Jane Eyre

 

 

Jane Eyre

-Charolette Bronte

A classic, what? I know I know but It was high time I read one. Now I don’t know if I review a classic the same way I would a normal book but I am going with the flow.

Also, I was bubbling to get my thoughts out around 60-70% of the book so I decided to do a little like a my thoughts while and after reading the book.

While reading

Jane Eyre is an orphan child who was taken In by her uncle who loved her dearly , he soon died but not without making his wife promise to keep Jane. Mrs. Reed all but looked down upon Jane as a poor servant and manner less child. She was abused by her cousin brother and harassed by her aunt and cousin sisters. Even as a ten year old child, Jane would speak back most of the times and not silently take all the hate, for which she was sevearly insulted and looked down upon as a brat. Jane couldn’t be any happier when she was sent to a Christian school which became her home for eight years until at the age of eighteen, she decided to see the world and set out as a governess. Soon, she had left to go to Thornfield where she was hired to be the governess of the ward of Mr.Rochester (the owner of Thornfield), a young French girl named Adele. Although arrogant and broody , Edward Rochester warms up to Jane and Jane to him and before you know it, all of a sudden they are in love. But is that enough?

This book feels like a autobiography of Jane which seems different but the same from what I usually read. I admire Jane so much, she is ambitious and full of courage, strength, freedom and a sense of passion. Jane never understood why she should not fight for herself and her thoughts and her needs or why to not say something when she is wronged and in times like that when all women had to do was stay silent, I praise Jane for her self respect. She is a quiet person with a fierce and curious mind. Jane Eyre is the face of a feminism and independence for female in the 19^th centure with her sense of oppression and integrity.

Edward Rochester is as an arrogant ,proud and rather mysterious man. He sets off for voyages and travelling and it is weeks or months before he comes back. He is mean and rude but in a truthful way as to say that if something is wrong, he will point it out and not politely ignore it. But he isn’t meaninglessly disrespectful to his employees. He is also open and modem minded and almost like Jane. Mr.Rochester finds an equal in Jane with her deep thinking and not easily submissive personality. From when she gave him the answers as she felt and not what he wanted to hear, he was quite taken it by her. They don’t have the biggest physical attraction but more of a spiritual connection which is so much deeper. And before he or Jane even realized what their occasional talks had done, they had both fallen in love.

What kind of but kind of not bugged me was the twenty year age difference which I haven’t seen many people mention. Jane is eighteen and Edward is thirty something almost forty year old man who does not miss an opportunity to remind jane how inexperienced she is. Usually I am comfortable till a ten year age gap and if more than that, I just don’t read the book but as weirded out as I was and a little out of my comfort zone, I didn’t find the age gap to be that big of a deal. Maybe it is because this Is a classic and in a time that I don’t understand much or maybe because this was quite common, I don’t understand why that doesn’t stop me from adoring this couple.

Something I found really hard was the language. Obviously its from the 19^th century but I am someone who is used to just skimming or looking at the sentence and easily reading it but this had words that I’m not used and don’t know the meaning of so I found myself reading at a pretty slow pace. There were lots and lots of descriptions too which I appreciate but get me the story fast. I will definitely like to re-read this book after some years because I feel like I’ll be less incline to miss a lot of minor details and descriptions as I did now because of the English.

Both Mr.Rochester and Jane are said to be not good looking and plain which is not something I am used to reading. I feel like books are our fantasies and that’s the only place where everything can be almost perfect so personally I like my hero and heroines to be perfect too but Jane Eyre seems to be an exception to all my beliefs. I love how they are shown to fall in love with each others minds and hearts even when they weren’t physically attracted to each other which is so rare and precious to read.

 

finished

I am just a jumble of feelings right now. I fucking adore this book and I live this story. I understand now all the hype around this because this book is freaking phenomenal and I could have never imagined the several plot twists in this book. By the end, I didn’t even have any weird feeling or uncomfortableness about the age cap, I rather found myself aw-ing them and adoring this couple and loving them like I only have some couples but Jane and Edward can definitely be a face for what love should be like.

We see so much more of Jane’s independence and self respect by the end of the book and it blows my mind how Charolette has portrayed this role model feminist in that time. I applaud her so much for her courage and her dedication and for how loving and caring she was.  The book isn’t just a romance novel, it is Jane’s life journey of finding herself and its just beautiful.

Edward, my poor melted heart, I can not say I love him because that will do no justice to this amazing amazing man. He started off as a cold and mean person but Jane brought out the softer side in him and he became one of the most charming and loving and thoughtful men I have read of. He is passionate about Jane and he devotes all of him to her in a way  that I have never read before. Mr. Rochester is without doubt the epitome of a man in love and the man of most girl’s dreams and Jane is what I aspire to be and this book has just shook me.

1 day after the book

I just saw the movie once again and it breaks my heart and fills it with love. I felt like I had been living in the 19^th century in the spirit of this powerful and amazing eighteen year old and real life is kinda sucking now, I miss Jane and Edward so much. My heart swoons even while thinking of Mr.Rochester.

Look if you have waited this long like me, i highly command you to read this amazing phenomenal life of 500 pages.