Religion In Jane Eyre

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Bestowing a Heavenly Atmosphere Upon a Bland Planet The inner conflict between the pressures of society and the innate passions of the individual often arises, and social pressure often dominates. As a result, visceral inclinations of the soul can only manifest in the mind, having no bearing on external conduct. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë's masterpiece, this initially is the case: Jane upholds, in her mind, values that contradict wholly Victorian ones, but does nothing to bring upon herself a condition that reflects them. However, once she encounters a man with whom she feels a spiritual connection--a connection that circumvents and transcends any terrestrial barricades--the conventionalities of society unravel about her, and she embarks …show more content…
John's," having received the "power" to open a direct communication with God. Having opened a new channel of interaction with God, Jane can unilaterally usurp the rigid restrictions of her day to forge an exclusive community with Mr. Rochester that is based on their connection. Her entire being can exist in this new construction, requiring no curtailments; Jane evinces this in a description of her new life: "There was no harassing restraint, no repressing of glee and vivacity with him; for with him I was at perfect ease, because I knew I suited him: all I said or did seemed either to console or revive him. Delightful consciousness! It brought to life and light my whole nature; in his presence I thoroughly lived; and he lived in mine" (372). No longer must Jane's consciousness thrive only within: now it can flourish in the communion of her soul mate. She can share every aspect of herself with the knowledge that she "suited him." The mundane tasks required to sustain an invalid like Rochester do nothing to dull the resulting bliss: Responding to Mr. Rochester's reluctance to burden Jane, Jane says, "[t]o be your wife is, for me, to be as happy as I can be on earth" (379). Thus, being able to share her life entirely with her soul mate, and so realize herself and her soul …show more content…
Society nevertheless assails her with intoxicating dogma, which keeps her in its grip, precluding her from warmly accepting her one congenital gift--that of the soul. Therefore, upon receiving the opportunity to merge her divine aura with that of another, whose soul is entangled with hers, the rigid tenets drive her to a point of hopelessness, denying her of what her soul knows to be in such proximity. There is still opportunity for redemption, however; God, who, in Jane Eyre, has no reverence for the bigotry of humans, awakens Jane's soul, which immediately rushes to claim its rightful position in her mind. The ensuing action on Jane's part brings her to the natural and proper situation that her soul desires, which entails the consummation of the link that she possesses with Rochester. An enviable stat of happiness thus arises in Jane: she has achieved the most exalted position that a human can possible attain on Earth, her soul having carried out the whole of its wishes and entered a state of complete satisfaction. This final, perfect state, which exists thus, constitutes the realization of the soul's mission on Earth, as indicated by the consequences of failure. When Jane returns to Mr. Rochester after the year-long hiatus, he tells her, "I have little left in myself--I must have you. The world may laugh--may call me absurd, selfish--but it does not signify. My very soul

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