Juxtaposition In Jane Eyre

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When it was first published in 1847, Jane Eyre brought a new voice to the world of literature; that of a child. It was not the child typically portrayed in novels. It was a defiant young girl angry at the world and its harsh expectations of women. Throughout the novel, the child is a recurring figure. We meet Jane as she is growing up in Gateshead and at Lowood. The dual narration from past and present Jane highlights the juxtaposition between her old and present self. The child in Bessie’s song represents Jane’s orphan alter ego, and is something she repeatedly recalls and ponders. As her love for Mr. Rochester deepens and her uncertainty of the curious Grace Poole intensifies, Jane has recurring vivid dreams involving an infant. The dreams