Monday, September 8, 2008

Reminiscent of Emerson and Thoreau?

As many have previously commented, Jane seems to be a truly loveable character. Well, perhaps ‘loveable’ isn’t the right word; she certainly was a feisty thing when she was younger (particularly in the company of Mrs. Reed) yet sadly, I feel that her transition to Lowood and then Thornfield Hall has stifled that passionate desire to revolt. Granted, her life is going more smoothly compared to the descriptions in the earlier chapters so there isn’t a reason to revolt.

While on the topic of Jane’s more rebellious side, I’ve noticed that nature seems to have an ironic effect on her. While it calms her greatly it also opens up her mind to new possibilities and thus seems to make her restless. At Lowood, she felt uninhibited when sitting on the rock in the middle of the creek; she is free from the scrutiny of her teachers and even the shackles of discipline. Whilst at Thornfield, however, when she sees the landscape before her from the roof she suddenly feels trapped—as though there are even more possibilities that await her outside of Thornfield.

It seems imminent, then, that whenever Jane connects to nature, her views on her current situation change. I have a feeling though that soon she will be introduced to other, more personable, reasons to stay or leave her current situation.

1 comment:

David Lavender said...

A more thoughtful post than most (well done!)--although I hope that you keep Emerson et. al. in the back of your mind as you read forward. Remember that these "Transcendentalists' were known in England as "American Romantics." Indeed, many of the same concerns that marked Emerson's writing (principally the beneficent effects that redound to the individual alone in Nature) are present throughout the novel.