Symbolism in Jane Eyre Essay Sample

Symbolism in Jane Eyre Essay Sample Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Brontë in 1847 was an exceptional novel at the time it was written. Its novelty consisted in the fact that the narrator was a young woman which was unprecedented before. Moreover, it was uncommon that a woman could define her own destiny and become not only a wife but fulfill herself in the society she lived in. The author expressed her idea of an ideal woman who can stand her ground, make independent decisions as well as career choices. No wonder that the publishing homes of the Victorian England initially were not receptive to such kind of prose and rejected the novel at first. Another peculiarity of the novel is abundance of symbols that Charlotte Bronte masterfully weaved into her writing to create a powerful gothic novel. The author uses sounds, colors, air of secrecy and dreams as symbols that set a certain mood and represent abstract concepts. The novel is abundant in symbols. In my essay, I will concentrate on the most prominent ones. The red-room in which Jane was locked up by her aunt represents the symbol of Jane’s emotional imprisonment, the ridicule she had gone through and the state of being emotionally trapped. In that room the girl felt overwhelming rage â€" a quality considered to be a vice as in the 19th century women were supposed to be submissive and benign. Throughout the novel the image of the red-room reoccurred on Janes’s mind whenever she found herself in an undignified situation. The splintered chestnut tree struck by lightning on the night when Rochester proposed to Jane symbolizes an evil omen. It was under the tree where the man asked Jane to be his wife. The incident with the split tree boded of the upcoming separation of the two loving hearts. Later on Rochester compared himself to the splintered tree and Jane to a “fresh budded woodbine”. If after the lightning had split the tree in half the couple still remained unflinching and kept preparing for the wedding, the torn veil was another symbol of something unpleasant looming on the horizon and casted a shadow over a seemingly bright future ahead. Jane discovered that the intricate lace of her wedding lace was torn in half just a few days before their wedding. Again, it is a symbol of upcoming separation and unrealized family dreams. Fire and ice constantly described in the novel also bear a symbolic meaning. Fire is viewed a as something associated with love, creativity and life while ice represents coldness and dispassion. In Jane’s eyes Rochester represents fire as opposed to St. John whom she associates with snow and ice. Even though fire as a symbol also has a destructing power, it is not viewed as something bad. Instead, during the first instance of fire Jane and Mr. Rochester grow closer and in the second blaze Bertha dies, and Rochester becomes freed from the chains of the past. The author also metaphorically emphasizes the importance of fire in a relationship as it fuels love and passion towards each other. By using symbols in her novel Charlotte Brontë created a mysterious gothic novel that keeps readers in suspense. Whether it is a bad omen for the loving ones, a terrifying fire or solitary confinement in the red room, the reader empathizes with the main characters and gasps in surprise when the mystery unveils.