontë suggests that Jane has no place in society. Once in the room, Jane describes the interior of the room as being “chill...seldom slept in” (17), showing its apparent coldness, despite the red, fiery color. Jane quickly assesses that "no jail was ever more secure" (17). The comparison to a jail suggests that Jane is trapped and there is no chance of escaping. By referring to it as a jail, Brontë suggests that Jane is sent there because of her criminal actions. She has committed a crime, thus, Jane must learn to filter herself and suppress her feelings or she will continue to be imprisoned. Also, Jane notes that the room is the “coffin where he [Mr. Reed] took his last breath” (17). Brontë uses the word “coffin” to describe the room in order to create an atmosphere of suffocation. Thereby, suggesting that the room suffocates her outspoken qualities and, therefore, silences her voice and feelings. Jane’s lack of voice at this moment parallels her to Bertha who