Monday, March 2, 2015

24-30: Have a Little Faith...

How does religion function in these chapters - not only with Jane, but those she encounters?

4 comments:

  1. Jane has a strong belief of religion in these chapters, the reader for sure recognizes her belief in a Christian God and morality over immorality. You can see this in several chapters throughout 24-30, one example would be when her wedding is rejected and she prays to God for support of this downfall. Moreover, she leaves Rochester and soon travels along roads nearly almost dying. She starves and struggles through hunger but still puts her faith and life in God. In addition, this can be strongly seen when she refuses Mr.Rochester. She chooses to live a moral life by not being his beloved wife even though her accusations were cleared and the church deemed clearance for them to marry. She knew if she did marry Rochester, it would be morally wrong of her. Thus, she leaves Mr.Rochester but barely makes this action and prays to God to thank him for helping her leave Mr.Rochester.

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  2. In the beginning of these chapters, Jane forgets about her God and she puts Rochester before God which is considered a sin in most religions Christianity included. Rochester has a great deal to do with it. In chapter 26 when they are about to get married and when he is stopped from doing so at that moment the reader seems to he the believe that Rochester thinks he's superior than the law of the court and the laws represented by the church, and he pays the price when his marriage to Jane does not happen. After everything unravels Jane feels alone because she thinks she has lost all her family and she turns to God to help her through these hard times. As for Rochester he seems to think that he will be able to escape his past if he covers it up he tries to forget all the pain and loneliness he feels by receiving cheap pleasures but it doesn't do him good because he knows deep down what he's doing is wrong so he sees marrying Jane as source of redemption for all the sins he has committed. As the chapters go on and Jane starts to get hold of her faith again she has a dream in which her mother is telling her to ward off the temptations and to preserve her virtue. She sees this as sign to leave Rochester and try to make her faith stronger and become close to God. When Jane reaches the Rivers Estate she sees this as a chance for resurrection so she lies about her identity. She sees this as a chance for a new start and To forget her past. During the last two chapters new characters are introduced and one of them is St. John. He seems to be looking for a new servitude but it seems he serves out of cold religous passion which does not allow for any feelings. Religion seems to become a very important them at this time in the novel. It seems that all the characters are turning towards religion to find their true purpose in life.

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  3. Religion is seen in many different ways within these seven chapters. Jane especially is faced with religious conflicts when she learns of Rochester's secrets. Of course, she loves him, and has a strong desire to be with him, but she knows that in doing so she will be considered his mistress. According to her faith and what she believes, God does not approve of her being with Rochester while he is still married. Because of her strong affiliation with the Christian religion, Jane makes the decision to leave Thornfield, claiming that it was God guiding her down the right path. Making this choice was a difficult one as Jane was torn between desire and love or her commitment to God, however in the end she decides that staying loyal to God's word was the right thing to do. Of course, we all know Jane still as feelings for Rochester because she can never get over him. She even begins to wonder if her choice to leave was a good one, but she always concludes that sticking to her faith was the right thing to do. Religion is also seen within the character St. John- a very devoted Christian. This is obvious when Jane describes him preaching, saying that his words were astonishing and suddenly became zealous. He takes his work very seriously, and means to portray God's word so that everyone listening will be influenced by it. He also explains his reasonings for becoming a missionary as he felt it was God calling him to his purpose. St. John was apparently heavily influenced by Christianity at one point in his life, and because of that he has shaped his entire life based on his faith. Religion in both of these characters shows the reader how passionate they are for doing the right thing, and putting their faith in God before their natural human desires.

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  4. Jane struggles between her battle with her morales and pleasure, such as St. John urges Jane to give up her emotional aspects of life to fulfill her moral duty. Jane rejects the ideas of changing who she is by not not abandoning her morality and spiritualism and belief in God. By praying in times of need or struggle, putting her life im the hands of God also by refusing to marry Rochester when he is married to another woman and crediting God for helping her escape her struggles. So religion helps Jane secure her passions and leads her to have self-knowledge and complete faith in God.

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