More on Jane Eyre
"I have an inward treasure, born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous delights should be withheld; or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give." -Charlotte Brontë
I promised to write more on Jane Eyre after I had finished. It has now been a week and a half since I finished reading. I remember reading the part about her leaving Thornfield in agony. Why would she do that to herself? Exactly what was she thinking? I understand it wouldn't be a story if she had simply married Mr. Rochester, and they were in a position where they could not marry, anyways. The ending was the best and most realistic way for them to end up together, I guess. I couldn't help imagining myself alongside Jane as she embarked alone with no money, no anything. Graduating this past May, I can feel her own sense of wandering and dread when she realizes that she has nowhere to go. I think the thing that I loved most about Jane Eyre was the fact that she was willing to endure hardships in order to save her dignity. She certainly had a lot of self-respect, which is a lesson for anyone. Many times, I think, we don't give ourselves the credit we deserve. We let other people decide how well off or how intelligent or how sane we are. I am guilty of taking to heart what other people think of me, and I shouldn't, as a general rule. I should not allow people to crush my own confidence simply because they do not like me. Sometimes we have to endure our sometimes deluded confidence in ourselves to be able to brave through difficult times. Last night, I decided to read the Grimm's version of Rapunzel. Stephen gave me a collection of Grimm's fairytales for my birthday, and I have just recently started reading ones that interest me. I couldn't help but find the ending strangely similar to Jane Eyre. I wonder if Charlotte Brontë liked the ending of the story and decided to make her own similar ending to the tale. In the story, Rapunzel also goes off and wanders in misery (although Rapunzel does so for seven years, while Jane only does so for days) and then the Prince in the story is blinded as well. He is also able to see eventually and they live happily ever after. Sound familiar?
-Melanie
I promised to write more on Jane Eyre after I had finished. It has now been a week and a half since I finished reading. I remember reading the part about her leaving Thornfield in agony. Why would she do that to herself? Exactly what was she thinking? I understand it wouldn't be a story if she had simply married Mr. Rochester, and they were in a position where they could not marry, anyways. The ending was the best and most realistic way for them to end up together, I guess. I couldn't help imagining myself alongside Jane as she embarked alone with no money, no anything. Graduating this past May, I can feel her own sense of wandering and dread when she realizes that she has nowhere to go. I think the thing that I loved most about Jane Eyre was the fact that she was willing to endure hardships in order to save her dignity. She certainly had a lot of self-respect, which is a lesson for anyone. Many times, I think, we don't give ourselves the credit we deserve. We let other people decide how well off or how intelligent or how sane we are. I am guilty of taking to heart what other people think of me, and I shouldn't, as a general rule. I should not allow people to crush my own confidence simply because they do not like me. Sometimes we have to endure our sometimes deluded confidence in ourselves to be able to brave through difficult times. Last night, I decided to read the Grimm's version of Rapunzel. Stephen gave me a collection of Grimm's fairytales for my birthday, and I have just recently started reading ones that interest me. I couldn't help but find the ending strangely similar to Jane Eyre. I wonder if Charlotte Brontë liked the ending of the story and decided to make her own similar ending to the tale. In the story, Rapunzel also goes off and wanders in misery (although Rapunzel does so for seven years, while Jane only does so for days) and then the Prince in the story is blinded as well. He is also able to see eventually and they live happily ever after. Sound familiar?
-Melanie
July 12, 2010 at 2:28 PM
You should add a spoiler alert! Good thing I've read the book already. :p Jane Eyre is admirable because, although she is plain and unimportant, but doesn't let her lack of beauty/significance alter her purity of soul. Because she is orphaned, neglected, and looked down upon, she owes nothing to the pretenses of society. She is free. It is that personal liberty, used in the pursuit of justice and goodwill, that I love about Jane. -Liz Mansfield