Works Cited

Works Cited

Davis, Kenneth C. Don't Know Much about Mythology : Everything You Need to Know about the Greatest Stories in Human History but Never Learned. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.

Guajardo, Scott A. ""The Wild Wind Whirls Away": An Allusion to Thomas Moore's Sacred Songs in Jane Eyr." 2005. University of Michgan at Dearborn. 30 Nov. 2008 .

"Gulliver's Travels: Plot Overview." Sparknotes. 2008. 30 Nov. 2008 .

"Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night." Bonfire Night. 16 Apr. 2008. 29 Nov. 2008 .

Johnsen, Linda. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism. New York: Alpha Books, 2001.

Krystek, Lee. "The UnMuseum: Tower of Babel." The UnMuseum. 1998. 29 Nov. 2008 .

"Leprechaun." Encyclopedia Mythica. 10 Apr. 1999. Ncyclopedia Mythica Online. 30 Nov. 2008 .

Liukkonen, Petri. "Jean de la Fontaine." Books and Writers. 2008. 30 Nov. 2008 .

"Medical Encyclopedia: Typhus." MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. 2008. US National Library of Medicine. 29 Nov. 2008 .

"Resurgam." Merriam Webster. 2008. Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. 29 Nov. 2008 .

"Tuberculosis (TB)." MedicineNet.com. 2008. 29 Nov. 2008 .

Jean de la Fontaine

Jean de la Fontaine

"Assuming the attitude, she began, "La Ligue des Rats, de La Fontaine." (pg. 104)

Jean de la Fontaine was a French poet who collected hundreds of fables in his time. He borrowed from Aesop and Greek mythology for his fables, of which there are upwards of 200. Most of these fables are simple-minded tales about nature and animals. The use of Adele telling a Fontaine poem shows the simplicity of the little girl and what she knows. It also helps to show her culture and that she has been distinctly influenced by her French upbringing.

Link: http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/fontaine.htm

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels

"...I begged her to fetch Gulliver's Travels from the library." (pg 20)

Gulliver's Travels is a book written by Jonathan Swift and tells the story of a man named Lemuel Gulliver and his fantastical voyages to faraway lands. The reference to Gulliver's Travels in Jane Eyre is especially fitting when thinking in terms of how Jane relates to those around her. Gulliver is often in lands where he is seen as a complete outsider. He travels to lands where he surrounded by tiny little people and he is the largest thing they have ever seen but he also travels to a land where he is tiny compared to the giant-like people that inhabit the land. Gulliver is never with his own kind for very long and always feels out of place. When he finally does find a place he likes and is at home with the inhabitants, they reject him because they find him to be too much like the creatures that act as their servants. Just like Jane, Gulliver is often on the outside looking in but desperate for companionship.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gulliver/summary.html

Jane as a Feminist

Jane as a Feminist

"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel..." (pg. 111)

In this short passage, Bronte gives Jane a very feminist-tuned voice. She talks about how unfair it is for women to be forced into doing simple things like cooking or sewing. Jane puts men and women on equal playing field, saying that women need the same things that men do. Throughout Jane Eyre, Bronte makes equality a very important issue to her protagonist. Even though Jane loves Rochester, she refuses to become his mistress. She knows that they would not be on equal footing and she would always be at his mercy. Only when she knows they are equal in status does she become his wife.

Jane vs. Social Norms

Jane vs. Social Norms

"I don't think, sir, you have a right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have..." (pg. 136)

Throughout Jane Eyre, Jane is seen to be battling against social rules and norms. She refuses to be treated like nothing in Mrs. Reed's house, even though according to class rules, she has no reason to act like she is anything better than a servant. Jane never accepts less than what she believes she deserves, an idea that was fairly radical for a young girl of rather poor means. In this scene with Rochester, Jane bluntly tells him that she doesn't think he should be able to tell her what to do simply because he is older or more experienced. Jane does not hang her head or bite her tongue when it comes to her beliefs. By creating a strong-spoken female character, Bronte has shown several of her own thoughts on the matter of class and social rules.

EDIT: Bronte's use of first-person point of view narrative helps to display her own values though Jane, especially on issues such as feminism and social norms. It would have been easy for Bronte to express her feelings openly while using words such as, "I" and "me". It knocks down a barrier within the expressive mind to use personal first person pronouns instead of "her" or "she".

Leprechauns

Leprechauns

"I shook my head. "The men in green all forsook England a hundred years ago," said I..." (pg. 124)

The "green men" that Jane is referring to are leprechauns. Leprechauns are tiny little men who were said to live in Ireland and cobble shoes for elves. They have since become a famous fairy tale in their own right, with different versions of their excessive drinking and hidden treasures. Bronte's reference to leprechauns in her novel adds a sense of local color and myth. When Rochester asks Jane if she is in league with the leprechauns, it would be just like if someone in Maine asked if you were spending time with Bigfoot.

EDIT: Bronte's decision to use the leprechaun myth adds to the seemingly mischevious characterization of Jane. Rochester's question of Jane's connection with the leprechauns shows that Rochester finds her impish and even playful. In addition, the reference to leprechauns leaving England points to the longstanding tension between Britain and Ireland.
Link: http://www.pantheon.org/articles/l/leprechaun.html

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)

Resurgam

Resurgam

"...a grey marble tablet marks the spot, inscribed with her name, and the word, "Resurgam." (pg. 83)

Resurgam means "I shall rise again" in Latin. This is an appropriate epitaph for Helen because her entire life, or at least the snippet of her life that the reader sees, was spent trying to better herself in the eyes of the Lord. Helen's good and honest life was cut short when she could have spent so many more years helping others and becoming an even better person. Bronte's use of a very biblical-type inscription for Helen's headstone again emphasizes Helen's religious characterization and how the other character of Jane Eyre saw her.

EDIT: In addition to showing Helen's pious characterization, the idea of Helen "returning" or "rising again" plays an important to the rest of the novel and Jane's life. The ideas that Jane learned from Helen's example while in school impact her decisions and actions throughout the rest of her life. In a way, every time Jane does something that she either learned from Helen or has does something with the influence of Helen hanging over her, it is al though she is risen again.

Link: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/resurgam

Consumption

Consumption

"...for her complaint was consumption..." (pg. 79)

Consumption is actually the disease known as tuberculosis. Tuberculosis used to be a death sentence, but now TB can be treated with simple antibiotics. Tuberculosis is a disease that most commonly affects the lungs but can affect any organ in the body. Consumption was a common disease during Bronte's time and took a very long time to take its toll on the body. Helen's quiet suffering from TB highlights her martyr-like characterization. Helen would have had a perfectly good reason to be more of a whiny or less honorable girl, but instead she ignores her sickness and does her best to do what she feels is right in the eyes of her elders and God.

Link: http://www.medicinenet.com/tuberculosis/article.htm

Typhus

Typhus

"...with the quickening spring, crept into the Orphan Asylum, breathed typhus through its crowded school-room and dormitory..." (pg. 77)

Typhus is a bacteria-related disease that is most commonly spread by lice or fleas. There are two types of typhus, murine and endemic, that are caused by two different types of bacteria. Murine typhus is rarely ever deadly and lasts about two to to three weeks. Endemic typhus usually only occurs in places of poor hygiene and cold temperatures. Since the hygiene was probably not top-notch at Lowood and the severely cold weather was only then beginning to abate, endemic typhus was probably what killed so many of the girls at Lowood. Bronte's use of typhus lets the reader know that the conditions of Lowood were not very good and that the girls were not taken very good care of.

Link: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001363.htm

Cold and Ice

Cold and Ice

"How different had this scene looked when I viewed it laid out beneath the iron sky of winter, stiffened in frost, shrouded with snow!-- when mists as chill as death wandered to the impulse of east winds..." (pg. 76)

Just like with heat and fire, cold and ice are important symbols of Jane Eyre. Whereas heat and fire are associated with positive action and feeling, ice and cold are equated with more negative things, especially the absence of feeling or life. When Jane is stuck at Gateshead, she often looks outside at the barren and cold landscape and feels even more utterly alone. Even when she leaves Gateshead for Lowood, ice and cold confront her there, shown in the cold weather and icy conditions of the dormitory. The contrast between these two motifs show the contrast Bronte wishes to emphasize between Jane and world that opposes her. Jane is the fire, for she is alive and feels things, while the harsh world is represented by ice and cold for it feels very little and cares not for the feelings of Jane or others.

Jane's Obsession with Love and Companionship

Jane's Obsession with Love and Companionship

"I cannot bear to be solitary and hated, Helen. Look here; to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me..." (pg. 69-70)

Love and companionship are an important part of Bronte's novel, but what is even more important is how much Jane longs for love and companionship. Throughout the novel, she desperately searches for acceptance in the form of a friend. In this passage, Jane's desire is clearly illustrated as she says she would do anything, including endure physical pain, for affection. Her longing plays an important part in Jane's growth and desire to be independent. Her desire for love is overcome by her need to be independent when Rochester asks her to be his mistress but she denies him. Even though Jane has finally found love with Rochester, she refuses to be put in a position where she is not Rochester's equal.

Brahma

Brahma

"...a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma..." (pg. 67)

Brahma is the Hindu god known as The Creator. Brahma is one of the three manifestations of Brahman (essentially the soul of the universe, the essence of life, everything) and regarded as the greatest of all sages and the first god within the Hindu pantheon. Eventually, through time, Brahma faded slightly from the picture and became overshadowed by Vishnu and Shiva, the two more active gods of Brahman. Brocklehurst's comparison of Jane to Brahma is used to show intense harshness, as worship of another god aside from the Christian God was severely condemned. It is difficult to know how much Brocklehurst knew of Brahma, but it interesting to point out one story of Brahma and how it might apply differently to Jane. In one Hindu legend, Brahma fell in love with his daughter, matter. Incest is a serious crime in India, thus Brahma was condemned by Shiva and punished by having one of his five heads cut off. The idea of Jane, an orphan with no father, worhshipping at the foot of a creator god who was said to fall in love with his daughter, draws an interesting parallel between a tightly-laced British novel and Eastern religious myth.

Sources: Don't Know Much About Mythology by Kenneth C. Davis
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism by Linda Johnsen

The Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel

"...and comparative silence quelled the Babel clamour of tongues." (pg 46)

In this passage, Bronte is referencing the biblical story concerning the Tower of Babel. Mentioned briefly in Genesis, the story tells the story of several men near the beginning of time who came together and, since they all spoke the same language, decided to build a tower up into the heavens. God saw what they were doing and decided to stop them by mixing up their languages and scattering them to different parts of the Earth. Bronte uses this reference in her novel to illustrate the craziness that a school of all young children talking at once could be. Biblical references are quite common in novels of Bronte's time because the Bible was and continues to be a very important part of culture in the Western world.

EDIT: The craziness of attending school with so many young girls influences Jane's life from a young age, as does schooling in general. Jane becomes a more solitary figure as life goes on, liking to be in the company of fewer people as opposed to large groups. This may be due to her semi-negative experience in a such an over-populated school as a girl. Schooling in general is an important part of Jane's existence throughout her entire life, as she remains at Lowood as a teacher for several years before becoming Adele's private teacher later and teaching with St. John and her family even later. Bronte's decision to make schooling such an influential part of Jane's life shows how important and affecting school was to Bronte's own life.

Link: http://unmuseum.mus.pa.us/babel.htm

Fire and Heat 1

Fire and Heat

"A ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring, would have been a meet emblem of my mind when I accused and menaced Mrs. Reed..." (pg. 37)

Throughout Bronte's novel, heat, and subsequently fire, are regarded as positive symbols within Jane Eyre's life. In this scene, Jane has finally told Mrs. Reed exactly how she feels and how she despises her benfactress for treating her so horribly all these years. Jane then compares her mind to a fire after finally standing up for herself. Bronte's use of "alive" emphasizes the positivity of Jane finally being independent and standing for herself. Jane's independence is an important theme within Jane Eyre, as independence is a life-long struggle for Jane.

Guy Fawkes

Guy Fawkes

"...gave me credit for being a sort of infantile Guy Fawkes." (pg. 25)

Guy Fawkes is the infamous English man who attempted to blow up Parliament in the 17th century with 12 other men. The group of men was lead by Robert Catesby, but it is Guy Fawkes who is remembered for the November 5th plan to blow up Parliament. Several of the men had second thoughts about the plan and betrayed the group to English officials. Fawkes was the only one found with the gunpowder that had been planted beneath Parliament. He was subsequently tortured, tried and hung. Jane finds humor in the fact that Abbot compares her to Guy Fawkes. Bronte's comparison between Jane and Fawkes helps to illustrates the foolishnes and close-minded attitude of Abbot's character.

Link: http://www.bonfirenight.net/gunpowder.php