Symbolism In Jane Eyre

In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the protagonist’s life is a struggle; sometimes Jane has to lose something in order to gain something else. As the room shifts, “obscurity and flickering gleam hovered here or glanced there,” the reader can see a representation of Jane’s internal struggle between good and evil shown through light and dark. Jane follows Mr. Rochester to the third floor of Thornfield, after Mr. Rochester asks if she is still awake. Unaware of the situation into which she is walking, Jane sees Mr. Mason, a friend of Mr. Rochester, laying lifeless on the bed with one arm soaked in blood. Concluding that Grace Poole attacked Mr. Mason, she fears that Grace may burst into the room again. Leaving Jane locked in the room with Mr. Mason, Mr. Rochester sets out to retrieve a professional doctor. Left with specific instructions not to speak to Mr. Mason, Jane tends to his wound, as she coaches herself through the instructions as the light flickers onto a great cabinet. In this passage, Charlotte Brontë’s description of three religious figures carved on a cabinet door personify Jane’s struggles with her religious identity, social rules, and unconditional love. First, Brontë alludes to the Biblical character of Judas to symbolize Jane’s struggle with her religious identity. As Jane cleanses the wound of Mr. …show more content…
With her allusion to the Bible, the symbolism relates to themes of religion, social rules, and love. In just one scene, the reader can fully dive inside Jane’s character and understand all of Jane’s fears. Charlotte Brontë connects Jane’s past and present struggles, depicted by Judas and Luke, to foreshadow her future portrayed by St. John’s carving. Characterizing Jane in this way, Brontë leaves the reader with many interpretations on Jane’s development; however, she also allows the reader to not be so critical of Jane’s evolution through Jane