Jane Eyre

For my Classic Reread in the Back to Classics 2012 Challenge I read Jane Eyre. I think I read this book 15 or so years ago and fell madly in love with it. Whenever anyone asked me what my favorite novel was I’d proudly say “Jane Eyre” and most likely in a manner that seemed to say “What else would I choose, you simpleton!”

Then came along Pride and Prejudice, and Jane Eyre took a back burner in my favorites, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Rereading this again for the challenge reminded me of why and may have even nudged my former beloved out of the favorites category all together. I suppose I’ve grown up a lot since I last read it and though I’m sure my tastes have changed to a degree, I was shocked to wonder why I ever loved Jane Eyre at all.

I suppose this book is still very popular with certain people (and here I admit I’m generalizing): the young and impressionable, who love a good passionate read, and those who never get over the need for passion and drama.

Is Jane a strong female character? To a degree, yes she is. She’s spirited, honest, speaks her mind, and doesn’t back down. But, she’s also not quite the smartest tool in the shed, slightly pompous and a tad melodramatic. I won’t write a summary because the story is so well known, but the part where she leaves Thornfield to run away from Rochester and her aching heart came across as an utterly stupid thing to do. I’m principled although I love! I’ll run away to spare him even though I ache! I’ll not take anything with me to help me at all economically because I’m so principled and daring to show I don’t need anything from the man I love but still must flee!

Seriously. WTF. The only word that came to mind throughout all of it was, “Idiot.”

The beloved Jane of old who could do no wrong now came across as rather hysterical and ridiculous. Her reputation was further tarnished when she started to teach at the school set up for her by St. John. The condescension in her thoughts regarding her poorly students made me want to smack her upside the head. Oh, they are such crude people. So poor and uncivilized, but *I* will help them along and perhaps make their puny existences slightly more bearable to my refined tastes. She didn’t say that, but she may as well have. Constantly comparing her own worldliness over the lowliness of the peasantry she was teaching had me wrinkling my nose quite a bit. Her oh-so-humble benevolence in teaching these poor children wasn’t even tempered by her own reflections of her reduced situation. I understand her personal pride took a great hit to be lowered in such a situation compared to her previous employment, but she still came across as snobbish and pompous.

The role of religion in the later half of the book also rubbed me the wrong way. St. John’s extreme self-righteousness seemed to rub off a little on Jane and the internal monologues of religious faith had me yawning and wondering where the spunky self-reliant Jane had wandered off. I don’t know how I could have gotten past all the religious speak the first time I read it, but I was positively annoyed by it this time.

Submissiveness also reigned in the later half of the story. Jane always referring to Rochester as “my master” started to grate on my nerves as did her constantly bowing down to do whatever St. John commanded. She was aware of her own submissiveness and if the story had taken a turn for the S&M I could almost have tolerated it, but Jane’s submissiveness to be loved, feel useful, and make everyone happy nauseated me.

I still enjoyed the book, but now I’m seeing it through mature eyes and noticing all the details I glossed over years ago when I wanted only a passionate love story. Those details seem more important now because they confirm or deny what I value in the characters I read about. I used to think the world of St. John, even though I felt Rochester was better merely for being more roguish. Now, St. John makes me want to flee and never read another word about such oppressiveness in the name of religion. In the end, Jane was still her strong-headed self for saying no to St. John for a life in sin with her beloved Rochester (if viewed through the eyes of St. John). Granted, the manner she takes Rochester back make her a bit petty in my eyes, but at least she ended up with someone she loved instead of a Christian noose around her neck.