English 34

Calang, Jamie Lee S.

2012

August

2,

Raagas, Katherine Kahlila A.

Critical Paper

The Humanistics of Jane Eyre

Its innate within us that wed want a home and a family that will want us and
love us and care for us. Jane's human nature gets in touch, and when still a child,
she longed to have a home and a family that would welcome her and love her even
though she had her shortcomings. Shunned by her aunt and cousins, it was hard for
Jane to look for any kind of real affection because she mostly associated love with
pain and sacrifice. Many a time Jane looked for love and acceptance, and many a
time she failed because she was too different for the others. But there were still
those who accepted her and cared for her and these persons have made a huge
impact on Janes formation and outlook on love and family.
Humans are in a lifetime search for happiness and true love, and Jane was not an
exception. We were born trying to seek for that care and love from people and the
nerve to compromise with these were not programmed into our systems and this
strong need for completion continues on until we grow older. In Janes view, when
you love, there is always a sacrifice and theres always someone who gets hurt and
she believes that shes the one who should get hurt because, lets face it, shes
used to it. Why is her take on love and being loved like this? This is because of how
she was treated in Gateshead, where she first learned fear and resentment; where
she first learned about cruel a person can be to a mere child. Its where she learned
little of love and wanted more of it.
To gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly
love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull
toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest
(Chapter 8).
On the topic of love, we now move on to Mr. Rochester. His persona remains a
complete mystery only until his secrets have slipped and all of them revealed. The
most important revelation in the whole novel aside from his love for Jane was the
very reason why Jane refused to marry him and left him. To be married to him, a
legally married man would mean that she was the mistress and the loss of her
dignity. She couldnt and wouldnt have that, to be only in the second place. Again.
So she turned away from him and said goodbye.

"Of course: I told you, you should. I pass over the madness about parting from
me. You mean you must become a part of me. As to the new existence, it is all right:
you shall yet be my wife: I am not married. You shall be Mrs. Rochester--both
virtually and nominally. I shall keep only to you so long as you and I live you shall
live a happy, and guarded, and most innocent life. Never fear that I wish to lure you
into error--to make you my mistress. Why did you shake your head? Jane, you must
be reasonable, or in truth I shall again become frantic."
When Jane finds what she called home, there was still a missing factor that was
needed for a home. Love. She needed love in her home. She realized that Mr.
Edward Rochester was her home, her hearth, her fire. She decided to go back to
Thornfield Hall in the hopes to return to her Edward but finds herself in the midst of
ash and rubble as Thornfield lay in ruins after a fire ensued by Edwards mentallyincapacitated wife. But Janes search for her true love did not stop there. She
searched for him until she found him at last. Blind and one arm less, he looked like a
product of war. But Jane realized that if she were to truly love, it wasnt necessary to
sacrifice if the need to sacrifice is not there. She and Edward got married and after
two years, Edwards sight came back was able to hold their first born son, and they
were happily married for ten years. This happy ending shows that even though
ones story starts off badly, they can end happily.
I am my husbands life as fully as he is mine. . . . To be together is for us to be at
once as free as in solitude, as gay as in company. . . . We are precisely suited in
characterperfect concord is the result (Chapter 38).