Rosaline (Rosaline's Rolls & Scrolls)'s Reviews > Jane Eyre

This was an interesting book and Jane was a curious character. I have about 5000 different feelings about this work of literature and this review will be a long one.

First off let's discuss who we are dealing with in this classic.
Charlotte's characters are frighteningly realistic. They are not your typical hero/heroine of works of fiction. We all know a Jane or Mr. Rochester. Their behaviors are sensible given their upbringing and their actions are not based on what a likable "hero" must do but how this person would act in such circumstances. I really liked this about Jane, even though I did not like Jane herself as a person.
Jane is a fiery soul. She has a strong and determined character as a child, but the boarding school she so cruelly been admitted to turns her into a timid and docile creature who has a lot of trouble doing what's best for her. And hence begins an interesting tale of similarly flawed characters who are not doing very well.
Mr. Rochester specially is not okay! Oh reader, the man is outright crazy if you ask me. But aren't we all and, my, am I attracted to a 200 year-old grandpa.

My feelings whilst reading this book can be described as anger followed by sadness and then understanding and finally joy. Jane as a character was very very interesting. And her romance with Rochester made an awful lot of sense. Due to my extreme daddy issues I found the entire affair hot, but in reality their relationship is an unhealthy one.

Did I consider this book a romance? No! Did it make sense and did I absolutely enjoy it? Yes!

Jane works for Mr. Rochester and is his ward's governess. Mr. Rochester who is 20 years her senior, after questionable behaviors and not being very nice to Jane, declares his love for her. Jane meanwhile has also fallen in love with him which is clearly due to loneliness derived from her utter lack of friends or family and the absence of a father figure in her youth. They begin a most peculiar courtship. And Mr. Rochester as always is very weird. He clearly has an obsession with this young girl who worship and adores him. It's understandable then why this loveless girl would fall for this strange man and he for her.

Attaching her to him with a watch chain though, what's up Charlotte?

Meanwhile Jane annoyed me. Not the way her character was written, no I really loved that, but her actual personality annoyed me. Jane starts out as a free spirit, a girl who doesn't allow people to mess with her. I liked her as a child. However, the school she ultimately grows up in kills all her feelings of self-worth and she ends up turning into a person who is constantly pushed around without a will of her own. She is now unable to stand up for herself and is often "unable to deny" people things they want which she truly does not want to give. She grows up now believing herself unworthy of love, wealth, and good fortune. She seeks to live quietly and with nothing. And when life pushes love and money her way she denies herself. I don't think she even knows why she does this.
But, reader, that school was hell on earth, teaching women not to be "vain" and live sad and plain and in poverty for the happiness of God and whatnot!
Yet, even though Jane annoyed me by constantly denying herself any shred of happiness, I completely understand why that is. Her character is consistent and I appreciate that in a book.

(view spoiler)[To be frank, I think the only reason Jane accepted Mr. Rochester in the end and was not so opposed to his love anymore, aside from his wife being dead, was the fact that he was blind. Much like when she felt less burdened when she considered sharing her newfound wealth with her newfound family.
It is clear that Jane feels a lot of pressure when preparing to marry Mr. Rochester. She is not at ease at all, and keeps insisting on things not changing. It is evident that she feels inadequate or at least does not truly see herself worthy of Mr. Rochester, his love, or his money. But when he goes through something tragic, I think she can finally see herself in the same level. It also helps that she finally has some family and money of her own. (hide spoiler)]

Aside from the characters, I also enjoyed the writing. Compared with most classics, "Jane Eyre" is quite fast-paced with a sensible amount of characters and random names. *wink wink*
I must say, I truly enjoyed my read or shall I say my "listen". (First fiction audiobook, it wasn't as bad as I expected.)

Lastly, allow me to express my utter shock at the ending. I did not expect (view spoiler)[any sort of happiness, I was waiting for my heart to be crushed. But to be perfectly fair, Jane gives a solemn type of vibe that cannot be associated with any form of contentment. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, I'm glad I did not give up when Jane had her "I must be sad and miserable" moods and finally finished this classic. It took me a couple of years to really get into it, but the book was worth my time.
I'm sure that had I read the book in my teens I would have loved it even more and probably would not have felt like kidnapping Jane and brainwashing her back to her factory settings. But as it was I loved my reading experience. I recommend this book to anyone with a love for classics and the Bronte sisters. And my gals with similar daddy issues, where y'all at ?