Jane Eyre Autonomy Vs Love

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From songs, to television, to books, and even to newspapers, the need for love is universal. Love is an emotional necessity that even Jane, from Charlotte Bronte’s book Jane Eyre, cannot ignore. Throughout the story line, Jane is constantly searching to find love. She was looking, not just for the love of a man, but for the love of a family. However, Jane’s search for love sometimes ends up challenging her autonomy. While Jane is longing for love, she is not willing to give up her independence for it. Yet as Jane becomes older and her independence grows, she realizes that, while one needs to be independent, she also needs love in her life. In the early years of Jane’s life, she was a very autonomous girl. She grew up with her aunt – Mrs. Reed, along with her 3 cousins – John, Eliza, and Georgina. Jane never was shown any affection by any of the Reed family members; they all hated her. Eventually Jane expressed her need for love to Mrs. Reed, “You think that I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of kindness; but I cannot live so: and you have no pity” (Bronte 41). Jane was forced to be independent since she was a child. Her strength only grew as she was locked in the Red Room by her aunt. Her aunt’s lack of care led Jane to be happy when she was sent away from their home in Gateshead, and to the school Lowood Academy, where she could begin her quest for love. Jane was sent to the Lowood Institution, a school for orphans. Here at Lowood Jane found kindness and acceptance from Helen Burns, another student a few years older than Jane. Jane soon shows to Helen how much love truly means to her by telling her: If others don’t love me, I would rather die than live– I cannot bear to be solitary and hated, Helen. Look here, to gain some real affection from you, or Miss. Temple [a teacher she had grown very fond of], or any other whom I truly love, I would

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