Jane Eyre

I've fully realized that despite my best efforts, I'm writing to no one. I have absolutely no followers and no comments on any of my posts. Why do I still continue to blog then? In all honesty, it serves as an outlet. It's nice to feel like someone is actually listening to me even though in reality no one actually is. Whatever...

However, that’s not the point of this post. The point is to express the fact that I have once again read “Jane Eyre” for the thousandth time. I read PARTS of it almost every week, flipping through different sections and skipping to the ones I find relatable at the time. My obsession with Jane Eyre might be edging on unhealthy. I view it as my own personal Bible. It is very seldom that I do not have a copy of Jane Eyre handy in my backpack, packed in my suitcase, or sitting on my nightstand. I never tire of reading it because there's always something new to discover that wasn't there before that makes me even more passionate about the book.

The problem is that, despite my intense love of the novel, I've still been unable to answer a simple question that EVERYONE always asks me..."Why Jane Eyre?"

It's a very sensible question and at first glance, it seems easy. But I've yet to be able to put it into words. In fact, I've never truly stopped to consider it. Why “Jane Eyre?” There are equally beautifully written English Lit novels out there. Why not Jane Austen? There are many people who faithfully follow her. Why not "the Age of Innocence?"...Why not "North and South?" These are all books that I've read and deeply enjoyed. Yet, why did none of these succeed in surpassing “Jane Eyre?”

Perhaps it's the fact that "Jane Eyre" has been with me since childhood. My mom bought me the abridged version when I was only ten. Even then, I was always transfixed by it. The whole story line was interesting to me, even though completely out of the norm to a ten year old child. Yes, the fact that I have a history with Jane Eyre may majorly contribute to my obsession with it now. But though that serves as a contribution, it does not constitute why I’ve found continuous enjoyment in reading it.

I bought the original version when I was in 13, just entering the eighth grade. I couldn't have come across Jane Eyre at a more perfect time. I was reaching that point in my life where one goes through the infamous "awkward phase." I was a loner for the most part. I was underdeveloped, quiet, nerdy, and as a whole I had absolutely no sense of self-identity. I was searching for the merest shred of esteem and self-efficacy. What better time to read a book about a teenager self-described as "poor, obscure, plain and little?"

I read the book and came to the strong conclusion that, despite the obvious differences in age and time period, Jane Eyre and I led a similar life. She was alone, inexperienced, and feeling the same restlessness and unrealized passion that I was. She didn't know anything about the world. Jane, like me, was just a teenager finding her way around the playground of life.

I've read Jane Eyre multiple times since then and seen every adaptation. I've reviewed the newest one. But it was upon seeing this new version and rereading the wrinkled book filled with dog-eared pages, underlined sentences, and scribbled margins that I realized "Why Jane Eyre."

But it wasn't through rereading "I must have you for my own" or "reader, I married him." It wasn't by imagining Edward Rochester’s voice in the romantic lines that I had always held dear to my heart. It was through the dead end of Chapter 27 when Jane Eyre leaves. It’s when her heart is filled with sorrow and her spirits are at their lowest.

And why does that matter? Because up until this point, Jane Eyre was a romance to me. Yes, I always put up the argument that I like Jane because she's "independent", but the true focus of my obsession was the love story that, to me, had always served as the core of the novel. No.

"Why Jane Eyre?"

Because Jane Eyre is a role model to me that no nonfictional character could ever be. I live in a world where I'm constantly taught to chase love down, find it, and embrace it. People always emphasize that "love is stronger than anything." Jane proves otherwise. Jane Eyre makes a mockery of those words by saying that her will is stronger than anything love can throw at her. That's why Jane Eyre. I've read countless other romances of English lit. But in not one of those novels did the heroine choose to walk away when the man she was in love with was lying at her feet, begging her to stay with him and succumb to a life of immorality.

"Jane Eyre" stands out in a crowd of timeless literature because its main character is not dynamic. At least, not in the normal sense of what a dynamic character is. Elizabeth Bennet was forced to humble herself and admit to her prejudices as well as accept Mr. Darcy with all his proud flaws. Jane does not need to humble herself, but rather learns to build herself up and acknowledge her worth. She inspires Mr. Rochester to rise to her standards.

Margeret Hale has to question her previous opinions and learn to acknowledge her vulnerability. Miss Eyre never questions what she in her heart knows is right, even when it may require her to put her selfish desires aside. She never acknowledges vulnerability as an option and fights it even when Mr. Rochester is trying to wrench it out of her.

Countess Olenska agrees to an affair and by the time she backs out, the sin is already committed. Jane refuses to even commit the sin. She would never risk her moral integrity. Her passionate nature bends toward Mr. Rochester, but it also gives her a strong will and desire to respect herself.

Jane Eyre is not merely independent. That word is an understatement. Independent is having your own opinion. It’s being able to pull out your own chair and open doors for yourself. Jane strikes me as indomitable. Jane is mighty. She recognizes that she has worth even when those around her don’t see it. When she receives strong persuasive arguments from the man she loves saying “what would it hurt to live with me?” her conscience screams “I must respect myself!” She does not allow herself to be changed. What I love about Jane Eyre is that she laughs in the face of a chauvinistic, hierarchical world and says "This is who I am and I have no intention of changing. Deal with it."

Jane Eyre is the type of woman I aspire to be.

That’s why “Jane Eyre.”