The Similarities & Differences of Briony Talllis and Jane Eyre

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In reading the two classical novels, “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte and “Atonement” by Ian McEwan, I came upon two of the most complex and dynamic characters that struck majority of my interest and admiration. Jane Eyre and Briony Tallis were both the main characters of each novel and it is through their eyes that we gain their perceptions of life and their surrounding conditions, as well as learn of the other characters. They shared some of the same personality traits as well as differed in a few. This literary essay will essentially focus on the similarities and differences between Jane and Briony, and the theme of the novel that each author conveyed through these characters. Upon the introduction of the main character Jane in “Jane Eyre” we can automatically comprehend that she is an intelligent and mature young girl. Jane is depicted as a child way beyond her years through the way that she expresses herself and behaves. For example in the first chapter Jane narrates: “I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes, and a heart saddened by the chidings of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed” (Bronte, 11). The same can be said for Briony Tallis in “Atonement”, who finds enjoyment in reading and creating stories as opposed to most girls her age. The novel begins with her creating an in-depth tale of fiction titled The Trials of Arabella, which she takes very seriously. While putting her all into this, she barely has time to engage her younger cousins’ and takes into offense when they treat it as a joke. This adult-like passion in shown in the first chapter, during rehearsal of the play that she is directing where it reads, “this was precisely why she loved plays, or hers at least;
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