Metaphor in Bronte's Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte uses elements of weather in her novel, Jane Eyre, to convey moods and experiences. As Jane travels and her character develops, Bronte employs weather as a powerful metaphor. Weather can be cold, wet, pleasant, and frightening. By incorporating weather into certain scenes, we gain a greater understanding of what Jane is going through. This is an effective technique because weather, just like moods and emotions, can be unpredictable at times. The novel begins with a reference to weather and sets the mood and tone for Jane's We read that there was "no possibility of taking a walk that day" (Bronte 1). Sandra Gilbert states that the novel opens with a reference to weather, which "is the first real beginning of Jane's pilgrim's progress toward maturity" (Gilbert 60). Harold Bloom agrees with this line of thinking, adding that this desolate scene establishes the central themes of isolation and the quest for personal power" (Bloom 10). This image is successful in that it prepares us for the difficulty Jane will encounter at the beginning of the novel.When Jane is thinking of leaving Lowood, she looks outside and thinks of what see she. She looks over the horizon, which leads her to think positively. She says:
A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December storm had whirled over June; ice glazed the ripe apples, drifts crushed the blowing roses; on hayfield and cornfield lay a frozen shroud" (216). Because seasons change and weather can be volatile, they work well with the extreme emotions that Jane experiences in the novel. She also states that her hopes were "dead . (68)Here we can see how Bronte is looking outside with a sense of hope. In this scene, Bronte foreshadows Jane's negative feelings after John's visit and their confrontation. We read that a "livid, vivid spark leapt out of a cloud at which I was looking, and there was a crack, a crash, and a close rattling peal; and I thought only of hiding my dazzled eyes against Mr. While pleasant weather can indicate pleasant experiences, unpleasant weather can indicate unpleasant experiences. Not only does this metaphor reflect Jane's current state of mind; it foreshadows Jane's future experiences at Thornfeild. Another scene where unpleasant weather is a metaphor for unpleasant feelings occurs when the chestnut tree is struck by lightening and split in half. Here the bad weather and the split tree are metaphors for Jane's separation from Rochester. The nice weather is a metaphor of her strength and independence.
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