Tansition in the Dark

In the first few scenes of the novel we see the absurdly wicked environment Jane called home. Mrs. Reed’s lack of love for her niece is shown when Jane is locked alone in the red room. She is full of superstitions and her mind is filled with Bessie’s stories. Her mind leads her to believe things that may or may not be true. When she screams out Mrs. Reed is not happy, but this is the beginning of Jane’s resistance to conformity. This is also the first time we see Jane alone. She is embraced in the darkness of the room and her mind spins with different things that she hears and sees until she has to stop it all and move on (whether that is screaming or leaving a room.) Another time we see Jane alone, in the dark, and listening only to the superstitions in her mind is the night of the fire. Lying there in bed she hears noises in her head. She claims they are real and in the end they turn out to be. Before she knows that she is once again, similar to the dark room, confided in her own space not knowing what is best to do . In the red room she asked herself if she should move from the corner and go to the door. In her new room at Thornfield she is once again, alone in the dark, not knowing if she should bolt the door or go out into the hall to investigate the sounds she is hearing. In the end, Jane decides to leave her room. This in a way is similar to when she screamed in the red room. Both things she is not completely sure about and doesn’t know if it is the right thing to do, but she does them none the less. Both times of uncertainty seem to lead to something new. In the red room she is lead to her final leave from Mrs. Reed’s home. At Thornfield her uncertain decision leads her not only to save Rochester’s life, but also to find that she is truly and honestly in love this man. Both of these times in the dark seem only to lead to times of excitement and transition in Jane’s life.