JANE EYRE (CHARCATERS )

JANE EYRE

Writing in a Victorian society where women were expected to be submissive, dependent and morally obedient, Brontë presents Jane as a character who develops from an isolated and powerless orphan into a morally independent and self-assured woman. Through her resistance to social, emotional and patriarchal control, Jane consistently prioritises self-respect and autonomy, ultimately achieving fulfilment only when she can form relationships based on equality rather than dependence.

Big Idea 1:

Jane consistently resists control and refuses to accept emotional, social or moral oppression.

Big Idea 2:

Jane achieves independence and is only able to form fulfilling relationships once equality is established.

ROCHESTER

Writing in a Victorian society where women were expected to be submissive, dependent and morally obedient, Brontë presents Jane as a character who develops from an isolated and powerless orphan into a morally independent and self-assured woman. Through her resistance to social, emotional and patriarchal control, Jane consistently prioritises self-respect and autonomy, ultimately achieving fulfilment only when she can form relationships based on equality rather than dependence.

Big Idea 1:

Jane consistently resists control and refuses to accept emotional, social or moral oppression.

Big Idea 2:

Jane achieves independence and is only able to form fulfilling relationships once equality is established.

ST JOHN

Writing in a Victorian religious context that valued discipline, duty and self-denial, Brontë presents St John Rivers as a character who prioritises moral and religious obligation over emotional connection. Although he appears virtuous, his approach to relationships is rooted in control and repression, allowing Brontë to critique forms of authority that suppress individuality and genuine feeling.

Big Idea 1:

St John represents duty, control and emotional repression in relationships.

Big Idea 2:

Brontë critiques his lack of emotional depth, presenting him as incompatible with true love or fulfilment.

BERTHA MASON

Writing in a Victorian society that feared mental illness and confined those who challenged social norms, Brontë presents Bertha Mason as both a Gothic figure of madness and a symbolic representation of repression and silenced female suffering. While she is depicted as violent and animalistic, Bertha also exposes the consequences of confinement, control and denied identity.

Big Idea 1:

Bertha is presented as frightening and unstable through Gothic and animalistic imagery.

Big Idea 2:

She symbolises repression, confinement and the destructive effects of denied freedom.

HELEN BURNS

Writing in a deeply religious Victorian context, Brontë presents Helen Burns as a model of Christian patience, forgiveness and spiritual resilience. Through her acceptance of suffering and belief in divine justice, Helen represents moral purity, while also contrasting with Jane’s more assertive resistance to injustice, suggesting that passive endurance may be morally admirable but practically limiting.

Big Idea 1:

Helen embodies Christian forgiveness, patience and moral strength.

Big Idea 2:

Her passive acceptance of suffering contrasts with Jane’s more active resistance to injustice.

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MR BORCKLEHURST

Writing in a Victorian society where religious authority was often used to justify social control, Brontë presents Brocklehurst as a hypocritical and oppressive figure who manipulates religion to enforce discipline and maintain power. While he promotes humility and self-denial, his actions reveal a contradiction between public morality and private behaviour, exposing the dangers of institutionalised hypocrisy.

Big Idea 1:

Brocklehurst uses religion as a tool to control and punish others.

Big Idea 2:

He is deeply hypocritical, failing to practise the values he imposes.