Examples Of Archetypes In Jane Eyre

Archetypes in “Jane Eyre”

Archetypes are a means of classifying characters, settings, and symbols to reflect an old representation or incarnation of a long used idea or person, and “Jane Eyre” by the illustrious Charlotte Bronte is hardly without them, having used, but most assuredly not limited to, the classic heroine, the mystical visionary, and preternatural darkness.

Jane Eyre herself is employed not only as the novel’s main protagonist, but as a means of displaying qualities of being a classic heroine. “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you (Bronte 351).” There is also, “... The utmost hope is, to save money enough out of my earnings to set up a school

And the fortune-teller who spoke with Jane is hardly without her strange intuition, having understood her personality and soul by a single glance. “I see no enemy to a fortunate issue but in the brow; and that brow professes to say,--’I can live alone, in self-respect, and circumstances require me to do so. I need not sell my soul to by bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me… (Bronte 277).” There is also this quote, “‘Reasons sits firm and holds the reins, and she will not let the feelings burst away and hurry her wild chasms. The passions may rage furiously, like true heathens, as they are; and the desires may imagine all sorts of vain things: but judgement shall still have the last word in every argument… (Bronte 277).” This nameless fortune-teller reinforces the supernatural attributes in the novel, thereby deepening the strange, whimsicality and dark themes presented through means of mysticism, which often thought to be very real. She reads Jane in a way that sparks curiosity and wonder, as if she truly possessed powers beyond any mortal realm, being able to identify and define Jane’s independent personality by a merely looking at her physical appearance. It is a foreshadowing of her decisions, reiterating the fact that Jane is different from normal women, highlighting a true shock to many people of the age, as many women probably would have

Such would be the case when first meeting Mr. Rochester, “... As this horse approached, and as I watched it appear though the dusk, I remembered Bessie’s tales, wherein figured a North-of-England spirit called a ‘Gytrash,’ which, in the form of a horse, mule or large dog, haunted solitary ways, and sometimes came upon belated travelers, as this horse was now coming upon me (Bronte 154).” Even during the event where Mr. Rochester was nearly killed in his bed by fire, it is chillingly present. “The clock, far down in the hall, struck two. Just then it seemed my chamber-door was touched; as if fingers had swept the panels in groping a way along the dark gallery outside. I said, ‘Who is there?’ Nothing answered (Bronte 202-203).” This sense of darkly intrigue truly bites down into the deepest pit of background, which instills a sense of fear that, while not entirely preternatural, still enforces a great deal of shaken curiosity for not only the reader, but for Jane Eyre herself. This darkness also acts as an antagonist of sorts, because it leads the reader to wonder how and why this beautiful mansion can be haunted by such outrageous horrors, showing that because this pervading darkness is present throughout the entire course of the novel, it becomes a key