When Jane is talking to Brocklehurst in Chapter 4, he asks
her: What must you do to avoid hell and Jane responds, “I must keep in good health, and not die.” Brocklehurst
was looking for some sort of a spiritual answer yet Jane replies with that
statement. What does this statement show about Jane`s character and/or her
moral or spiritual beliefs?
Before Brocklehurst asks Jane what she can do to avoid Hell, Brocklehurst asks her where the wicked go after death. Jane's response is that the wicked go to Hell. And, according to Jane, the only way she can avoid Hell is by not dying. So, by putting Jane's two answers together, one can gather that Jane thinks herself wicked. Jane believes that the only way for her to avoid eternal damnation is not through religion or through repentance, but instead through immortality. This shows how Jane feels about herself. Jane is only ten years old, yet she is already sentencing herself to an afterlife in Hell. Perhaps Jane does not believe that she can meet the rigorous standards set out by the Christian church at that time. Or perhaps Jane does not really quite understand the implications of her response. However, personally, I feel that Jane is being a realist. Jane has been chastised her entire life and has been told that she is naughty and undeserving of her situation. If what people say about her is true, then who is she to claim a spot in Heaven? At this point in her life, Jane's experiences have taught her that no matter what she does, people will think and assume the worst of her. Therefore, she does not have much hope in Christianity. Because if she can't even win the favor of the people in her life, how could she ever win the favor of God?
ReplyDeleteWesley Story
Jane never really grew up with spiritual belief, and even if there were religious influences in the Reed home, I think that Jane would be too skeptic to truly believe in a god due to the certain circumstances she was living in as a child. Jane would probably believe that if there were a god, she wouldn't be treated with the abuse she faced in the Reed home and would feel loved. Since none of this happens, I believe that Jane slightly turns away from the religious aspects of life and immerses herself in books-some that probably have no religious meaning at all.
ReplyDeleteI also found it ironic how her father devoted his life to religion and was a poor clergyman and due to Jane's parents contracting Typhus and dying, she was placed in the Reed home, where she would never fully embrace religion.
- Damaris Villalobos
When Jane responds with answers it shows her perception with the spritual world. This most likely originates from the fact she suffered from abuse at such a young age; so she feels uncomfortable to seek religion.
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