Loved reading this! Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books and I also read it for the 3rd time recently. Your thoughts happily echo my own. There is so much heart in this novel. As you allude to, contemporary analysis of this book can be iffy at times and I fear much of Charlotte's intentions in writing Jane specifically, are often misrepresented. From front to back the book is woven in a Christian tapestry. It must be - at least largely - the eye through which one sees this book. Virtue, not idealism, is Jane's armour. She heeds her conscience steadily. Her conscience which is - as St. John Henry Newman put's it - the aboriginal vicar of Christ within the soul. God speaks and Jane listens. "Daughter, flee temptation.". The account of her final conversation with Mr. Rochester (after the failed wedding), and the subsequent aftermath, including her wandering lost in the moors I find extremely moving. I quote this whole passage here, because it's stunning:
“Worn out with this torture of thought, I rose to my knees. Night was come, and her planets were risen: a safe, still night: too serene for the companionship of fear. We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence. I had risen to my knees to pray for Mr. Rochester. Looking up, I, with tear-dimmed eyes, saw the mighty Milky-way. Remembering what it was—what countless systems there swept space like a soft trace of light—I felt the might and strength of God. Sure was I of His efficiency to save what He had made: convinced I grew that neither earth should perish, nor one of the souls it treasured. I turned my prayer to thanksgiving: the Source of Life was also the Saviour of spirits. Mr. Rochester was safe: he was God's, and by God would he be guarded. I again nestled to the breast of the hill; and ere long in sleep forgot sorrow.”
Another character I find wholly moving is Helen Burns - to me, she is at the crux of the novel. Helen is for Jane, a saint. And rightly so. In the same way a saint captivates us and orientates us towards deeper relation with Christ, so too does Helen seize Jane's soul and take her outside herself. She shocks Jane to the core, and impresses her with such tenderness, that one can't help but feel she is with Jane in every way the remainder of the novel. Her death and witness to the unfathomable Love of God is something I always find very moving.
A small fact you may find amusing, is that the "Flea" - the Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist - has a solo EP dedicated to Helen Burns. He is quoted as saying, "The beauty of Helen Burns is a quality I look for in all human beings. Burns is always someone who is present with me and whose highest ideals resonate in the deepest experiences of my life." I found this kind of funny and random to be honest - although I do agree with him haha. I recommend you listen to "lovelovelove" from the tape, I feel it encapsulates her character well. Anywho, I could go on about this book and have barely scratched the surface. Might I ask, what did you think of St. John Rivers? I found him to be a very enigmatic character. Take care and God bless you! - Cal
thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. Others' thoughts on my writing means a lot to me.
I left out St. John from my post, although I seriously considered discussing him. I left him out simply because of the length of the article, haha. So thank you for asking that question.
Honestly, I found him complicated at first, but the longer that I considered him, I just really questioned whether or not he is as complicated emotionally and morally as Jane made him out to be. Part of what makes Jane so interesting in the novel is because we see only her perspective of not only herslf but the other characters. I don't know if you have read many novels in the first person. I think Jane gave St. John too much credit where it was not due, particularly to his religious zeal. I didn't find him to be much interested in treating people that he 'loves' well. I understand where there can be personality differences when it comes to domestic life versus the more adventurous missional life. But I think that his treatment and speeches to Jane bordered on verbal abuse, although VERY unfortunately, our culture has overused 'abuse', so I know it sounds perhaps over-the-top using that word about a book character. I think he definitely had qualities of a Christian, but honestly I don't think I would consider him overall a Christian character, because of his condemnation and honestly close-mindedness to what he believed was a missional life.
I think marriage and the domestics of daily living are equally missional with international missions trips and he obviously didn't agree with that. I do see that there are other notes, societal, religious, etc. tones to his character, but I think it would be unwise to 'explain away' St. John's rather inappropriate religious zeal as him being a complicated character or emotionally complex, even though I do acknowledge he is both of those things.
No worries, September! We seem to have similar tastes and interests, so it’s natural I would gravitate towards your posts. Speaking of, I read your post about acedia earlier and I found it to be stunning. Thank you for putting your God-breathed musings out there for others to benefit from. We are more or less on the same page when it comes to the character of St. John. As you point out, Jane seems to revere him. Which is precisely why I asked the question. Even the fInal lines of the book are dedicated to his memory. Why so? One might rightly ask. Although, I still found him to be quite interesting, and he certainly had qualities that were venerable - I found him to be at his most likable early on. The interactions with Jane, whereby she almost teased him for his apparent affection for Rosamond Oliver, I enjoyed. His dedication to what he felt to be his vocation in these moments, I found to be admirable! But boy was he cold, terribly cold. Also, very sour, in his insistence upon Jane being his wife. I would agree with you that on this point he was borderline verbally abusive, especially in his assertion that if Jane were to reject his proposal she would be turning away from God and at risk of losing her salvation. But I do wonder if he was conscious of being manipulative here, for I felt he was at least sincere in believing what he said. But still, charity (and also just basic manners) must precede all things … be a gentleman, St. John Rivers!
Loved reading this! Jane Eyre is one of my favourite books and I also read it for the 3rd time recently. Your thoughts happily echo my own. There is so much heart in this novel. As you allude to, contemporary analysis of this book can be iffy at times and I fear much of Charlotte's intentions in writing Jane specifically, are often misrepresented. From front to back the book is woven in a Christian tapestry. It must be - at least largely - the eye through which one sees this book. Virtue, not idealism, is Jane's armour. She heeds her conscience steadily. Her conscience which is - as St. John Henry Newman put's it - the aboriginal vicar of Christ within the soul. God speaks and Jane listens. "Daughter, flee temptation.". The account of her final conversation with Mr. Rochester (after the failed wedding), and the subsequent aftermath, including her wandering lost in the moors I find extremely moving. I quote this whole passage here, because it's stunning:
“Worn out with this torture of thought, I rose to my knees. Night was come, and her planets were risen: a safe, still night: too serene for the companionship of fear. We know that God is everywhere; but certainly we feel His presence most when His works are on the grandest scale spread before us; and it is in the unclouded night-sky, where His worlds wheel their silent course, that we read clearest His infinitude, His omnipotence, His omnipresence. I had risen to my knees to pray for Mr. Rochester. Looking up, I, with tear-dimmed eyes, saw the mighty Milky-way. Remembering what it was—what countless systems there swept space like a soft trace of light—I felt the might and strength of God. Sure was I of His efficiency to save what He had made: convinced I grew that neither earth should perish, nor one of the souls it treasured. I turned my prayer to thanksgiving: the Source of Life was also the Saviour of spirits. Mr. Rochester was safe: he was God's, and by God would he be guarded. I again nestled to the breast of the hill; and ere long in sleep forgot sorrow.”
Another character I find wholly moving is Helen Burns - to me, she is at the crux of the novel. Helen is for Jane, a saint. And rightly so. In the same way a saint captivates us and orientates us towards deeper relation with Christ, so too does Helen seize Jane's soul and take her outside herself. She shocks Jane to the core, and impresses her with such tenderness, that one can't help but feel she is with Jane in every way the remainder of the novel. Her death and witness to the unfathomable Love of God is something I always find very moving.
A small fact you may find amusing, is that the "Flea" - the Red Hot Chilli Peppers bassist - has a solo EP dedicated to Helen Burns. He is quoted as saying, "The beauty of Helen Burns is a quality I look for in all human beings. Burns is always someone who is present with me and whose highest ideals resonate in the deepest experiences of my life." I found this kind of funny and random to be honest - although I do agree with him haha. I recommend you listen to "lovelovelove" from the tape, I feel it encapsulates her character well. Anywho, I could go on about this book and have barely scratched the surface. Might I ask, what did you think of St. John Rivers? I found him to be a very enigmatic character. Take care and God bless you! - Cal
Hi Cal,
thank you so much for your thoughtful comment. Others' thoughts on my writing means a lot to me.
I left out St. John from my post, although I seriously considered discussing him. I left him out simply because of the length of the article, haha. So thank you for asking that question.
Honestly, I found him complicated at first, but the longer that I considered him, I just really questioned whether or not he is as complicated emotionally and morally as Jane made him out to be. Part of what makes Jane so interesting in the novel is because we see only her perspective of not only herslf but the other characters. I don't know if you have read many novels in the first person. I think Jane gave St. John too much credit where it was not due, particularly to his religious zeal. I didn't find him to be much interested in treating people that he 'loves' well. I understand where there can be personality differences when it comes to domestic life versus the more adventurous missional life. But I think that his treatment and speeches to Jane bordered on verbal abuse, although VERY unfortunately, our culture has overused 'abuse', so I know it sounds perhaps over-the-top using that word about a book character. I think he definitely had qualities of a Christian, but honestly I don't think I would consider him overall a Christian character, because of his condemnation and honestly close-mindedness to what he believed was a missional life.
I think marriage and the domestics of daily living are equally missional with international missions trips and he obviously didn't agree with that. I do see that there are other notes, societal, religious, etc. tones to his character, but I think it would be unwise to 'explain away' St. John's rather inappropriate religious zeal as him being a complicated character or emotionally complex, even though I do acknowledge he is both of those things.
No worries, September! We seem to have similar tastes and interests, so it’s natural I would gravitate towards your posts. Speaking of, I read your post about acedia earlier and I found it to be stunning. Thank you for putting your God-breathed musings out there for others to benefit from. We are more or less on the same page when it comes to the character of St. John. As you point out, Jane seems to revere him. Which is precisely why I asked the question. Even the fInal lines of the book are dedicated to his memory. Why so? One might rightly ask. Although, I still found him to be quite interesting, and he certainly had qualities that were venerable - I found him to be at his most likable early on. The interactions with Jane, whereby she almost teased him for his apparent affection for Rosamond Oliver, I enjoyed. His dedication to what he felt to be his vocation in these moments, I found to be admirable! But boy was he cold, terribly cold. Also, very sour, in his insistence upon Jane being his wife. I would agree with you that on this point he was borderline verbally abusive, especially in his assertion that if Jane were to reject his proposal she would be turning away from God and at risk of losing her salvation. But I do wonder if he was conscious of being manipulative here, for I felt he was at least sincere in believing what he said. But still, charity (and also just basic manners) must precede all things … be a gentleman, St. John Rivers!