Thomas Moore's Sacred Songs

Thomas Moore's Sacred Songs

"Like heath that, in the wilderness,
The wild wind whirls away." (pg. 117)

This small snippet is from Thomas Moore's work, Sacred Songs. Bronte used this piece for two reasons. Moore was a famous writer of the time and clearly must have influenced Bronte and her writing style. More importantly though, the heath that is swept away by the wind can be seen a metaphor for Jane in this scene. Since she has just been talking about how monotonous her life is at Thornfield, the sudden appearance of a stranger, even though she only speaks to him for a few minutes, has stirred her world up once again. The revelation that this stranger is Mr. Rochester, Jane's future love interest, only gives more weight to her being the heath that is swept away.

Link: http://www.umd.umich.edu/casl/hum/eng/classes/434/charweb/guajardo2.htm (2005)