Examples Of Diction In Jane Eyre

In Charlotte Brontё’s novel, Jane Eyre, the main character, an orphan girl, encounters hardships throughout her childhood. The author complements the plot of the story by creating a feeling of constraint and imprisonment through which the orphan girl must overcome. Through the proper use of diction, imagery, and atmosphere, Brontё is able to create such a delicate feeling.

Throughout the first chapter of her novel, Brontё implements diction that conveys a negative connotation. For instance, she asserts, “... I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight…”. Her choice in diction, such as “long walks”, “chilly”, “dreadful”, and “raw twilight”, create a hostile environment. It seems as if the character, the orphan girl, feels relieved that she no longer has to go on her timeless walks that only drain her energy and torment her soul. Through her choice in diction, we can infer that the character does indeed feel imprisoned in a world where she can not exercise her freedom and will. We can even create vivid images of her story schemes through her choice of diction.

Through her good use of diction,as mentioned earlier, the reader is able to create clear and vivid images of the setting. Brontё writes, “... the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so somber and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question”. Her imagery in this example allows us to imagine the blue weather outside. We are able to see and picture what the orphan girl sees and place ourselves in the story. Such somber weather, with heavy rain and clouds dripping with grey pigment, contributes to the overall tone of the novel, the feeling of constraint and imprisonment that the orphan girl