In Charlotte Bronte’s 1847 Gothic novel Jane Eyre, there is a series of ideals, morals, and beliefs exposed to the title character, and she ends up having to find a middle ground on which she can function. These include finding a middle ground between religious belief and mortal happiness, finding the ability to assert herself in a male-dominated society, etc.
Religion is one of the ideals that Jane must contend with in the novel. During her school days at Lowood, she is humiliated by the hypocritical, Puritan headmaster and clergyman Mr. Brocklehurst, but she is able to be cleared of any wrongdoing and Brocklehurst is exposed for his cruelty. Years later, Jane is reduced to begging, and she is saved by a Christian clergyman named St. John Rivers, who is soon revealed to be her cousin. St. John remains committed to his Calvinist learnings, while coming off as reserved and simple-minded in his Christian devotion. Feeling that God is calling him to become a missionary, he asks Jane to marry him and join him in India, but although wanting to go, she rejects his proposal on the grounds that his logic and reason are not right for her passions. Despite being exposed to variations of religion, Jane manages to find a common ground through which she is able to subside her passions without suppressing her true self.
Jane also has to deal with the gender politics of her era and to assert herself in society, because different men try to subordinate her. In Chapter XII, Bronte writes that women “suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation” in life. In school, her friend Helen has complete trust in God and always turns the other cheek towards those who abuse her. After she dies of typhus in Jane’ s arms, Jane expresses admiration for her faith and good nature, but she cannot bring herself to be like Helen. When Jane becomes employed by the wealthy Edward Rochester, she finds herself falling in love with him, but he ends up marrying the mentally unstable Bertha Mason. However, Rochester does offer her the chance to become his mistress. Although she loves him, she refuses to compromise her moral princiles and rejects his offer. It is not until the end of the novel when they meet again after Bertha committs suicide. Jane finally agrees to marry him but only if she will be his equal.
Throughout the novel, Jane struggles to find a way to assert herself and religion, all the while staying devoted to her moral values. She is exposed to three extremes of religion but manages to have faith without suppressing herself. In regards to gender roles, she manages to escape the confines of Brocklehurst and rejects St. John’s strict religious devotion. Even though she is obedient and loves Rochester, there is a shift is aesthetics. She mirrors the narrative to romanticism in an interesting way by only marrying Rochester after ensuring that it will be a marriage of equality. That collison of ideals and beliefs is evident in this novel.
