Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre (1847)

“Daylight began to forsake the red-room” (chap. 2)

Excluded from her relations and abused by her cousin John Reed, Jane’s resentment and grief causes her to lash out to an extent that, according to the narrator (Jane’s older self), “I was a trifle beside myself.” By this idea, Brontë means to open the reader’s questioning of Jane’s identity: “‘What shocking conduct,’” Miss Abbot scolds, “‘to strike . . . your young master!’” “‘How is he my master?’” Jane retorts. “‘Am I a servant?’” (chap. 2). The question is reasonable, the reader can surmise, given Jane’s orphan status, which her aunt has compounded by exclusion from the family circle. 

Behind her aunt’s hostility, however, is an unsettled emotion about Jane’s identity: “‘there is something truly forbidding in a child taking up her elders in that manner,’” Mrs. Reed confesses (chap. 1). Jane seems alien even to the household servants, among whom she is placed: Bessie is “incredulous of [her] sanity” and Miss Abbot regards her as “‘an underhand little thing: I never saw a girl of her age with so much cover’” (chap. 2). These characters are unable to penetrate beyond their limited and prejudiced experience.

Mrs. Reed’s impulse, therefore, is to lock Jane out of sight in the seldom-visited Red Room. There the child experiences emotionally what the older narrator more objectively calls “out of myself.” In a mirror, Jane catches sight of herself as if she were another being: “my fascinated glance . . . explored the depth” that the mirror “revealed,” discovering in its “visionary hollow” a “strange little figure there gazing at me, with a white face and arms specking the gloom” like “a real spirit” come into existence from one of Bessie’s fairy tales. In this revelation, Brontë presents to the reader an experience of selfhood that neither Jane’s elders nor even the child herself can penetrate—the hidden self. Here Brontë draws on a  shift in Victorian psychology, which treated the self as hidden in a mental depth, alien perhaps to the ordinary functioning self, and accessible only in moments like Jane’s of disassociation from ordinary reality or by the penetration of skilled mental analysis, which Brontë makes available only to privileged characters in her novels (Shuttleworth 9-10).

In his 1943 woodcut illustration to Jane Eyre, Fritz Eichenberg hides a ghostly face in the armchair as reflected in the mirror. The real Jane looks anxiously away from the mirror, but the viewer apprehends that she will soon turn her “fascinated gaze” into the mirror’s depths and discover this alienated version of herself.

Works Cited

Brontë, Charlotte [Currer Bell]. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. Smith, Elder and Co., 1847. Cove Collective, Southeastern Louisiana University.

Eichenberg, Fritz. “Daylight began to forsake the red-room,” woodcut illustration, in Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre. Random House, 1943.

Shuttleworth, Sally. Charlotte Brontë and Victorian Psychology. Cambridge UP, 1996. eBook Collection, EBSCOHost. 

"I Was No Longer the Same"

The departure of Miss Temple marks a major turning point in Jane’s growth progress. When she first arrived at Lowood, Jane was described as a “mad cat” (Chapter 2) and “bad animal” (Chapter 1) of Gateshead. She often resisted the authority of John Reed and the rest of the Reed family. Once Jane arrived at Lowood, however, Miss Temple's influence granted Jane with a model of kindness, dignity, and self control. 

As Jane reflects on the influence granted by Miss Temple, she comes to discover that she “has imbibed from her something of her nature and much of her habits: more harmonious thoughts” (Chapter 10). Miss Temple is therefore the main factor and aid in the process of Jane’s transformation. She helped Jane dispose of her rebellious nature and generate a more mature independence. As a result Jane has learned to control and develop her sense of self. 

Jane recognizes that she has gone through quite the transformation. She describes herself as having undergone “a transforming process” (Chapter 10). Once the realization of Miss Temple’s departure dawned on her, Jane came to the realization that she “had been breathing in [Miss Temple’s] vicinity” (Chapter 10). Without her, Jane was left in her “natural element, and beginning to feel the stirring of old emotions” (Chapter 10). Jane finally comes to understand the true impact Miss Temple had on her and the importance it held. She has developed “real knowledge” (Chapter 10) from her experiences, which has provided her a deeper understanding of herself and the real world. 

In the moment, Jane “went to [her] window, opened it, and looked out” (Chapter 10). It is at this moment that Jane’s desire for a new life becomes clear. The view outside the window of Lowood represents freedom, and the possibilities that come to follow. Jane now carries a growing awareness that she wants more for herself and her life than what she has now. 

The image “Ruskin’s View” from the town Kirkby Lonsdale symbolizes the type of world beyond Jane’s window. The landscape in the image contrasts with the restrictive area of Lowood. When looking at the image, a view can see a wide landscape, endless fields and horizons, the flow of running water, and trees scattered about the land. It showcases the opportunities one has to accomplish endless possibilities in their lifespan. The image is a representation of the next stage of Jane’s life. It represents the journey to find freedom and happiness, as well as a future of her own.

Works Cited

Brontë, Charlotte [Currer Bell]. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. Smith, Elder, and Co., 1847. Cove Collective, Southeastern Louisiana University. 

 "Ruskin's View," Kirkby Lonsdale. photo. 

Requirements for the Victorian Governess

In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte highlighted the harsh economic and social realities faced by Victorian women seeking employment as governess or teachers, as shown in the newspaper of the The Times of London. During the 19th century Britain lacked any sort of centralized or national standard to certify teacher or governesses, women at that time had to market themselves.

Given that standard accomplishment such as knowledge of languages, music, drawing, and arithmetic's were widely expected from applicants. Governess had to self credit themselves. Governess tried highlighting superior fluency, year of experience, moral character, and even age. If we take a look at the The Time of London newspapers we can see a perfect example of this "A lady in her 24th year... she is a musical, a good reader, domesticated, and Industrious" ("Governess Ads," par. 4), "A lady, age 26, accustomed to tuition... in English and French in all there branches, Italian, drawing and music" ("Governess Ads," par. 5) you get the point. Furthermore, many ads were placed by third parties, such as clergy men and or parents. This practice served as an informal proxy for formal credentials, an endorsement by clergymen. The guaranteed moral rectitude and social standing,  and shielding middle class women from indecorum in public newspapers or press. 

Jane follows this same process in her advertisement: "A young lady accustom to tuition...She is qualified to teach the usual branches of good English education, together with French, Drawing, and Music" (Chap. 10). Like the women advertising in The Times of London, Jane must present herself as marketable commodity by framing her Lowood training and accomplishments as proof. Finally, Jane's need to advertise reveals the delicate balance Victorian governesses had to navigate, to commodify themselves while also preserving their standing as respectable middle class governess, women.

Work Cited
Brontë, Charlotte [Currer Bell]. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. Smith, Elder and Co., 1847. Cove Collective, Southeastern Louisiana University.
 
Kaston Tange, "Governess, Companion, and Housekeep Ads," from The Times (London), 4 June 1846, 17 January 1845, 8 January 1845, 8 January 1845, 7 October 1847, 5 October 1847, Victorian Contexts, PBWorks, http://victoriancontexts.pbworks.com/w/page/12407398/Governess,%20Compa….
 

Anybody may blame me who likes.

During this time, Jane is living at Thornfield Hall with Adele and Mrs. Fairfax. One day, Jane begins to realize how exhausted she is by doing the same things every single day. She decides to climb to the roof to feel more alive and a view that can make her feel unstoppable. She wants to have a sense of freedom between her long days.

When Jane steps onto the roof, she feels on top of the world. She can see beyond the building she is in all day long, and this symbolizes that there is so much more in the world for her to see. She says, " I believed in the existence of other and more vivid kinds of goodness, and what I believed in, I wished to behold," (Brontë Chapter 12). Ian Visits describes the rooftops of Hampton Court Palace and even provides multiple photos which look quite similar to the view for Jane during this moment. The Palace overlooks a large field with a beautiful blue sky; it is the type of view that can make one realize how much they really have ahead of them. 

Janes realizations mean more than just wanting more for herself; they showcase Brontë's true view of women. Brontë showcases her beliefs about the standards for women of the Victorian society and while she does not directly disagree with them, she challenges them. In this specific moment in the book, She uses Jane's realization to show that she believes there is so much more to women than just their ability to be mothers and wives. She notes that there are so many things to see, so much to learn, many places to visit, and above all, a bigger meaning for women. Brontë is a strong advocate for women's independence and strength in an era where they were not allowed to have any.

Works Cited

Brontë, Charlotte [Currer Bell]. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography.Smith, Elder and Co., 1847. Cove Collective, Southeastern Louisiana University.

"The din was on the causeway; a horse was coming"

When Jane first encounters Rochester on the road (“It was very near . . .”), Brontë sets the moment in a world shaped by folklore and Romantic imagination. As Jane sees a dark figure approaching, her mind jumps to the Gytrash, a northern English spirit said to appear as a horse, mule, or dog and to mislead travelers on lonely paths. The Wikipedia article describes the Gytrash as “a spectral black dog,” and Branwell Brontë’s own account paints it as a large, shadowy creature that startles wanderers before vanishing into the moors. It’s exactly the kind of superstition that would surface in Jane’s imagination during a solitary walk on a winter evening.

By invoking this legend, Brontë briefly pulls the reader into the Romantic fascination with folk tales—the same cultural interest that inspired the Grimm brothers, Walter Scott, and Andersen. The quiet road, the dim light, and the sudden appearance of a “great dog” all create a moment that feels eerie and otherworldly, as if Jane has stepped into a story shaped by superstition.

But Brontë doesn’t let that mood linger. She quickly snaps the scene back to reality. The Gytrash dissolves into an ordinary dog, and the mysterious horseman becomes a very human man who has slipped on the ice and is clearly irritated about it. Rochester’s entrance is almost anticlimactic: he curses, he struggles to stand, and he speaks sharply. The supernatural atmosphere evaporates in an instant.

This shift matters. Brontë refuses to let Rochester appear as a Romantic hero who magically expands Jane’s horizon or rescues her from her limitations. If she allowed the Gytrash-like fantasy to continue, Rochester would become just another conventional “solution” for a woman’s restricted world. Instead, Brontë introduces him as flawed, grounded, and unmistakably human. By playing down the Romantic atmosphere, she makes it clear that Jane’s yearning to “overpass [the] limit” of her horizon won’t be answered by a mythical figure or a sweeping romance, but by something far more complex.

Works Cited

“Gytrash.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gytrash. 

Katchmar, Colin. "Gytrash." Cove Collective, 19 January 2022, https://editions.covecollective.org/index.php/content/gytrash.

The men in green: it was a proper moonlight evening for them

Rochester and Jane were together joking with each other, and Rochester made the comment that Jane was waiting for "the men in green." Jane then jokingly replied that "The men in green all forsook England a hundred years ago," and by doing this, Charlotte Brontë refers to a famous Victorian idea that fairies had vanished from Britain during the late eighteenth century. Nicola Bown reported that this belief arose in traditional folklore, where he incorporated stories recalled by Tabby, Brontë's nursemaid, who likely believes that the Haworth textile mills drove away the fairies. Since industrialization drastically changed the countryside, much Victorians envisioned that the natural scenery that was formerly populated by fairies was replaced by machinery, railroads, and factories. 

Nicola Bown explains that there were people who did not even believe in fairies, yet they continued to use their disappearance to symbolize the destruction industrialization has caused. The cultural critic John Ruskin, did not believe in fairies, but argues that modernization, such as railroads and factories, took away the natural beauty of the countryside. This makes the withdrawal of the fairies a symbol for environmental and cultural defeat. Charlotte Brontë depicts this cultural concept during the joking conversation that Jane and Rochester had. Jane's imagination and intellect are revealed when she automatically realizes what fairy joke Rochester was making, and so she responds with a sarcastic tone. Mrs. Fairfax overhears their discussion and is confused by what they are talking about, marking this moment as one of the first occasions of mental connection between Jane and Rochester.

Works Cited

Brontë, Charlotte [Currer Bell]. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. Smith, Elder and Co., 1847. Cove Collective, Southeastern Louisiana University.

Brown, Nicola. Fairies in Nineteenth-Century Art and Literature. Cambridge University Press, 2001.

“The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke | Art UK.” Artuk.Org, https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/the-fairy-fellers-master-stroke-117…. Accessed 30 July 2026.

"Fetch me your portfolio, if you can vouch for being original..." (Chapter 13)

The "male gaze" as it is known is a term that is very much synonymous these days with conversations locked within feminism and gender roles, and one which tends towards modernity at least insofar as common use of it is concerned, yet with roots which run far deeper than that which tends to be expected for the conversation. However, where it applies to Jane Eyre is in the way it pervades Jane's life, inspecting her and forcing her to live within the confines of what men want from her, and especially how they are affected by her and her work. As seen within Chapter 13, Mr. Rochester himself very much dominates the interactions with the women he is with, whether from his icy, statuesque nature, to the manner in which he rather brutally talks Jane down and constantly leaves her to defend herself during their interactions. However despite that, Jane herself actively manages to combat the expectations forced upon her by Rochester, defying the norm by having not copied from a master for her pieces, but rather doing it on her own and allowing her own creative vision to bloom and paint the vivid scenes she impresses Rochester with. 

Fittingly, then, it only makes sense to inspect Anne Brontë's art in relation to the theme of the male gaze, more specifically how it inverts what is expected to allow a woman to wield the power of gazing upon something, and admiring it with her own eyes. The image in question is untitled, but known as Sunrise over Sea for the purposes of describing the image and titling it for viewers unfamiliar with Anne's work. The image itself shows a woman gazing upon the sea from a craggy cliffside, staring out into the rising sun in the horizon as jagged rocks, birds, and a singular boat can be seen. The isolation within the image is palpable, being the only human displayed upon the piece, yet one which is important considering the fact she is standing tall, alone, in the foreground while admiring the view. Jane herself does this as well within Chapter 12, where she describes the experience from atop Thornfield as, "...that then I longed for a power of vision which might overpass that limit..." This sort of ambition and admiration for the world around her is something which similarly reflects the theme of gazing, where she is admiring the world and taking it in while also realizing she herself wishes she could, as opposed to Mr. Rochester seeing her an attempting to confine her into what he expects of a woman. This innocent admiration for the world can be understood then, as the feminine gaze, and one which Anne's piece embodies, allowing a woman to stare much like Jane from the roof, and admire the early morning sun (again much like Jane had in the bildungsroman) without worry for what a man might think of her for doing so. And indeed, she does actively do so, instead lamenting the fact she does not have much experience with other women, and a want for worldliness that only men during this time could very easily have (Chapter 12 Paragraph 3).

To tie such a theme to Jane's images that impressed Mr. Rochester so, the use of gaze within her images is present only within the final two, the first of both detailing a woman blending into the starry night as she stares at the viewer, almost evoking that sense of the male gaze and showing how a woman herself can embody such, strikingly detailing her "eyes shone dark and wild" alongside "the hair streamed shadowy, like a beamless cloud..." (ch 13) both of which offer a very cold, steely sort of picture which likely mirrors the cold gaze she herself wore when depicted by Jane. And finally, the visage of Death itself- as suggested by the quotes by Milton's Paradise Lost of "the likeness of a kingly crown" and "the shape which shape had none"- staring off towards an iceberg during the northern lights, which in and of itself mirrors the first image and Anne's drawing which similarly have a figure staring off towards the horizon, admiring the view, which in a manner could suggest that the overall theme of gazing with the third painting. That being that it is simply to show the very human nature of admiring a view and the sense of aspiration for worldliness, no matter who is doing it, and showing that while ultimately a gaze might be able to oppress, affect, and even beat down upon others, that a person can similarly intend to use it as a manner to admire the world around them, and experience the world as they wish to, rather than as they are told to by others, a core part of Jane's overall character, and her very unique manner of choosing her own fate rather than letting it come to her.

Works Cited

Brontë, Anne. Untitled [Sunrise over Sea]. Pencil, 1839, Brontë Parsonage Museum. In Beverly Taylor, "Becoming Acton Bell," Journal of Juvenilia Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, Feb. 2023. Research Gate, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368679311_Becoming_Acton_Bell.
Brontë, Charlotte [Currer Bell]. Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. Smith, Elder and Co., 1847. Cove Collective, Southeastern Louisiana University.