Religion:
There are two extremes regarding religion in Jane Eyre.
-Mr. Brocklehurst: religious hypocrite. He preaches Christianity but is tainted with hypocrisy. An example is the passage we read in class about his lecture on the girls' hair and materialism. He elevates himself as a connection to God and lectures the girls on their sins while his own wife and daughters are covered in extravagant, materialistic luxuries.
-Helen Burns: true Christian. She does not preach the religion but rather, embraces it and acts accordingly.
Jane:
Jane is against both extremes; she does not fall in either category.
She hates the hypocrisy of Mr. Brocklehurst, but does not agree with Helen's tendency to stay subjective and passive. Because of her experiences with the Reed family, Jane does not feel that it is right to simply accept cruelty and to conform to religion.
Jane in a sense rejects religion of both extremes.
-Susan Y.
In my opinion, I believe that Jane leans towards Christianity that Helen Burns believes in. Since Helen was a great friend to Jane and constantly talked about how to love your enemies, Jane is wanting to believe in God. However, because of the extreme she is hesitant and is conflicted in what to beleive. As the book progresses, we see the impact that Helen had on Jane as she matures and eventually finds happiness in the end. This was a great blog where you made it easy for people to read and comment. Keep up the good work.
ReplyDeleteJoel B.(Dragonfist Bandits)
It is funny that you mention that Mr. Brocklehurst is a religious hypocrite becuse a similar situation arose in "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". Alec d'Urberville, the man who raped Tess, had a "religious revelation" and became a preacher. After what he did to Tess, it was hard to believe that he had actually converted. Soon he finds out Tess's religious beliefs were different from the ones he was preaching, and right away dropped all faith. Clearly he was just looking for forgiveness and to change his ways briefly without actually believing in it.
ReplyDelete-Taylor C.
i like how you state that jane is against both extremes on religion but in actuality, jane is close to god but not as close to god as helen was. however, its funny how you mentioned mr. brocklehurst instead of saint john as the religious hypocrite who believes jane is perfect for a minister's wife. it is a well-writeen blog overall!!!
ReplyDelete-nikki l.
It is understandable how Jane formed her opinions, she has reason to reject both extremes which I see as sad, Mr. Brocklhurst clearly abused it and acted as if he was free from the rules he said religion must follow. Jane knew he spoke lies and distorted words hence she could not comply with his beliefs.
ReplyDelete-- J. Keagy
I agree completely with what you have said here. I like how you stated how Jane does not really take a side between the two, but rather stands in the middle. However, her distaste for brocklehurst paralleled to her friendship with Helen would lead me to believe that she would lean slightly more to Helen's side of the situation should the situation call for such a thing.
ReplyDeleteScott C.
I agree that Jane found her own religious views through her rejection of Mr. Brocklehurst's and Helen's religious views. Helen, also an orphan, sought a home in Heaven and therefore sought a happy afterlife, while Jane sought a family and love in this earthly life, and also rejected Helen's "passiveness". Furthermore, Mr. Brocklehurst leads Jane to reject his hypocritical and power-seeking religious views, leading her to develop her own spiritual ideas. The fact that Jane developed her own religious convictions displays her autonomous nature. So, I don't think Jane sided with either, I think she viewed Helen's and Mr. Brocklehurst's religious views, and decided they weren't for her.
ReplyDelete-Hillary D.
yeah i didnt understand why mr.crocklehurst was being a hypocrite. Maybe he wanted to see himself as a holy figure but at the same time liked worldly goods. He didnt want any of the orphans to have the same standards as his family (curly hair)
ReplyDelete-Angela
I think it is important to have all views seen because that is the only time we can distinguish the good from the bad. It is good to have faith, but not to extreme because then one can become blinded by what the believe, and may be unwilling to accept change. But being too unfaithful is also not good because then one can become to passive and careless in worldly issues. Jane portrays the importance of this balance because she can distinguish the faults in individuals, but works to improve them through her faith and effort.
ReplyDelete-Cynthia Navarro
I do agree that Jane was slightly leaning more towards Helen, as Helen was her close friend and was obviously more moral than Brocklehurst.
ReplyDeleteAnd in response to Nikki, I chose Brocklehurst instead of John because I felt that Brockelhurst and Helen were present in the novel at the same time and same place, during which Jane felt the opposition against both extremes of religion. But I still do agree that John was also a religious hypocrite, as he justified a forced marriage with religion.
-Susan Y.
Oh and I also found out later that Charlotte Bronte, the author of Jane Eyre, was the daughter of a reverend. However, she made Jane reject religion. I found that ironic/interesting.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, and also with Scott above, Jane seems to take a middle ground position inbetween, but i believe if she had to pick a side it would be Helen.
ReplyDelete-Jake K
I think that Jane is similar to Helen. However, she receives so much input from the world around her that she struggles with this faith. She is constantly trying to follow the morals she holds to the extent that she denies herself everything that makes her happy.
ReplyDelete-Erica W.
Jane does seem to understand that Helen is a true Christian but she struggles with being completely humble and yielding. Jane seems completely outraged that Helen's virtue is not realized by others and Brocklehurt's arrogance is tolerated by the other characters of the novel.
ReplyDelete-Jasmine M.