“Jane Eyre”: Loves vs. Autonomy

In the novel by Charlotte Bronte, “Jane Eyre”, there is a constant battle of love versus autonomy in Jane, the main character. At points Jane feels as if she would give anything to be loved. Yet over the course of the book Jane needs to learn how to gain affection of others without sacrificing something in return.

In the early stages of Jane’s life she was a very autonomous girl. She grew up in a hostile environment in the home of Mrs. Reed and her three children, John, Eliza, and Georgiana that is known as Gateshead. The Reed family showed no love or any sort of affection towards Jane in any way, shape, or form; for they all despised her. She spent most of her time out of contact of others. The most contact she had with someone was a household maid, Bessie Lee. She was the only figure in Jane’s childhood who regularly treated her kindly, telling her stories and singing her songs. Bessie was the only person Jane felt comfortable around. Next to Bessie was a beat up doll that Jane looked to for comfort. Soon enough Jane embarks on a new stage of life, adding something else to this battle of love and autonomy, Lowood.

Jane’s quest for love, value, and belonging continues at the Lowood Institution. It’s an institution for girls that are orphans, abandoned children, or they have no one to ward with. Once she settled into her new surroundings at Lowood she began to look around for potential friends and acquaintances. The first person she ran into was an older girl, Helen Burns. Helen is a clumsy girl that’s constantly doing something that the teachers there see worthy of punishment. However she endures her miserable punishment with a passive dignity that Jane cannot understand. Jane reacts differently when she takes punishment that is like Helen’s. When she drops a writing slate on the floor and breaks it in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the director of Lowood, had her sit on a stool and he verbally abuses her in front of the entire school body, calling her a liar and that no one should associate with her. Afterwards she is with Helen, even though Helen is not supposed to be with her.

If others don’t love me, I would rather die than live-I cannot hear to be solitary and hated, Helen. Look here; to gain some real affection from you, or Miss temple (a teacher at Lowood), 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, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest. (Bronte 69)

Stated here is Jane admitting to be willing to give up anything or have anything be done to her just to gain the affection of a couple people whom she cares for. This shows how strong the battle of love and autonomy rages within her. She wants to be loved but she doesn’t to loose her autonomy.

As time passes, eight years to be precise, Jane decides she needs to move on with her life somewhere away from Lowood Institution. She posts an ad in the local newspaper that she is an available governess looking for hire. She finds post at Thornfield, where Mr. Edward Rochester resides. After being there for a couple months of staying there and teaching Adele, a ward to Rochester, Jane meets Rochester and begins to fall in love with him. As more time passes Jane falls even more deeply in love with Rochester and he for her, even though Jane doesn’t know of it. However throughout this whole period of falling in love, she still remains to be a very independent person. When she isn’t teaching Adele, she’s spent time painting, drawing, playing Adele or tries to spend time with Rochester. A personal conflict going on within Jane was, if I marry Rochester, I might loose my identity and autonomy. It is difficult to be independent when you are in a couple. Couple’s are meant to work together through think and thin but they love each other no matter what comes about.

However, it also works in vise versa, it’s hard to be in love with someone and they love you when you’re too independent to work together. Basically, if you have one, you can’t have the other. Jane sees this and questions many things. When Rochester proposes to Jane she gives in to love. But then becomes afraid of loosing her autonomy and self image. “And then you won’t know me, sir; and I shall not be your Jane Eyre any longer, but an ape in a harlequin’s jacket–a jay in borrowed plumes” (Bronte 263). Jane says this to Rochester after he elaborates to Jane about giving her jewels to make her even more beautiful then she already is. But as Jane sees it, if she puts on something that isn’t her, she will loose her image of herself, and in addition, her autonomy.

She would loose her autonomy because she would be allowing someone to make a decision for her when she is perfectly capable of making it. Her fear of losing her autonomy motivates her refusal of Rochester’s marriage proposal. Jane believes that “marrying” Rochester while he remains legally tied to Bertha, Rochester’s wife at the time, would mean rendering herself a mistress and sacrificing her own integrity for the sake of emotional gratification.

After refusing to marry Mr. Rochester she leaves Thornfield with no destination. She turns up at the Moor House, the residents there are St. John Rivers and his sisters Diana and Mary. These residents Jane learns are her cousins. After having stayed there for quite some time, St. John starts to have feelings for Jane. In an attempt to hide his true feelings, he asks Jane to marry him for the sole purpose to be his missionary wife in Africa.

Shall I?” I said briefly; and I looked at his features, beautiful in their harmony, but strangely formidable in their still severity; at his brow, commanding, but not open; at his eyes, bright and deep and searching, but never soft; at his tall imposing figure; and fancied myself in idea his wife. Oh! It would never do! As his curate, his comrade, all would be right: I would cross oceans with him in that capacity; toil under Eastern suns, in Asian deserts with him in that office; admire and emulate his courage and devotion and vigor: accommodate quietly to his master hood; smile undisturbed at his ineradicable ambition. . . . I should suffer often, no doubt, attached to him only in this capacity: my body would be under a rather stringent yoke, but my heart and mind would be free.

I should still have my unlighted self to turn to: my natural unenslaved feelings with which to communicate in moments of loneliness. There would be recesses in my mind which would be only mine, to which he never came; and sentiments growing there, fresh and sheltered, which his austerity could never blight, nor his measured warrior-march trample down: but as his wife–at his side always, and always restrained, and always checked–forced to keep the fire of my nature continually low, to compel it to burn inwardly and never utter a cry, though the imprisoned flame consumed vital after vital–this would be unendurable. (Bronte 414)

This passage occurs after St. John Rivers has asked Jane to be his wife on his missionary trip to India. Jane embellishes the interior conflict involved in making her decision. In many ways, the proposal tempts her. It is an opportunity to perform good works and to be more than a governess, schoolteacher, or housewife; the roles traditionally open to women. Jane’s teaching jobs have all made her feel trapped, and she would not mind enduring hardships for a cause in which she truly believes. Yet St. John’s principles of ambition, austerity, and arrogance are not those that Jane upholds.

All battles come to an end at some point in time. When a battle ends, there is always a victor. The victor in this battle of love and autonomy is, you guessed it, love. Jane returns to Rochester and gives into love. “Reader, I married him” (Bronte 457). Jane saw that she had to give up her autonomy in order to love and be with Rochester. “I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine” (Bronte 459). She now understands that a couple must be together and push through think and thin. Now that she sees this, she can end her tale with a “happy ending”.

Over the course of many years a battle raged within Jane that ended with her happiness. When love and autonomy face off within someone, that person raises questions within him/herself. Like most people, Jane found answers over time and came to the conclusion that love is far more important than autonomy because no one is meant to be alone and by themselves in this world. We all need someone to love and we all need to love others.