How Does Jane Eyre Develop Between Chapters 11 and 27 of...

The novel Jane Eyre is predominantly a bildungsroman, Jane’s development throughout the novel is one of the most important aspects of the narrative. During Jane’s time at Thornfield she makes huge emotional progress through her relationship with Rochester and the discovery of Bertha Mason, eventually resulting in her departure from Thornfield. In chapter 11 when Jane first arrives at Thornfield She is unsure of her surroundings and the description of the thorn trees alludes to fairytales such as Sleeping Beauty and Briar Rose. This conveys Jane’s innocence and shows the reader how childlike Jane is at this stage of the novel in terms of emotional development. The theme of Jane’s limitations is also highlighted, and Jane’s focus on Mrs†¦show more content†¦The emphasis of this is shown by Rochester’s omission of the fact that he is Thornfield’s owner when Jane sees him fall off his horse. In chapter 16 we can see Jane beginning to develop feelings for Mr Rochester: â€Å"glad at least to go downstairs; for that brought me...closer to Mr Rochester’s presence† This marks a stride in her emotional development as in this instance, rather than developing an attachment to a mother figure in the search for a family, Jane is becoming attached romantically which demonstrates that she is thinking in a more adult way and instead of wanting to join a family it seems that she is striving to create one of her own. Jane’s ongoing suspicions regarding Bertha Mason, whose existence she is at this stage unaware of, show her increasing maturity as she is prepared to look deeper into a situation and is clearly no longer as naà ¯ve as she was when she previously believed Mrs Fairfax’s explanation that the laughter was Grace Poole. However, Jane is willing to believe what she is told because of her feelings for Rochester which conveys a certain amount of naivet y still present as, in a fairly childlike manner; she is inclined to believe what she is told by superiors as opposed to forming her own opinions or inquiring further. Jane’s reformed perspective shows that she has developed from previous chapters. Her opinion was that at Thornfield, everything was as it seemed, she has revised her opinions in an adult way andShow MoreRelatedA Dialogue of Self and Soul11424 Words   |  46 PagesTBC02 8/7/2002 04:01 PM Page 46 CHAPTER TWO A Dialogue of Self and Soul: Plain Jane’s Progress a SANDRA M. GILBERT AND SUSAN GUBAR The authors of The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-century Literary Imagination (1979) are both distinguished feminist critics: Sandra Gilbert is a Professor at the University of California, Davis; and Susan D. Gubar a Distinguished Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Indiana University. They have also collaboratedRead MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 PagesStudies ............................................................................................................ 9 Geography ............................................................................................................................. 11 History................................................................................................................................... 12 Psychology (Clinical--research)...........................................................................