Autonomy vs Love in Brontes Jane Eyre Essay - 983 Words

From songs, to television, to books, and even to newspapers, the need for love is universal. Love is an emotional necessity that even Jane, from Charlotte Bronte’s book Jane Eyre, cannot ignore. Throughout the story line, Jane is constantly searching to find love. She was looking, not just for the love of a man, but for the love of a family. However, Jane’s search for love sometimes ends up challenging her autonomy. While Jane is longing for love, she is not willing to give up her independence for it. Yet as Jane becomes older and her independence grows, she realizes that, while one needs to be independent, she also needs love in her life. In the early years of Jane’s life, she was a very autonomous girl. She grew up with her aunt – Mrs.†¦show more content†¦(Bronte 81) Helen spent the time to elucidate to Jane that the love of another was not to be thought of as so much. Helen became one of Jane’s only friends and helped to guide Jane thro ugh the difficult times during her schooling. Though, the friendship did not last long, and Helen died from the typhus fever at a young age. Jane was able to find some love at Lowood, but not enough to keep her sustained. After 6 years of education, and 2 years of teaching, she left the school in search for a new atmosphere and job. Jane finds a job as a governess at Thornfield Hall. She teaches a young French girl named Adele, to whom she grows a fondness for. As a lover, Jane was a neophyte, but she soon found the love that she had always craved for. She fell in love with the master of the home, Mr. Rochester, and after some time, he asked her to marry him. â€Å"I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart, it leans to you. . . It was because I felt and knew this that I resolved to marry you† (Bronte 383). Jane soon finds out though, that Mr. Rochester already has a wife – Bertha Mason. Bertha has gone mad though, and is loc ked in a room for the safety of others. Jane is unable to accept Mr. Rochester’s marriage proposal because, as Rochester was a married man,