Religion In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

Throughout the victorian-era novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte utilizes religion to examine how a character’s beliefs influence not merely his or her treatment of other characters, but also the decisions that he or she makes and the reasoning behind these actions. Jane Eyre, on her search for autonomy, searches for God’s guidance when she needs Him most. While Jane has trust in God, and acknowledges that God’s presence is everywhere, she affirms that God gives humans the power to make their own fate. Jane’s view on religion, as well as human nature, is impacted by her relationships with Helen Burns, Mr. Brocklehurst, and St. John, as religion plays a key role in the course of the lives of these three characters. By contrasting the different

Brocklehurst, whose inability to practice what he preaches allows for Bronte to stress that his actions are not a reflection of the religious beliefs he claims to adhere to. Mr. Brocklehurst runs an “evangelical, charitable establishment”, where the pupils are taught to lead lives not marked by luxury, but by limited possession (Bronte, 64). Mr. Brocklehurst acts in a pompous manner, allowing others both inside and outside of his elite circle to think he is a divine and selfless man. However, Mr. Brocklehurst is treating the pupils at Lowood school horribly. While instructing the teachers at Lowood to encourage the girls to lead a minimalist lifestyle, he is stealing funds that are supposed to go to supporting the students to fuel his own extravagant lifestyle. Mr. Brocklehurst took advantage of his position as the Treasurer of the Lowood School for his own selfish purposes, in the meantime allowing the students to negatively suffer from the “unhealthy nature of the site”, along with the poor quality of its food, “the brackish, fetid water used in its preparation” and “the pupils’ wretched clothing and accommodations” (Bronte, 84). Despite being a clergyman, and by default a man of God, Mr. Brocklehurst never fails to act in a hypocritical and self-centered manner. By highlighting Mr. Brocklehurst’s blatant disregard for any person but himself, Bronte is questioning the widespread belief that being religious makes a person more

John is incredibly dedicated to his ministry work unlike Mr. Brocklehurst, St. John takes advantage of his position to manipulate Jane. While St. John has flashes of selflessness, such as when he accepts Jane into his home with open arms and travels through cruel weather conditions to fulfill his duties as a minister, his controlling personality overshadows his ability to recognize and respect what Jane truly wants. St. John uses his position as a minister who aspires to spread God’s word to pressure Jane into traveling to India with him and marrying him, by arguing to Jane that “it is not me you deny, but God… Refuse to be my wife, and you limit yourself for ever to a track of selfish ease and barren obscurity” (416). Bronte is emphasizing that, despite being a religious figure who makes sacrifices for his work, St. John is not divine by any means. Similar to Mr. Brocklehurst’s bouts of hypocrisy, St. John is reiterating that Jane is being selfish by denying God’s wishes to accompany him on his ministry trip and to marry him, when it is St. John’s hopes Jane is refusing to fulfill. While St. John has a much stronger character than Mr. Brocklehurst, St. John allows his personal aspirations to overshadow his regard for Jane’s