Saturday, July 9, 2011

Jane Eyre: Discussion Topic 3

Jane Eyre has many universal themes that it addresses. Jane Eyre shows in many ways the theme of forgiveness. For example, one time Jane forgives is when Mrs. Reed is on her deathbed. Mrs. Reed had been Jane's mean and rude guardian who didn't care for her one bit. She disrespected Jane and made her pretty tough. Jane was a great example of compassion and forgiveness.

As Mrs. Reed was dying, Jane came to her deathbed to tell her that she forgave her. Jane showed forgiveness also to Mrs. Reed's daughters Eliza and Georgiana. They had been just as terrible as their mother, if not worse. They treated Jane as a slave or someone of lower class than what she was. Jane saw when she came back, that they didn't even like each other, so Jane became almost friends with them.

The author understands many things about human nature. She gives examples of how cruel people can be, and how wonderful people can be. Charlotte Bronte understood that while everyone was totally different, they should still accept the people as they are. She shows this through her diverse variety of characters. Like Mary and Diana and St. John, they took pity on Jane and took her in, and nurtured her back to help. But also, she shows that there are cruel people in the world. The Reeds were a prime example. Even though Jane was family, they didn't treat her any better than a beggar.

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2003. Print.

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