Jane Eyre

I’ve decided not to finish the Lord of the Rings series. It wasn’t interesting enough, and I gave up.

I did finish Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. This was the second time I read it, but the first time, I was so young that I really couldn’t comprehend what it was about. Even now, there were a lot of words I had to look up, because I had never heard of them before. I have to say, now that I understand it, it has become one of my favorite books.

Jane Eyre has been hailed a love story, but the love story is such a small part of the overall novel. Jane’s journey to autonomy plays a larger part than her love with Mr. Rochester. She is able to rise above her identity as an orphan relying on the dubitable charity of her aunt. She blossoms at school as a student, and again as a teacher. She strikes out on her own as a governess for Mr. Rochester’s ward, and she and Mr. Rochester slowly and subtly fall in love…in a very unusual love; a sometimes detached love. They are very plain with each other, always telling the absolute truth and not sparing any feelings. It is made immediately aware that neither the hero nor the heroine is especially attractive, though Jane’s beauty heightens as Mr. Rochester’s love grows.

The author of the introduction writes, “Men must be stripped of arrogance and women must become independent for any happily ever after to endure between the sexes.” Jane and Mr. Rochester’s love reflects this. Bronte’s view of love is more modern than many of her contemporaries. Even though the novel is more than just a love story, it is the love story that makes it most appealing to me. It is definitely worth reading.