Jane Eyre Research Essay Example
Jane Eyre Research Essay Example

Jane Eyre Research Essay Example

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  • Pages: 4 (1081 words)
  • Published: October 13, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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Religion is often an insignificant topic in contemporary society and the general population lacks knowledge about the Bible, with only devout individuals being knowledgeable about the sacred scripture. However, during the Victorian era, the Christian Holy book held a much greater significance.

During the Victorian era in Great Britain, The Holy Bible was widely recognized and well-known among citizens, including children and those of lower social classes. The country was deeply religious and many people attended church regularly, often at least once or twice every Sunday, as noted by Roth. Charlotte Bronte, having grown up in this religious time period, was also familiar with the Bible.

The author's knowledge of a sacred manuscript was applied to enhance her writing. Bronte incorporated well-known Christian-based stories to increase relatability and add grea

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ter detail to the book. In fact, she utilized biblical references, such as "Rebekah at the Well," "The Twelve Apostles," and "Noah's Ark," in order to build upon characters in her novel Jane Eyre. One particular example is "Rebekah at the Well" from Genesis, which plays a significant role in Jane and Rochester's passionate love affair. This biblical parallel emphasizes how both stories represent beginnings and the start of a long line of religious tales as well as love.

During the charades game between Rochester and Blanche Ingram, they perform a two-part act. For the first part, they portray a wedding scene where Blanche is dressed in white with a long veil on her head and a wreath of roses on her brow, while Rochester walks by her side. As they approach the table, Jane is deceived into thinking that Rochester is actually going to marry Blanche. (Bronte 180)

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the second scene, Rochester is portraying Eliezar from "Rebekah at the Well," with his future wife playing the part of Rebekah. Eliezar proclaims, "I am Abraham's servant. The Lord has greatly blessed my master" (Genesis 24:34-35), indicating that he cannot marry Rebekah due to his status as a servant, which prevents him from marrying someone of higher social standing like Rebekah.

In the novel, Jane Eyre, Eliezar is used to symbolize Rochester's view of Jane as his mistress, much like Rebekah views Eliezar. Additionally, The Twelve Apostles depicted in a tapestry offer important foreshadowing and character development in the story. Although not all of them are described, Judas is particularly significant, occupying the center panel of the tapestry with features that emphasize his role as a disloyal and evil figure: "The devilish face of Judas...seemed gathering life and threatening a revelation of the arch-traitor - of Satan himself - in his subordinate's form" (Bronte 207).

According to the description found here, Judas is depicted as a wicked man who is closely associated with Satan. Judas is labeled as evil due to his treacherous nature, specifically for betraying Jesus Christ. This despicable man turned against Jesus for a small sum of money, as it is written: "Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, to betray him to them. Who hearing it were glad; and they promised him they would give him money" (Mark 14:10). The artwork featuring Judas was positioned directly behind Mr. Mason's head.

This panel's placement implies that Mason has acted in treason, similar to Judas. In the novel, Mason plays the role of Judas and betrays Rochester by helping to deceive his

brother-in-law into marrying his unstable sister. As a family, they were aware of Bertha's inevitable descent into madness and thus, they quickly arranged for her to marry before her condition became apparent. The devious Mason and his kin selected Rochester as the target for Bertha's marriage scheme. While he pursued wealth, he ultimately committed an act of familial betrayal rather than personal gain.

The story of "Noah's Ark" is one of the three significant biblical tales referenced in Bronte's Jane Eyre. This story is evident when a flood occurs at Thronfield, where Bertha, who is mentally ill, attempts to set Rochester on fire. However, Jane rescues him by pouring buckets of water on the fire, resulting in an overflow of water that prompts Rochester to ask if there is a flood. The flood in "Noah's Ark" signifies the cleansing and removal of evil, which is also evident in Rochester's situation. In the biblical story, God floods the earth to eliminate evil people who inhabit it.

In Genesis 6:13, God tells Noah that due to the violence caused by humans, He has decided to flood the earth and eradicate all life. Jane's actions in cleansing Rochester of his past and evil can be seen as a parallel to this task, ultimately saving him both physically and spiritually. This is highlighted by Brasseur.

Charlotte Bronte incorporates various biblical allusions in her novel Jane Eyre, including “Rebekah at the Well,” “The Twelve Apostles,” and “Noah’s Ark.” These stories emphasize the theme that people should not be judged by labels assigned to them. This applies to Jane and Eliezar, who are both servants but are suitable for marriage. The novel showcases physical

and spiritual salvation, where characters are rescued from death, burns, past mistakes, and sins.

Initially, Rochester is deemed wicked and is associated with the negative aspects of the comparison to "Noah and the Ark". Yet, subsequent to undergoing purification through "the flood", both Jane and the audience alter their perception of him. Similarly, Mason starts off as somewhat dubious when he is initially introduced in the traditional sense; however, he eventually proves to be an atrocious wrongdoer.

Bronte skillfully employs her expertise and biblical understanding to construct her novel. Throughout the story, resemblances in themes, character portrayal, and lessons with the Holy Bible and Jane Eyre are apparent. Her adeptness at interlacing religious passages into her narrative makes it a genuine reflection of God’s Word. Brasseur, Courtney. Works Cited.

The webpage "Charlotte's Web" from the University of Michigan-Dearborn (2005) discusses the presence of biblical passages in the novel Jane Eyre. The source can be accessed on February 5, 2008 at http://www.

The website umd.umich.edu and the book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (published by Borders Classics in 2006) are related.

The book "The Holy Bible" was published by The World Company in New York in 1962 and the article "Victorian England: An Introduction" was written by Christine Roth. Both are related to Victorian England.

On February 11, 2008, the University of Wisconsin website, http://www.english.uwosh, referred to a publication from 2006.

Visit the website: edu/roth/;.

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