The novel Jane Eyre was written by Charlotte Bronte and published in 1847. The novel tells the story of Jane Eyre, an orphan living with her unloving aunt and cousins. Jane is sent away at the age of ten to study at Lowood School For Female Orphans. During Jane’s time at Lowood many of the girls become sick with Typhus, including Jane’s first and only best friend; Helen Burns. Helen is three years older than Jane and is a highly intellectual and religiously devoted individual. Helen’s forgiveness and ability to see the best in others are both dominant personality traits that are explored widely throughout her appearance in the book. Helen dies from the sickness shortly after her diagnosis. Helen and Jane are similar by the sense that they are both orphans but both characters are connected by their differences in religion, views on ‘this’ or ‘their next’ life and their forgiveness …show more content…
Jane shows ignorance towards religion in her younger years and throughout her life she searches, questions and struggles to understand religion, “Where is God? What is God?”. Helen is devoted in her religion and takes all ill-treatment calmly, refusing to condemn those who punish her. Helen’s faith in God is one that Jane cannot understand but she admits to admiring. While Helen’s Christianity is too passive for Jane to adopt, later in the book Jane ends up settling on her own spirituality of love and connection. Although, Helen impacted Jane’s life immensely; she helped Jane possess faith, courage, trust and ensured her that there is light at the end of the tunnel of