Book: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Publication: Penguin Classics
Price: Rs. 109
Pages: 447
Plot: This is the story of Jane Eyre, from her childhood to adulthood. How she faces struggles in her life with her strength, adaptability, and yet being true to herself and her values.
Jane is a young orphan, and she is raised by her cruel aunt Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed and her children are not very fond of Jane. She gets some kindness from a servant there named Bessie. One day as a punishment Mrs. Reed decided to send Jane to a charity school.
Though it was difficult for Jane and Bessie to say goodbye, they both were hopeful for her bright future in school. But the school was not what Jane expected it to be. The headmaster of the Lowood School, Mr. Brocklehurst was a cruel and hypocritical man. He used the school’s funds to provide a rich life to his family.
They say some blessings are truly disguised. There came a time when the typhus epidemic sweeps in the school. This brought attention to detesting condition of Lowood, which resulted in the departure of Mr. Brocklehurst. The school got a new headmaster, and with that, the condition of the school became better.
Jane spent eight years in Lowood, six as a student and two as a teacher. After teaching for two years Jane longed for some different experiences. She wanted to live life outside Lowood, so she accepted the offer of a position of a governess at a manor called Thornfield.
There she was given the duty to teach Adele, a young girl. Her employer is Mr. Edward Rochester. As time passed Jane and Mr. Rochester fell in love with each other. Mr. Rochester proposed to her for marriage, however on the day of the marriage Jane got to know about a secret of Mr. Rochester’s life. Mr. Rochester is a married man, he is married to a woman named Bertha Mason.
Mr. Rochester took her to Bertha, she has gone mad and has been locked on the third floor of the house because of her violent nature. As Jane got to know that she can never be his wife legally, she denied to marry him. Mr. Rocehster understood her hesitation and offered her to live in France where they can live as husband and wife. But Jane rejected that offer and decided to leave Thornfield.
What will Jane do after this? Will she be able to forget the man whom she loved so dearly? Well, you have to read the book to know that.
My Views: Jane Eyre is written in the first-person form. I found it a little slow in the beginning. I would say I got interested in it only after 200 pages. But that doesn’t mean that it’s a boring book. Throughout the book what I loved the most about it is the main protagonist. I found her as a strong woman, and admired her for standing by her values, even when she was alone.
Jane like anyone faced many ups and downs, but what stood her apart from others was that she kept herself, her values, and principles always first. I think that’s what readers love the most about her. She is fierce, intelligent, kind, loving, and most importantly not afraid to be herself.
As I said, I found the book a little slow in the beginning, but when it took off the pace for me, I could not put it down. The writing style is not very difficult. I loved how it is written in first-person form. We got to know more about Jane because of that. It was not only about what is going on outside but also what is going on inside her mind which is also very beautifully depicted in the book.
Overall I would say I loved the personality of Jane and enjoyed reading this book.
Recommendations: It is a must-read for anyone who loves reading classics.
Ratings: 3.5/5
If you are looking forward to reading more classics, here is the review of 1984 by George Orwell, and a post about One Hundred Years of solitude book and what this book taught me. Give these posts a read.
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