Brenna's Blog by Brenna Bradfield https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm Blog on Jane Eyre for AP Lit en-us 2021-02-11 19:02:55 UTC 2025-11-12 00:28:37 UTC hello@padlet.com Jane Eyre Chapters 1-10 2/12 bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1195364592 As I first began to dig into the world of Jane Eyre, I found myself quickly falling in love with Jane's dialogue. In between long-drawn sentences and fervent descriptions, Jane's sassy yet mature conversations with other characters were kind of a gentle reminder of her youthful nature. In between her speeches it felt like there was an older version of Jane speaking for this young character. The words just felt too long and the insight just felt too deep for it to come out of a ten-year old. No matter all the books she read and the experiences she had gone through, no young child is truly that reflective on the life around them. 

In fact, Jane's conversations had me further thinking about how a young child's brain develops, and how the situations that they go through young can drastically change their personality and demeanor. From having her parents die at such a young age to being psychologically tormented by her caregivers, there is just no way that Jane wouldn't grow up with lasting trauma. In the few times she lashes out, she is passionate and strong-willed, and there's just so much behind her head as we see Jane grow up.

I decided to include a video on how a child's brain is built through the experiences they face at a young age. Although I know that realistically Charlotte Bronte wouldn't have done or even had access to this much research, it's interesting to find this hypothetical world in which Jane Eyre was a real person.

]]> 2021-02-12 05:57:50 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1195364592 A Sweet Moment bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1195391340 Within the first few chapters of Jane Eyre, there weren't many moments where I was like "awwww." Everything was more like an "ah-" if you will. But, before Jane leaves to go to her new school, she has this really sweet moment with Bessie. Jane is reminded just for a second that there are people out there that love her, and I was just really fond of this interaction between the two.

“I’ll kiss you and welcome; bend your head down.” Bessie stooped; we mutually embraced, and I followed her into the house quite comforted. That afternoon lapsed in peach and harmony; and in the evening Bessie told me some of her most enchaining stories, and sung me some of her sweetest songs. Even for me life had its gleams of sunshine.

At times, Bessie was harsh on Jane. Jane even acknowledges this, but Bessie assures her that she is one of the favorite Reed children. Bessie often times sang Jane solemn but heartfelt songs, and I loved seeing this little parallel take place as Jane says her final goodbyes.

One of the reasons this passage stuck out to me so much was I felt like I resonated with Jane for a second. Sometimes it's easy to feel like everyone hates you (which was actually partially true in Jane's case unfortunately), but there's always someone out there looking out for you. It can be the people we least expect, or the people who sometimes don't make it apparent how much they care. Either way, this little passage was a gentle reminder of the good things in the world, and how there is always a light to be found somewhere.
]]> 2021-02-12 06:33:01 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1195391340 Rochester as a Gypsy bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1229801244 Out of everything that happened within these 10 chapters, Rochester revealing himself as the Gypsy had to be the strangest thing that occurred. Moving past the fact that a grown man somehow disguised himself as a woman to several people he knew very well and got away with it, I thought this arch was a very strange move on Bronte's part. There could have been a lot of other ways that Rochester revealed the truth about his wealth or his feelings for Jane, but it was done in this very odd manner. But, with everything I've learned about Bronte's writing style so far, I know that everything happens for a reason. Every name and character is a symbol, and I think the disguised gypsy furthers the supernatural theme that Bronte follows throughout the novel. He somehow knows the secrets of every woman he encounters, and he manages to dig deep into Jane's heart and feelings. In the past, anything mildly supernatural has taken sharp tolls on Jane, from her uncle's spirit to her first encounter with Rochester. This gypsy disguise is no exception, and it feels like Rochester has secret powers that will no doubt have huge effects on Jane. 

Continuing with symbolism, I thought it was important to note Rochester's red robes. Compared to the connotation of red as seen in the red room, the meaning has completely flipped. What used to be a sign of fear and anger has now turned into feelings of passion. At Thornfield, the color red is no longer used to torment Jane, and instead brings her feelings she has so longed for.]]> 2021-02-23 05:37:00 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1229801244 Jane Eyre Chapters 10-19 2/22: Jane's Failure in Feminism bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1229855597 On the surface, Blanche Ingram is everything that Jane wishes she was. She's beautiful, elegant, and, most importantly, in the eyes of Rochester. Jane shows her signs of insecurity when she hears of Ingram, comparing her own self-portrait to a portrait she has drawn of Ingram. This really surprised me because it seemed to go against all of the feminist ideas that Jane had just been fighting for. Although she believes in certain feminist ideas, she struggles with the idea of female conformity within herself. She's insecure in the way she looks, as if it isn't "feminine" enough. She's living to please men, which I just think goes against all ideas of feminism. Within her insecurities, she also puts down Igram because of her shallow personality.

Miss Ingram was a mark beneath jealousy; she was too inferior to excite the feeling…She was very showy, but she was not genuine. She had a fine person, many brilliant attainments; but her mind was poor, her heart barren by nature…She was not good, she was not original…Tenderness and truth were not in her…Other eyes besides mine watched these manifestations of character…Yes, the future bride-groom, Mr. Rochester himself, exercised over his intended a ceaseless surveillance; and it was from this sagacity…this obvious absence of passion in his sentiments toward her, that my ever-torturing pain arose.

Although Jane makes it apparent that she's an advocate for female equality, I think she needs to apply these ideas to herself first. Jane just needs to practice what she preaches here, because she had previously made it evident that she believes women should have the same opportunities as men because of the boredom she felt sitting around at Thornfield all day. But, you can't reach equality if you place yourself above or below other women, nor if you feel the need to live for the very people causing your oppression.
]]> 2021-02-23 06:05:34 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1229855597 Jane Eyre Chapters 20-26 3/5: A Lightning Strike bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1272527139 In Gothic literature, bad weather is commonly used to foreshadow negative events in a character's life.  This weather could be in the form of rain, clouds, a storm, or really anything moody. Although this theme is prevalent throughout much of Jane Eyre, I think it has its most significant moment within these chapters.  The night where Rochester confesses that he wants to marry Jane, a lighting strikes the tree that they were sitting under. As Jane looks at the battered tree, it can only be assumed that it is a bad omen.

"I faced the wreck of the chestnut-tree; it stood up black and riven: the trunk, split down the centre, gasped ghastly. The cloven halves were not broken from each other, for the firm base and strong roots kept them unsundered below"

The significance of the bad weather is revealed when Jane and Rochester's wedding day is a complete disaster. During their reception, the truth comes forward about Rochester's crazy first wife, Bertha. It couldn't really get much worse than that. In a strange way, I did enjoy this foreshadowing technique that Bronte implemented in her work. Sure. it could have been a bit more subtle, but I don't really think that's what Bronte was going for. Jane continually circled back to her bad feelings about the wedding, and I don't think it could have been more obvious that this wedding was not going to work out. That would just be too easy, and that's not what modern literature is about.

]]> 2021-03-05 05:33:20 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1272527139 What Do Your Dreams Mean? bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1272553477 In these chapters, Jane continues to bring up her strange dreams, much of which involve children. When you dream of infants, it's said that bad things are to come in your future. While this most definitely came true in Jane's life, I'd also like to think it symbolizes her failures and defeats when she drops the child in her dream. I think we're going to see more of Jane dreaming in the next coming chapters, continuing to foreshadow the events that come in her life.
I've always been fairly fascinated with dreams, and right after I have a vivid one there's a few things that I always try to do. First, I write down exactly what happened as soon as I wake up. I forget my dreams super fast, and I don't even know how Jane remembers all of them because I sure would not have if I was in her shoes. Next, I like to look up the meaning of what happened. You'd be surprised at how many answers there are for oddly specific things that happen while dreaming. Sometimes it's not the meaning I hoped for, but at least I have this odd occurrence written in my notes app or scribbled in a notebook. I'd like to think that maybe one day I'll be like Jane, and this dream I had will actually have foreshadowed something in my life. While I'm waiting for that to happen, I linked an article on some common dream interpretations, so maybe you can channel your inner Jane Eyre as well.]]> 2021-03-05 05:50:37 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1272553477 Jane Eyre Chapters 27-33 3/16: The Parallels Between Blanche Ingram and Rosamond Oliver bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1314244931 In chapters 27-33, we are introduced to a plethora of new characters as Jane flees Thornfield Hall and meets her new and accepting family at Marsh End. Some of these people include the ambitious and kind-hearted St. John Rivers, the caring and intelligent Diana and Mary Rivers, and the wealthy and beautiful Rosamond Oliver. Upon reading about Rosamond, I instantly noticed some similarities between her and Blanche Ingram. For one, they were both the gorgeous love interest of an unmarried man whom Jane is close to. They both seem rather shallow and surface-level, characterized by their interest in a man. And, most notably, both Rochester and St. John Rivers are reluctant to marry these women, although for very different reasons. When Jane confronts St. John and tells him to marry Rosamond, it's clear he has his intentions in mind.

“While something in me,” he went on, “is acutely sensible to her charms, something else is as deeply impressed with her defects; they are such that she could sympathize in nothing I aspired to; cooperate in nothing I undertook. Rosamond a sufferer, a laborer, a female apostle? Rosamond a missionary’s wife? No!”

I was pretty relieved when St. John revealed this, for at least the relationships between characters weren't just a carbon copy of everything that happened at Thornfield. St. John wanted someone practical in his life, and the parallels between Blanche and Rosamond end here. While Blanche was seeking fortune, Rosamond already had one. I thought it was interesting how these characters were similar in so many ways yet so very different in their intentions and mindsets, and I'm interested to see how Rosamond and St. John River's relationship will play out.
]]> 2021-03-16 07:01:24 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1314244931 Jane's Final Fleet bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1314331433 I believe that Jane's departure from Thornfield is one of the most important things that has happened in the novel thus far, and it really shows how far she has come as a character and the ways in which she has grown. Jane showed that she would no longer be complacent, and she proves the strength and endurance that is in her as she spends multiple days outdoors, cold and hungry, all in the hopes to escape a future prison. She knows that staying with Rochester would cause too much of an emotional toll on her, so she has to leave while she can. I think that's really admirable of Jane.

As I discussed in some of my earlier blogs, I think there are points in the novel at which Jane fails in feminism. But, here is a moment of a woman who has grown to be strong and independent, and she knows that no man, especially a lying one, will leave her satisfied and content. She doesn't need his support, and she most certainly does not need his love. I think that Jane most definitely dodged a bullet here.

I really liked how this art depicted the rocky relationship of Jane and Rochester. He's kind of holding her down and Jane appears to be distraught and upset. Much of the art surrounding them tends to romanticize their relationship, but it was most certainly far from perfect. It looks like she is actively fleeting, and the expression in her eyes tells us that she knows it is the right thing to do.]]> 2021-03-16 07:29:34 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1314331433 Jane Eyre Chapters 34-38: A Happy Ending bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1341465814 In a lot of the past reading that I've done for my english classes, I rarely get to experience a truly happy ending for each and every character. Finishing Jane Eyre was quite honestly a mood booster, and I loved the way that Charlotte Bronte decided to conclude her novel. 

Out of everything that was resolved in the last chapter, my favorite aspect had to be the immense growth that Jane had shown. In the end, she didn't submit herself to an unhappy and loveless marriage with St. John, but instead pursued the path that would bring her the most joy and well-being. Even though marrying St. John may have been the easy path, Jane has truly learned to follow her heart. She has independence but has still kept up her good morality, and I think that's a really inspiring message to come out of Jane Eyre. 

Jane and Rochester's relationship reminded me of one of my favorite songs at the moment, "Me & You Together Song" by the 1975. This song talks about a man who is deeply in love with a woman, but things keep getting in the way of them together. I thought of how Bertha was the factor separating Jane and Rochester, and, much like the song, Rochester was "in love with [Jane] for ages."]]> 2021-03-23 06:39:42 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1341465814 The Downfall of Thornfield bbradfield2021_3 https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1341515705 The fire and wreckage at Thornfield holds a lot of significance within the story of Jane Eyre. For one, the fire is a symbol of consequence and fiery. Bertha was Rochester's deepest and darkest secret, and it's quite perfect in a way that she is the one to set the place ablaze. She first sets fire to Jane's old bed, which is a symbol for the jealousy she felt within the sexual relationship between Jane and Rochester. Bertha held so much power by just merely existing, and the fire was her final blow.

In a way, Rochester is being punished for everything wrong that he has done, and he must face the consequences of his actions in the forms of the injuries that he sustains.

“Thornfield Hall is quite a ruin; it was burned down just about harvest time. A dreadful calamity! such an immense quantity of valuable property destroyed; hardly any other furniture could be saved. The fire broke out at dead of night, and before the engines arrived from Millcote, the building was one mass of flame. It was a terrible spectacle; I witnessed it myself.”

As Bertha flings herself off the roof, Rochester lets go of everything that has burdened his life. Many of his problems have been caused by Bertha, and now it is all over. Along with this, Jane is forced to leave behind some of the bitter memories that she left at Thornfield. From leaving the love of her life to her first "real" home, Thornfield was a touchy subject for Jane, and now she has no choice but to leave it behind.
]]> 2021-03-23 06:59:29 UTC https://padlet.com/bbradfield2021_3/pbabtw0sx1l7xesm/wish/1341515705