Just a Thought

     After reading Jane Eyre, I learn that the author, Charlotte Bronte, used the motif of solitude, as well as abuse, throughout the novel. Reading these incidents repeatedly made me wonder if Bronte had ever experienced these types of hardships because it may be a fiction, but there is always a motive for the author to write. In this novel, it is difficult to find isolation without abuse in the midst of the occurrence. For example, when Jane is detained in the Red Room for retaliation against her cousin, John Reed, she is isolated from everyone in the house, and she sees it as abuse because she fears her uncle's ghost may haunt her whilst in the room. Jane Eyre's thoughts and anger must have clouded her mind while in the room, because what she thought may have been the ghost of her uncle, may have been only a figment of her imagination.
     Early last week, we, as a class, were given the task of comparing and contrasting the themes we came across in the novels we were reading. I chose abuse as my topic, because the connotation of the word then, and now, do not nearly have the same denotation. Abuse back in Jane Eyre's time seemed as if it was a regular event, and no one thought much of it; it was the way to earn respect from those who had lower statuses in society. However, now, abuse is seen as inhumane, and instead of being viewed as punishment, it's seen as a crime. On the other hand, solitude is perceived, for the most part, the same in both aspects. It is difficult to have solitude without abuse, or vice versa, because people need to have a social life in order to continue growing as a "normal" person in today's society, and somehow...I believe Charlotte Bronte was missing that part of her life.

Shanyce R.