Review of Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is the only book written by Charlotte Bronte, The eldest of the trio of the novelist Bronte sisters - Charlotte, Emily & Anne. The protagonist is a woman of pride, spirit and unshakeable moral values- Jane Eyre, andL the book is about her life, starting right from early childhood to school days and adulthood. Jane Eyre is an orphan who is despised by her aunt Mrs Reed and her paternal cousins Eliza, John and Georgiana. She is persecuted, physically assaulted by them, and mentally tortured by her relatives at the slightest provocation. Although she is younger than her cousins she does not lack courage and protests at their unfair behaviour which aggravates her aunt even more. She is sent to a boarding school for girls soon after this - Lowood where under a forbidding and stingy propreiter Mr Brocklehurst the girls are subjected to cruelty like having inadequate food and clothing yet expected to maintain strictest discipline and decorum. Here Jane Eyre becomes friends with another girl Helen Burns who is unfortunate enough to succumb to the dreaded disease of the time - typhus fever which periodically affected the girl's due to their weak health and inadequate nourishment. Luckily for Jane Eyre there are reforms which are made in the school after the outbreak of the disease subsides and the girls are better looked after. She spends the next eight years uneventfully in the school, learning the lessons her teachers taught her. She then decides to apply for the post of governess and is selected by the housekeeper of Thornfield Hall to be the governess of a little girl who is the ward of the owner Mr Rochester. Jane Eyre takes up the post. Her new life is better in terms of salary and comfort. Her pupil is also a docile and lively child. She makes Mr Rochester's acquaintance and makes him out to be a middle aged man, who is not particularly handsome but authoritative and imperious in his manners. He is kind to Jane though a little aloof and superior as befits their respective stations as superior and subordinate. Mr Rochester is intrigued by her and tries to draw her out by general conversation. Jane is able to evince proper and prompt and witty replies to all his questionings of her. He becomes attracted to her and Jane too is gratified by his notice. Unknown to her Mr Rochester has a secret which makes it impossible for him to legally marry. He is already married and his wife who became insane shortly after their marriage is kept locked up under the care of a strict attendent at Thornfield. Jane Eyre gets an inkling of this when Mrs Rochester first tries to burn down the house and again when she makes a murderous attack on her own brother. In the meantime Mr Rochester and Jane have declared their love for each other and their marriage is fixed. It is at the church that she comes to know that his wife is still alive. She flees from Thornfield hall and in very dire straits reaches the house of two women and their brother Diana , Mary and St John who by twist of fate are also her maternal cousins, though she does not know this at the time. When she recovers from her illness she continues to stay with them as she has nowhere else to go & they very kindly accept her into their circle. Mr St John is a clergyman, stern strict and almost inhuman in his control over his emotions. He loves a rich girl on the neighbourhood and she him, but refuses to acknowledge this as he does not consider her suitable to be his life companion as it is his aim to become a missionary and serve in India. He asks Jane to marry him and come with him as in his view Jane would be proper for him as she is genteel and biddable but Jane refuses him as she is still in love with Mr Rochester and finds her cousin too cold and severe for her taste. Jane also inherits her uncle's fortune, which she generously shares with her cousins the St John's. She then decides to visit Thornfield Hall. She finds that it has been burned down & Mrs Rochester killed during the fire. This makes Mr Rochester free to marry Jane which he does and they spend the remainder of their days in happiness and contentment though Mr Rochester is now almost blind since he had been injured in the fire. The individual stories which make up Jane's life are woven very skilfully in the whole narrative. The is life and force in the characterisations of Jane Eyre, Rochester & St John.

What I liked most in the book
The hot and angry speech given by Jane Eyre when Mr Rochester tells her that he is about to marry. He cleverly makes Jane declare her love for him instead of declaring himself outright.

What I dislike about the book
Jane Eyre is morally upright sometimes too much for liking. The part where Jane Eyre lives with the St Johns and her experiences there are sometimes a bit boring.