Jane Eyre is a semi-autobiographical account written in 1847. Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816. Jane Eyre is a 10-year-old orphan that lives with her aunt Mrs Reed in a grand house. Jane’s loneliness causes her to become isolated she escapes and hides herself in thick curtains in a big deserted room, because her aunt and cousins make her feel like an outcast as she wanted to read a book, and wasn’t allowed. Jane refuses to listen which causes her to be severely punished by being sent to the red room. “Take her away to the red room and lock her in there “.
Her independence and strength of character is shown in detailed words. Jane verbally and physically lashes out on her cousin John as a sign of strong nature to be treated equally. As a terrible punishment she is forced by her aunt, which has absolutely no sympathy for her to be put in the red room. Imagery is created with the associations of the red room. The room is red; Bronte uses the colour red to symbolize anger, passion, fear and danger as well as death. The red room was the room that Jane’s uncle died, ” it was this chamber he breathed his last; here he lay in state “.
Jane was clearly terrified about the prospect about being locked in this room, with gloomy associations. She is extremely distressed and angry on the unjust treatment she receives from her family who despise her. She accepts she’s unwanted and unloved by understanding her position and role in the household. As it starts to get dark outside while in the red room she becomes more aware and afraid of her surroundings. She becomes convinced that the room is haunted and bellows out for help, this shows that her state of mind has changed.
Servants come to her aid but they are unsympathetic. Mrs reed thrusts Jane, bodily inside the room at that point Jane faints, and “I suppose I had a species off fit”. Secondly a lot of language devices are carried out in the text. Bronte also uses first person persona she also uses a narrational voice, audience gain an insight into the mind of Jane, which shows mental pictures, created with words. ” I resisted all the way ” this shows Jane is full of passionate anger and encouraged by her outburst at John to fight on.
The simile described by Bessie ” she’s like a mad cat”, also personification is used to indicate Jane as a cat it makes an image mentally created with words of Jane’s temper and outrage. Bronte uses a metaphor and also a juxta position ” rebel slave ” this shows that Jane is a rebel when she isn’t treated fairly. To produce emotive language Bronte uses ” I cried” so that the reader can sympathise Jane’s upset of her tears. ” Seldom slept in “, creates an effect of tension and slight mystery to the reader, the build- up of the strange atmosphere and the detail ness of everything inside the room.”
This reproach of my existence had become a vague sing-song in my ear “, this metaphor is a descriptive device which states that one thing is another, figuratively rather than literally it shows she’s constantly reminded off her dependence on the Reed household. ” No jail was ever more secure “, Jane is not really in a jail but from her point of view it is, Bronte is using a hyperbole. ‘The bed rose before me; to my right hand there was a high dark wardrobe with subdued, broken reflections raring the gloss of its panels” Bronte conveys janes stare of mind by describing things in the room that surrounded around her as enormous and sombre.
Also Bronte conveys Janes questioning with a series of rhetorical questions. “Why was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused for condemned? “, this shows that Jane feels sorry for herself and defines self pity which causes her to reflect on her drastic emotions. Overall I think Jane’s state of mind is rebellious and confused she doesn’t know whether to surrender ” I quailed to the dismal present “. Also I find that her varied emotions reflect that she’s on her period as all the colours of the room are red associating with her period.
As her mood swings in various ways. For example her state of mind is changed from; rebellious, accepting, terror, epiphany, self-pity then to becoming hysterical as she is hallucinating as she watches the bed rise before her. Also the red coloured room could be her womb and shows she could be on her way to growing into a woman.
