Jane Eyre: AS & A2 York Notes

For Jane, the ideal marriage is a balance and a partnership – not for money or convenience. Rochester’s ‘fall’ and Jane’s inheritance allow this.

As a penniless orphan, Jane has to rely on charity and paid work to survive. Only her inheritance allows her to reclaim her place in society.

As Jane develops through the novel, she learns that independence of thought, plain speaking and honesty are at the heart of her identity.

Charlotte Brontë was horrified at the cruelty towards children found in middle class families (such as the Reeds) and public institutions (such as Lowood).

Jane is deeply religious, but she has her own approach to spirituality, which does not doggedly adhere to the Bible in the style of Helen or St John.