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【Abstract】The theme of Jane Eyre is of female independence or rebelliousness， and tired to this theme is another of class and the resistance of the theme of one’s class. Meanwhile， spiritual and supernatural themes can also be traced throughout the novel. And the religion theme is also important in this novel.
【Key words】Jane theme； women； independence； rebelliousness
In the beginning of Jane Eyre， Jane struggles against Bessie， the nurse at Gates head Hall， and says， I resisted all the way： a new thing for me…（Chapter 2）. This sentence foreshadows what will be an important theme of the rest of the book， that of female independence or rebelliousness. Jane is here resisting her unfair punishment， but throughout the novel she expresses her opinions on the state of women. Tied to this theme are another of class and the resistance of the terms of one’s class. Spiritual and supernatural themes can also be traced throughout the novel.
Soon after Jane is settled at Lowood Institution she finds the enjoyment of expanding her own mind and talents. She forgets the hardships of living at the school and focuses on the work of her own hands. She is not willing to give this up when she is engaged to Rochester. She resists becoming dependent on him and his money. She does not want to be like his mistresses， with their fancy gowns and jewels， but even after she and Rochester are married， she wants to remain as Adele’s governess. She is not willing to give up her independence to Rochester， and tries to seek her own fortune by writing to her uncle. In the end， when she does have her own money， she states， “I am my own mistress” （Chapter 37）.
Jane not only shows the reader her beliefs on female independence through her actions， but also through her thoughts. Jane desires to see more of the world and have more interaction with its people. While she appreciates her simple life at Thornfield， she regrets that she does not have the means to travel. She relates her feelings to all women， not just those of her class， saying.
Women are supposed to be very calm generally： but women feel just as men feel； they need exercise for their faculties， and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do； they suffer from too rigid a restraint， too absolute a stagnation， precisely as men would suffer； and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings， to playing on the piano and embroidering bags （Chapter 12）. It is also important here to talk about Bertha， for she is a female character who is often seen resisting. It may be wondered why Jane seems to have little sympathy for her， and part of the reason for this may be seen with how Bertha is portrayed. While Bertha is a woman， she is not presented as such. She is described in animal-like terms， and is called it’， not even she’ in the beginning. Jane describes her meeting with Bertha as such：
In the deep shade， at the farther end of the room， a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was， whether beast or human being， one could not， at first sight， tell： it groveled， seemingly， on all fours； it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal： but it was covered with clothing； and a quantity of dark， grizzled hair， wild as a mane， hid its head and face （Chapter 26）.
Jane is disadvantaged in many ways as she has no wealth， family， social position or beauty. Jane does have intelligence though， and her disposition is such to make Rochester fall in love with her. Here is seen resistance against class， as Rochester wishes to marry Jane in spite of the disapproval that will come from his class， and Jane also resists this disapproval and will marry him. However， Jane will not rebel against God or lose her self-respect and become Rochester’s mistress when she finds out that he is already married.
There is also a spiritual theme running through the novel. When Jane is at Lowood she meets Helen Burns， the good and sacrificing girl whom Jane questions about God and Heaven right before she dies. This seems to begin Jane’s relationship with religion that is traced more through the book. Jane calls on God after she finds out about Rochester’s wife. She locks herself in her room， and states， “One idea only still throbbed lifelike within me – a remembrance of God： it begot an unuttered prayer…‘be not far from me for trouble is near： There is none to help’” （Chapter 26）. Again when she is trying to resist succumbing to Rochester’s passion and a dishonest marriage with him we see her turning to God. After Rochester’s attempts， Jane tells him to “do as I do： trust in God and yourself. Believe in Heaven. Hope to meet again there” （Chapter 27）.
The religion theme is perhaps most important in Jane’s relationship with St. John. When Jane refuses his attempts to get her to marry him and go to India， he says that she is not refusing him， but God. When Jane does almost accept him it is because she suddenly feels much veneration for him and her reasons for not accepting him dissolve. She says， “Religion called – Angels beckoned – God commanded – life rolled together like a scroll – death’s gates opening showed eternity beyond： it seemed， that for safety and bliss there， all here might be sacrificed in a second” （Chapter 35）. Here one of the supernatural aspects of the novel steps in， and Jane hears Rochester calling her from afar. Later it is related that Rochester could also hear her reply. This is only one example of the supernatural in the novel. Near the beginning of the novel Jane feels she sees a ghost while she is locked in the red-room， and she takes it as a message from another world. When Jane is walking to Hay and first hears Rochester’s horse approaching， she expects to see a North-of-England spirit called a‘Gytrash’ a lion-like creature with a huge head. When she sees Rochester the spell is broken， as she knows that nothing ever rides the Gytrash. When Jane first sees Bertha in her room by candlelight， she describes her in supernatural-like terms， thinking perhaps that she is a ghost.
Jane also relates a dream of a woman she knew in the past and how it was a presentiment of her sister’s illness. Jane dreams of infants， as this woman did， and these dreams are followed by the attack on Mason and Robert’s visit telling Jane that John Reed had died and that Mrs. Reed was on her deathbed. She again has dreams of infants before her failed wedding， and she has a dream of Thorn-field as a ruin， which she later sees has become reality.
Reed uc by s Jane’s triumph over male power is her biggest one of all. She surpasses John ceding in life， the area where she had been expected to fail. Jane wins her struggle with Rev. Brocklehurst by refusing to live the rest of her life at Lowood under his orders. Her departure from Lowood is symbolic of leaving her old life for a new one. Leaving Lowood brings Jane to her hardest challenge. Throughout her life， Jane has always been looking for the thing， more than wealth or position—that is love. As an adult， she finds it in two men： Rochester and St. John. She realizes that although both men have different views of her and different reasons for wanting to marry her， they share the same motive： ultimately， to destroy her selfhood. Rochester’s love for Jane is not only spiritual， but also passionate. Although she feels the same way about him， she refuses to marry him. On the other hand， St. John’s love for her is merely spiritual. For Jane， this will not do. After achieving independence， Jane returns to Rochester. Following the fire at Thornfield， she finds him not as powerful as he once was but she is more powerful than she once was. Rochester welcomes Jane back and realizes that he will never possess her the way he once wanted to. Their marriage not only ends many conflicts involved， but also fulfills every woman’s wish of achieving both independence and love. Jane Eyre proved to the world of the 1800’s that the idea of a woman to become independent and successful on her own was not an unrealizable dream. Jane is not only successful in terms of wealth and position， but more importantly， in terms of family and love. Moreover， she enjoys both without losing her independence. Jane was a model for women in the 19th century， also for women today. Her legacy lives on in the belief that as long as there are hopes and dreams， nothing is impossible.
The most prominent obstacle Jane faces is male power. The four men that Jane must contend with throughout the book are symbolic of the sources of male power over female. John Reed represents physical force and patriarchal family. Rev. Brocklehurst signifies the social structures of class， education， and religion. Rochester represents attraction and St.John moral and spiritual authority. The former two try to take advantage of Jane’s seeming defenselessness as a child and the latter two try to take advantage of her seeming defenselessness as a woman.
Jane is able to overcome her background chiefly by two means： distance and chance. In leaving for Lowood， she escapes Gateshead.In leaving for Thornfield， she escapes Lowood. Jane’s later return to Gateshead is a victory which not only shows how well she has succeeded on her own without the Reeds， but also reveals that they now need her instead that she once needed them. As for her state of poverty， Jane triumphs over that merely by chance. It is while staying with St. John and his sisters that she is made aware of her relation to them and the great inheritance from their uncle that they now all share.
References：
[1]吴伟仁.History and Anthology of English Literature[M].外语教学与研究出版社，1999.
[2]王守仁.世界文学名著选读（古典部分）[M].译林出版社，2000.
[3]朱虹.美国小说黄金时代[M].中国社会科学出版社，1997.
[4]王佐良.英国文学史[M].商务印书馆.1996.
[5]安德鲁·桑德斯.谷启楠，韩加明，高万隆评.牛津简明英国文学史（下）[M].人民教育出版社，1999.
[6]潘益大，堵更生.外国文学名著中的典型人物[M].上海教育出版社，1987.
[7]Charlotte Bronte，Jane Eyre，New York：Bantam Books，1981.
[8]Laurie Lanzen Harris，Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism，Detroit：Gale Research Company，1982.
[9]Frank N.Magill，Critical Survey of Long Fiction，Englewood Cliffs：Salem Press，1983.
作者简介：胡霄洋（2000.4-），女，现就读于湖南省永州市第一中学486班，热爱阅读。
【Key words】Jane theme； women； independence； rebelliousness
In the beginning of Jane Eyre， Jane struggles against Bessie， the nurse at Gates head Hall， and says， I resisted all the way： a new thing for me…（Chapter 2）. This sentence foreshadows what will be an important theme of the rest of the book， that of female independence or rebelliousness. Jane is here resisting her unfair punishment， but throughout the novel she expresses her opinions on the state of women. Tied to this theme are another of class and the resistance of the terms of one’s class. Spiritual and supernatural themes can also be traced throughout the novel.
Soon after Jane is settled at Lowood Institution she finds the enjoyment of expanding her own mind and talents. She forgets the hardships of living at the school and focuses on the work of her own hands. She is not willing to give this up when she is engaged to Rochester. She resists becoming dependent on him and his money. She does not want to be like his mistresses， with their fancy gowns and jewels， but even after she and Rochester are married， she wants to remain as Adele’s governess. She is not willing to give up her independence to Rochester， and tries to seek her own fortune by writing to her uncle. In the end， when she does have her own money， she states， “I am my own mistress” （Chapter 37）.
Jane not only shows the reader her beliefs on female independence through her actions， but also through her thoughts. Jane desires to see more of the world and have more interaction with its people. While she appreciates her simple life at Thornfield， she regrets that she does not have the means to travel. She relates her feelings to all women， not just those of her class， saying.
Women are supposed to be very calm generally： but women feel just as men feel； they need exercise for their faculties， and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do； they suffer from too rigid a restraint， too absolute a stagnation， precisely as men would suffer； and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings， to playing on the piano and embroidering bags （Chapter 12）. It is also important here to talk about Bertha， for she is a female character who is often seen resisting. It may be wondered why Jane seems to have little sympathy for her， and part of the reason for this may be seen with how Bertha is portrayed. While Bertha is a woman， she is not presented as such. She is described in animal-like terms， and is called it’， not even she’ in the beginning. Jane describes her meeting with Bertha as such：
In the deep shade， at the farther end of the room， a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was， whether beast or human being， one could not， at first sight， tell： it groveled， seemingly， on all fours； it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal： but it was covered with clothing； and a quantity of dark， grizzled hair， wild as a mane， hid its head and face （Chapter 26）.
Jane is disadvantaged in many ways as she has no wealth， family， social position or beauty. Jane does have intelligence though， and her disposition is such to make Rochester fall in love with her. Here is seen resistance against class， as Rochester wishes to marry Jane in spite of the disapproval that will come from his class， and Jane also resists this disapproval and will marry him. However， Jane will not rebel against God or lose her self-respect and become Rochester’s mistress when she finds out that he is already married.
There is also a spiritual theme running through the novel. When Jane is at Lowood she meets Helen Burns， the good and sacrificing girl whom Jane questions about God and Heaven right before she dies. This seems to begin Jane’s relationship with religion that is traced more through the book. Jane calls on God after she finds out about Rochester’s wife. She locks herself in her room， and states， “One idea only still throbbed lifelike within me – a remembrance of God： it begot an unuttered prayer…‘be not far from me for trouble is near： There is none to help’” （Chapter 26）. Again when she is trying to resist succumbing to Rochester’s passion and a dishonest marriage with him we see her turning to God. After Rochester’s attempts， Jane tells him to “do as I do： trust in God and yourself. Believe in Heaven. Hope to meet again there” （Chapter 27）.
The religion theme is perhaps most important in Jane’s relationship with St. John. When Jane refuses his attempts to get her to marry him and go to India， he says that she is not refusing him， but God. When Jane does almost accept him it is because she suddenly feels much veneration for him and her reasons for not accepting him dissolve. She says， “Religion called – Angels beckoned – God commanded – life rolled together like a scroll – death’s gates opening showed eternity beyond： it seemed， that for safety and bliss there， all here might be sacrificed in a second” （Chapter 35）. Here one of the supernatural aspects of the novel steps in， and Jane hears Rochester calling her from afar. Later it is related that Rochester could also hear her reply. This is only one example of the supernatural in the novel. Near the beginning of the novel Jane feels she sees a ghost while she is locked in the red-room， and she takes it as a message from another world. When Jane is walking to Hay and first hears Rochester’s horse approaching， she expects to see a North-of-England spirit called a‘Gytrash’ a lion-like creature with a huge head. When she sees Rochester the spell is broken， as she knows that nothing ever rides the Gytrash. When Jane first sees Bertha in her room by candlelight， she describes her in supernatural-like terms， thinking perhaps that she is a ghost.
Jane also relates a dream of a woman she knew in the past and how it was a presentiment of her sister’s illness. Jane dreams of infants， as this woman did， and these dreams are followed by the attack on Mason and Robert’s visit telling Jane that John Reed had died and that Mrs. Reed was on her deathbed. She again has dreams of infants before her failed wedding， and she has a dream of Thorn-field as a ruin， which she later sees has become reality.
Reed uc by s Jane’s triumph over male power is her biggest one of all. She surpasses John ceding in life， the area where she had been expected to fail. Jane wins her struggle with Rev. Brocklehurst by refusing to live the rest of her life at Lowood under his orders. Her departure from Lowood is symbolic of leaving her old life for a new one. Leaving Lowood brings Jane to her hardest challenge. Throughout her life， Jane has always been looking for the thing， more than wealth or position—that is love. As an adult， she finds it in two men： Rochester and St. John. She realizes that although both men have different views of her and different reasons for wanting to marry her， they share the same motive： ultimately， to destroy her selfhood. Rochester’s love for Jane is not only spiritual， but also passionate. Although she feels the same way about him， she refuses to marry him. On the other hand， St. John’s love for her is merely spiritual. For Jane， this will not do. After achieving independence， Jane returns to Rochester. Following the fire at Thornfield， she finds him not as powerful as he once was but she is more powerful than she once was. Rochester welcomes Jane back and realizes that he will never possess her the way he once wanted to. Their marriage not only ends many conflicts involved， but also fulfills every woman’s wish of achieving both independence and love. Jane Eyre proved to the world of the 1800’s that the idea of a woman to become independent and successful on her own was not an unrealizable dream. Jane is not only successful in terms of wealth and position， but more importantly， in terms of family and love. Moreover， she enjoys both without losing her independence. Jane was a model for women in the 19th century， also for women today. Her legacy lives on in the belief that as long as there are hopes and dreams， nothing is impossible.
The most prominent obstacle Jane faces is male power. The four men that Jane must contend with throughout the book are symbolic of the sources of male power over female. John Reed represents physical force and patriarchal family. Rev. Brocklehurst signifies the social structures of class， education， and religion. Rochester represents attraction and St.John moral and spiritual authority. The former two try to take advantage of Jane’s seeming defenselessness as a child and the latter two try to take advantage of her seeming defenselessness as a woman.
Jane is able to overcome her background chiefly by two means： distance and chance. In leaving for Lowood， she escapes Gateshead.In leaving for Thornfield， she escapes Lowood. Jane’s later return to Gateshead is a victory which not only shows how well she has succeeded on her own without the Reeds， but also reveals that they now need her instead that she once needed them. As for her state of poverty， Jane triumphs over that merely by chance. It is while staying with St. John and his sisters that she is made aware of her relation to them and the great inheritance from their uncle that they now all share.
References：
[1]吴伟仁.History and Anthology of English Literature[M].外语教学与研究出版社，1999.
[2]王守仁.世界文学名著选读（古典部分）[M].译林出版社，2000.
[3]朱虹.美国小说黄金时代[M].中国社会科学出版社，1997.
[4]王佐良.英国文学史[M].商务印书馆.1996.
[5]安德鲁·桑德斯.谷启楠，韩加明，高万隆评.牛津简明英国文学史（下）[M].人民教育出版社，1999.
[6]潘益大，堵更生.外国文学名著中的典型人物[M].上海教育出版社，1987.
[7]Charlotte Bronte，Jane Eyre，New York：Bantam Books，1981.
[8]Laurie Lanzen Harris，Nineteenth-Century Literary Criticism，Detroit：Gale Research Company，1982.
[9]Frank N.Magill，Critical Survey of Long Fiction，Englewood Cliffs：Salem Press，1983.
作者简介：胡霄洋（2000.4-），女，现就读于湖南省永州市第一中学486班，热爱阅读。