Charlotte Brontë Burns Through the Cool Veil of Jane Eyre

At the halfway point in our allotted time (around 7:15 pm), Andrea switched to the discussion questions which had been shared to the group via e-mail the day previous and provided as hard copies in the conference room.

Discussion Topic Questions for Jane Eyre

1. How would you characterize Jane’s personality and temperament as a child?  As a young woman?  What changes do you see in Jane as she grows up, and what remains consistent?
2. Jane Eyre is a novel full of symbols and atmospheric elements.  Pay close attention to the symbolic meaning of place names, characters’ names, Jane’s portfolio of paintings that she presents to Mr. Rochester, and the books that she reads as a young child.  Pay attention to Jane’s descriptions of the places she lives—particularly Thornfield and Ferndean.  What added meanings do these symbols and settings add to the plot? To helping you understand the characters?
3. What effects on Mr. Rochester does Jane have?  How does she influence him?  What effects does Rochester have on Jane?  How does he influence her?  What accounts for the passion between these two characters?
4. What is your opinion of St. John Rivers?  Is he a likable man?  Is he a character with whom you can find sympathy?
5. How does Charlotte Bronte use Jane Eyre to examine critically the following:
   1. Evangelical Christianity
   2. The role of women in Victorian society
   3. Education of youths, particularly girls
   4. Relationships between men and women
   5. Class hierarchy

Discussion on first questions on personality and temperament:

• As a child, Jane possessed a tremendous sense of right and wrong and had trouble recognizing those in authority over her because of their immorality.
• Impoverished orphan (similar to a Dickens story), yet she is not what she seems.
• Transforms into an heiress, now truly a member of the middle class.
• Sticks to her principals (offered up by one of our three male readers)
• Fearndean: Why do they settle there?  Andrea: So they could ‘opt out’ of the society, where they would be judged and rejected.
• Gets back at patriarchy by marrying Rochester

Discussion on second set of questions about symbolism and atmospheric elements:

• Consider the names of the places where Jane lives:
  • Gateshead and all the cage motifs – grates, bars
  • Lowood: disease, low area, corrupt, poor sanitation, a very low point in her life
  • Thornfield: like a mine field, brambles, thorns, difficulties, tangles, similar to the Fall (cast out of Eden), comparison to the Crown of Thorns, Jane’s penance
  • Chestnut Tree: split during storm, cleft but still firm in its roots, representing Jane and Rochester’s love for each other
  • Mary/Martha/St. John: seems pulled right out of the New Testament
• Jane’s growth: tension between anger/rebellion; suppresses rage to think better of others
• Helen Burns: a good influence on Jane; ‘Why so obsessed with earthly matters?’ she asked Jane.
• Ms. Temple: Another symbol (the temple of reason) influencing Jane to remain calm and use cool reason in her dealings with others.  Jane comes out of her education calm on the surface but seething inside.
• Jane’s mental state and nature: key moments happen outside
• Jane’s paintings: represent her dreams?  Andrea: Any insight (psychoanalysis?) into those paintings?  Especially the one depicting being lost at sea.  Reality often mirrors her paintings; leads to dreams before she weds Rochester, reflecting her inner state.

Kate asked ‘Does Bronte’ mention why this novel feels so cold and damp?’  Andrea responded to provide a sympathetic atmosphere.  The low points in Jane’s life centered on the cold and damp places she lived.  Whenever things turned warm and sunny, she was at her happiest.

Discussion on the third set of questions on how Jane and Rochester effected each other:

• Jane restores his faith
• So simple, but eloquent
• Gives him back his pride
• Afraid he’s a Libertine and out of control
• Raises him up to her level (another male reader pipes up)
• Their discussions and dialogues so different from his house guests
• Deeper value/roots
• Think more, listen more

Andrea stopped the discussion for a moment to refute one of Charlotte’s contemporary criticism assertion that this novel is anti-Christian when, in fact, to us, it seems overflowing with Christian themes and ideals:

• Realization that they are sinning
• Jane overcome by passion so much that she forgets her Creator
• She admits to the guilt and leaves to serve her self-imposed penance
• More intimate relationship; naivety in the beginning; her first love is Rochester
• Many readers laughed during St. John’s proposal of marriage to Jane and Jane’s ‘Just Say No’ mantra
• Andrea: Trying to understand why Jane would agree to marry St. John; trying to rationalize with her desolation; but where else does she have?  All other prospects are fraught with hopelessness, and mirror Charlotte Brontë’s own life.

Discussion on fifth set of questions to examine critically several listed subtopics:

Evangelical Christianity:

• Charlotte Brontë was harsh in her criticism of Christianity, as shown by the corruption at Lowood, the soullessness of her cousin Elisa, and the ambitiousness of St. John.
• Very patriarchal
• One reader asked if Charlotte had exposure to the English Deaconess movement, but no one present could answer.
• Charlotte questions organized religion
• Yet she (Jane or Charlotte through Jane) reaches out to God
• Spirituality, beseeching a higher power
• Rochester must be punished for his sins; then Jane can return to save him
• Helen Burns best represented Christian values, held them close in her heart; the pure one; a Christ-like figure; even talked of her resurrection (via the epitaph on her tombstone).
• One reader asked what the Charlotte’s father was like as a pastor?  Andrea replied he was a middle-of-the-road Church of England pastor, neither low nor high.
• The church Charlotte was familiar with was institutionalized, maintained inequalities, was corrupted and excelled at keeping people (of lower class) down.
• Charlotte took issue with how the Church conducted itself as opposed to the way it should conduct itself.
• When Rochester confesses, we see the supernatural elements explode in the story.
• Victorians loved closure, wrapped up nice and neatly

A reader noted that both Jane and Rochester were ‘odd ducks’ — both treated horribly by their families.  These characters produced many provocative themes in the novel.

Andrea began wrapping up the discussion as we approached eight o’clock.  She shared with us that her favorite Brontë novel happened to be Vilette because of it’s darker nature, pessimism and desperation, and Charlotte’s most mature work.   Andrea provide some further reading suggestions for 20th century criticism of the novel, including Mad Woman in the Attic (postulating that Bertha is the mirror of Jane) and Wide Sargossa Sea (for a look at European dominance and racism during the Victorian Era).

And thus ended an enjoyable evening after a month of reading Jane Erye.

Next month:

The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the Plaza Branch.

See you then!

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