Lowood is the institute for orphans that Jane is sent to. It is characterized by its marshes and woods, which the children are described exploring once the epidemic of typhus breaks out. The name of the place, although made up, seems to describe the external location surrounding it, "low wood," as well as the low point in her life (Brontë 63). Although Jane learns drawing and French, which brings her joy, she also experiences a death of a friend, an unhappiness with teaching, and a desire to see more. Overall, Lowood is a pivotal point in Jane’s maturation.
To learn more on the impact that Lowood makes on Jane and the plot of Jane Eyre, consider reading “The Providential Impact of Lowood on Jane in Jane Eyre” by Erol Gülüstür and Eren Bolat. The abstract states, “This paper specifically focuses on Jane's experiences and maturation at Lowood Institution. Through the school, the reader can grasp a great sense of Jane's views and comprehend its pivotal role in the phase of independence and a frame of mind that the heroine undergoes. With its contribution to Jane, it yields rich opportunities to almost every stage of her life. The heroine's rejection of old conventions and adaptation of a manner of rebellion gives credence to her mind and oncoming aspirations. While being a bildungsroman and delineating the traumas of a frustrated and alienated girl attempting to find a remedy in life, the book points that the heroine gets intellectual and matures physically and psychologically in the course of time. One of the pivotal moments-probably the most important major turning point for her is the one she steps into Lowood which will be a central, unifying and integrating phase whereby her life will revolve and the faces and experiences that appear there remain compelling and consequently their force is felt by Jane deeply and effectively” (Gülüstür and Eren 83).
Bibliography: Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Philadelphia, Courage Books, 1988.
Gülüstür, Erol and Eren Bolat. “The Providential Impact of Lowood on Jane in ‘Jane Eyre.’” Journal of International Social Research, vol. 11, no. 58, Aug. 2018, pp. 83–89. EBSCOhost, doi:10.17719/jisr.2018.2519.