Question

How did geography play a role in Jane Eyre?

Answer 1

Hint: Charlotte Bronte composed the novel ‘Jane Eyre’ and characterised the protagonist as simple and elfin in appearance. "Poor, mysterious, plain, and tiny," Jane(the protagonist) says of herself. Mr Rochester praises Jane on her "hazel eyes and hazel lips" at one point, but later on, it was mentioned that her eyes are more green than hazel.

Complete answer:
Most reviews felt that the author, Bronte, might have come up with a character like ‘Jane’ by considering aspects found in the author herself and the experiences she grew up with. Bronte's "homelife" was, by all means, "difficult." The Clergy Daughters School at Cowan Bridge, where two of Bronte's sisters, Maria and Elizabeth, died, is said to be based on Jane's school, Lowood. When it came to writing Jane Eyre, Bront said, "I will present you a heroine as plain and as little as myself."

So the environment represents the harshness and cruelty of Lowood School, where Jane was sent as a young girl. This negativity is also reflected in the atmosphere Jane experiences when she goes to work for Mr Rochester as well as in the description of the surrounding countryside. After facing all such difficulties and coping with such conditions she has grown into the strong young woman she is at the end of the novel. This environment can be the geographical influences in the protagonist and it was rather inspired by the writer’s own lifestyle.

Additional Information:The novelist Bronte wrote to Robert Southey when she was twenty, asking for his advice on literature. "Literature cannot and should not be the business of a woman's life," he said. Jane Eyre was allegedly written by Jane and published ten years later as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography, with Currer Bell (Bronte) serving merely as editor. Despite this, Bronte continued to publish as Currer Bell, an individual.

Note: It is known that the Brontes (the writer of Jane Eyre) lived at the parsonage in Haworth, Yorkshire, for most of their lives. The moors, with their primitive characteristics that are grim and brutal while still having a physical appearance and appeal, feature prominently in their works.