Jane Remains Strong Through Temptation
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, the main character Jane, faces a situation in which she must choose whether she will succumb to her fleshly desires or remain loyal to her convictions. The handsome, charming, and wealthy, Rochester wants Jane to marry him. The problem, however, is that Rochester already has a wife. Albeit, an insane wife with no actual connection to the outside world. Jane, having only had herself to rely on, has built up a rather rigid moral code in order to remain respectable in the eyes of society, God, and, most importantly, in her own eyes.
Jane obviously believes that her values have great worth and abides by them accordingly. “If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?” Through this quote readers can see that Jane knows if she were to “break” her moral code, it would be left meaningless. The whole foundation for everything she had ever done just because it was good and respectable would simply crumble. In the same passage Jane also states, “The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.” Trials and tribulations are what can make or break a person. By fighting through the moral dilemma placed in front of her, and coming out the other side unbroken, Jane can then be assured in her respect for herself and continue living life with the same moral code which helped her through such a questionable situation.
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, the main character Jane, faces a situation in which she must choose whether she will succumb to her fleshly desires or remain loyal to her convictions. The handsome, charming, and wealthy, Rochester wants Jane to marry him. The problem, however, is that Rochester already has a wife. Albeit, an insane wife with no actual connection to the outside world. Jane, having only had herself to rely on, has built up a rather rigid moral code in order to remain respectable in the eyes of society, God, and, most importantly, in her own eyes.
Jane obviously believes that her values have great worth and abides by them accordingly. “If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth?” Through this quote readers can see that Jane knows if she were to “break” her moral code, it would be left meaningless. The whole foundation for everything she had ever done just because it was good and respectable would simply crumble. In the same passage Jane also states, “The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself.” Trials and tribulations are what can make or break a person. By fighting through the moral dilemma placed in front of her, and coming out the other side unbroken, Jane can then be assured in her respect for herself and continue living life with the same moral code which helped her through such a questionable situation.