Characters And Characterism In Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte

A flower stands high in an empty field. It moves with every gust of wind and grows with every sunny day. At a single moment any one of the seven billion people on this Earth could have plucked it from the soil, yet for now, it remains in an upright position. Much like this flower, throughout life people are continuously influenced by those around them. Every person is changed constantly by the people around them, and their future is always altered because of this. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontà ©, Jane Eyre is impacted greatly by characters such as Mrs. Reed, Helen Burns, and Mrs. Temple. These characters, just like the flower at mercy its environment, had left a great impact on Jane. Every story has a villain, and in Jane Eyre†¦show more content†¦Reed admits having wished Jane dead. Jane’s feelings were negatively impacted by this because she was saddened by the thought that her aunt wished her dead. However, Jane realized that she didn’t need to be hurt by her aunt’s words, and learned to forgive. Despite the negative impact on Jane’s mentality, Mrs. Reed did unintentionally teach Jane how to stand up for herself, as well as how to give forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it. Just as significant as Mrs. Reed, in the influence of Jane, was Helen Burns, Jane’s best friend at Lowood. Helen left only a positive impact on Jane in the short time that they were together and taught her how to forgive her enemies. An example of this is when Helen tells Jane, â€Å"‘Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passionate emotions it excited?’† (71). In saying this, Helen shows Jane how childish it is to hold a grudge against Mrs. Reed when she was free of her. She was also trying to help Jane be rid of any resentment she might have towards her childhood so that in the future she could be free to achieve greatness without any regret. Additionally, Helen affected Jane positively by telling her â€Å"Hush Jane, you think too much about the love of human beings [...] why, then should we ever sink overwhelmed with distress, when life is so soon over,’† (66). In saying this Helen had taught Jane not to worry about what other people think of her. Likewise, Helen is also