Jane Eyre - Analysis of Nature
Charlotte Bronte makes use of nature imagery throughout "Jane Eyre," and comments on both the human relationship with the outdoors and human nature. The Oxford Reference Dictionary defines "nature" as "1. the phenomena of the physical world as a whole . . . 2. a thing's essential qualities; a person's or animal's innate character . . . 4. vital force, functions, or needs." We will see how "Jane Eyre" Several natural themes run through the novel, one of which is the image of a stormy sea. After Jane saves Rochester's life, she gives us the following metaphor of their relationship: "Till morning dawned I was tossed on a buoyant but unquiet sea . . . I thought sometimes I saw beyond its wild waters a shore . . . now and then a freshening gale, wakened by hope, bore my spirit triumphantly towards the bourne: but . . . a counteracting breeze blew off land, and continually drove me back." The gale is all the forces that prevent Jane's union with Rochester. Later, Brontė, whether it be intentional or not, conjures up the image of a buoyant sea when Rochester says of Jane: "Your habitual expression in those days, Jane, was . . . not buoyant." In
" Just like a benevolent God, nature will accept Jane no matter what: "Nature seemed to me benign and good; I thought she loved me, outcast as I was. Having established some of the nature themes in "Jane Eyre," we can now look at the natural cornerstone of the novel: the passage between her flight from Thornfield and her acceptance into Morton. " Nature and God have protected her from harm, providing meager shelter, warding off bulls and hunters, and giving her enough sustenance in the form of wild berries to keep her alive. Perhaps Brontė is telling us that this idea of escape is no more than a fantasy-one cannot escape when one must return for basic sustenance. Making this claim raises the issue of the nature of St. John is more human than God, and thus he and his sisters are able to help Jane. Brontė was surely not aware of the large number of species of bird that practice polygamy. Though Darwin didn't release "On the Origin of Species" until 1859, the seeds were already being sown; indeed, there's speculation that Charles Darwin's grandfather adumbrated some of Charles' theories. For Brontė, this posits the heath in "Jane Eyre" as something dated, the past more than the future. But this isn't enough, and Jane is forced to seek sustenance in the town. Jane is seeking a return to the womb of mother nature: "I have no relative but the universal mother, Nature: I will seek herbreast and ask repose. They have bent what is established as human nature to help her. She reads of "death-white realms" and "'the solitary rocks and promontories'" of sea-fowl. Her old self is not strong enough, and must die. " What is important here is that St.
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Acceptance Essays
