Thornfield Manor in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre :: Jane Eyre Essays

Thornfield Manor in Jane Eyre Thornfield Manor is but one stop in Jane's journey to freedom from her restraints and her stay there begins in a comfortable manner. Although it begins warm, Thornfield becomes a haven of boredom, restlessness, and discontent for Jane. To free herself from the boredom, Jane goes out to mail a letter and unknowingly encounters Mr. Rochester. Jane finds that "...the frown, the roughness of the traveler set me at my ease:"(Bronte 105). Through her past experiences, Jane knows how to deal aptly with Mr. Rochester and displays her skills in doing so in a conversation with him even when she knows who he is. "I don't think, sir, you have the right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience"(Bronte 125). In the comment Jane makes directly to Mr. Rochester, she is bold. He is her employer but she refuses to be demeaned by him and her experienc es at Gateshead and Lowood teach her to be firm but polite, a part of her move toward education and away from containment. Another example of Jane's rebellion comes from within her. She realizes that she is falling in love with Mr. Rochester and it is unacceptable because she is socially inferior to him. The love she holds is a rebellion in itself because she is impoverished and lower than him. Jane compares herself to the beautiful Blanche Ingram in order to sort her feelings. She continues on with her rebellion when Mrs. Reed calls for her. Mrs. Reed is ill and, although she treats Jane badly at Gateshead, Jane goes to her side- in her refusal to let Mrs. Reed overcome her. Jane slowly learns how to deal with the bad times life has handed her thus far. Mrs. Reed, still just as cold on her death bed as she has been in the past, continues to denounce Jane and has contempt for her. Mrs Reed proclaims, "The fever broke out there [Lowood], and many of the pupils died.