The Outsider

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre explores a number of fascinating themes; however one stands out in particular as I begin to near its end. Throughout the story, Jane’s life is constantly overshadowed by her perceived “otherness.” The idea that she is different, that she falls short, that she is unwanted – pervades every fragment of her existence. As an outsider, and with the help of others who wish to bring her “in,” Jane develops an independent and resilient spirit which causes her to stand out from the other young ladies portrayed in the novel. The question is, what will happen when she is relieved from her outsider status and ushered into Mr. Rochester's world of wealth and class?

                

As a girl, Jane is distressed by her outsider position. Her aunt and cousins, the Reeds, hate her and treat her unjustly throughout her time living with them in Gateshead. Jane senses the rift between them acutely, saying “I was in discord in Gateshead-hall: I was like nobody there: I had nothing in harmony with Mrs. Reed or her children, or her chosen vassalage.  If they did not love me, in fact, as little did I love them. They were not bound to regard with affection a thing that could not sympathize with one amongst them; a heterogeneous thing…” (Brontë 73). Even as a ten year old child Jane is being forced to struggle with her “difference.” She is viewed and treated as an “other” by her family despite having wished to please and appease them. And yet, they cannot see past her deceased father’s inferior station, her orphaned status, her physical flaws or her disagreeable character. It is not until encountering the unexpected kindness of Mr. Lloyd the apothecary – who somehow understands the reality of Jane’s situation and desires to help – that Jane is given the chance to leave Gateshead and the hope of finding somewhere to belong.

Jane catches a glimpse of this hope as she begins to settle into the difficult-yet-improved life she has at Lowood Institution, and yet her hope seems to be quickly dashed when the supervisor Mr. Brocklehurst arrives on the scene. Her relative happiness is shattered when, in front of the entire school body, he brands her as “a little castaway: not a member of the true flock, but evidently an interloper and an alien.” As if this is not enough to isolate her, he continues to warn the girls to “be on your guard against her; you must shun her example: if necessary, avoid her company, exclude her from your sports, and shut her out from your converse” (Brontë 129). Yet again, it seems that Jane is doomed to be unjustly cast aside, labeled as an “other” without being given a chance to prove otherwise.  It takes the wisdom of Jane’s friend Helen Burns and kind teacher Miss Temple to begin her shift in thinking – to see that she “think[s] too much of the love of human beings” (Brontë 133) and that she need only concern herself with her own behavior, because “[everyone] shall think you what you prove yourself to be” (Brontë 134). Over the course of her years at Lowood, Jane takes these and other observations to heart, and upon leaving the institution eight years later, she seems to have let go of her overbearing need to prove herself and is now a confident and accomplished young woman.

Serving as governess at Thornfield, Jane’s transformation is put to the test. When the master of the house, Mr. Rochester, arrives, she soon begins to experience unforeseen conflicts. Because she is so used to being treated as an “outsider,” Mr. Rochester’s brusque and cold behaviors put her at ease. Their first interaction after the chance meeting outside Thornfield appears strained, and yet Jane does not wish it any other way. “A reception of finished politeness would probably have confused me: I could not have returned or repaid it by answering grace and elegance on my part; but harsh caprice laid me under no obligation” (Brontë 190). Intrigued by the young woman’s candor and calm composure when faced with his unsettling tendencies, Mr. Rochester cannot help but see Jane as unusual, and over time adopts her as his confidant. When he finally confesses his love, it would seem that Jane’s “otherness” has worked in her favor. By standing apart from other young women – ladies like Blanche Ingram or Georgiana Reed – Jane has managed to win the heart of the wealthy, respectable man whom she has come to love.

             

And yet Charlotte Bronte doesn’t end the story with Mr. Rochester’s profession of love in the Thornfield garden, nor with Jane’s agreement to wed him in a month. As she is being welcomed “in,” into wealth, class and beauty, readers find her fighting back. Upon being showered with gifts and flatteries, and told she would give up her “governessing slavery at once,” she tells Rochester she wishes for no such thing. She wishes for everything to remain as it has been, with only one exception. “You shall give me nothing, but… your regard: and if I give you mine in return, [my] debt will be quit” (Brontë 356). As I have not read far past this point, I am intrigued to discover just how Jane will react to this new position as “insider.”  Can she adopt such an unfamiliar status, or will she continue to rebel? How has being labeled as an “other” shaped her as a woman, and can she maintain her distinct characteristics – those which caused Mr. Rochester to fall in love with her – while simultaneously assimilating into this new station in life?

Works Cited

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 1999. Print.