Jane Eyre Childhood Analysis

In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the main character endured an overall distressing childhood that serves to accentuate the vulnerable tormenting experiences most children faced during the Victorian era. As far as how Jane’s childhood played a role in her life, it certainly left her facing an inner conflict, that is, she was on a subconscious quest to find love and happiness given that she lacked these two emotions or care during her childhood. Furthermore, Jane’s misfortunate upbringing in Gateshead and in Lowood is what subsequently allowed her character to be grateful for the love and happiness she experiences later on in Bronte’s novel. In the beginning of the story, we learn that Jane suffered a number of tormenting experiences growing up in Gateshead with the hateful Aunt Reed and Jane’s malevolent cousins. Apart from losing her parents to death, Jane received no affection whatsoever …show more content…
This is important to note given that it reflects the arduous conditions many people during the Victorian era endured, and it is as if Bronte is making a commentary on the way adults ought to raise and treat children. Take Jane’s treatment as an example, Mr. Brocklehurst and Mrs. Reed regarded her as a deceitful child and they cruelly punished her by justifying she would go to hell for misbehaving; yet, they never took into account she was truly innocent and how this treatment would affect her long term. Part of the romanticism period was altering the way society perceives children, and that is that children are naturally innocent. Additionally, when Jane is a governess she does not exemplify nor impose strict rules as most adults in her childhood experience did, but rather excels her role as a teacher as demonstrated by how the children positively regard her in