Theme Of Sacrifice In Jane Eyre

Humans have a trend in which we only sacrifice at the most critical or important point, which helps reveal the what we value. This is showcased in the novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, when the author uses the protagonist, Jane Eyre, to showcase a theme of sacrifice and sometimes lack thereof regarding one’s moral principles in a Victorian society. Throughout the novel, Jane deliberately sacrifices her safety, stability, and emotional gratification, which highlights her character’s values and inner beliefs as she grows from a young child to a mature adult. Jane’s experiences in Gateshead, Lowood, and Thornfield Hall show a period of growth in which Jane keeps her set of morals and makes several decisions of sacrifice throughout the novel, …show more content…
Through those experiences, she learns how to manage herself and soon rises in ranks as she grows and matures. However, when Miss Temple gets married and leaves Lowood, Jane realizes she also craves a change in her life. Jane realizes that even though she’s learned responsibility and has stability in Lowood, that is not enough for her. She makes the decision to apply for a job away from Lowood; the readers can see that Jane is ready to sacrifice the stability of Lowood for a change she knows she needs. Jane states, "“ A new servitude! There is something in that," ... "I know there is because it does not sound too sweet; it is not like such words as Liberty, Excitement, Enjoyment: delightful sounds truly; but no more than sounds for me; and so hollow and fleeting that it is mere waste of time to listen to them. But Servitude! … I have served here eight years; now all I want is to serve elsewhere."” This quote shows how Jane needs to serve somewhere else in order to discover more about herself. Starting about as a passionate young girl in Lowood, she had grown into a mature young woman who craved a freedom Lowood could not provide. At this point, the readers can see that Jane has matured as she has excelled to the point of respect and responsibility from the seniors around her and the audience can see that Jane knows that she cannot drop those responsibilities so casually. However, she needs a change of environment which prompts her to apply to a job elsewhere, even though it means that her future will be unstable. Jane realized that although she had matured, she needed independence and new experiences in order to shape herself as a person, even if that meant sacrificing the stability she had worked so hard to build for 8 years; this also causes a realization in Jane that the stability of the home that Jane had wanted ever since she was young did not define