By: Akshay Kala Tate Smith Alec Scaffidi Ashley Riley Vinayak Manickavasakam Period 6

One of the questions in the background of the book is, “What makes a lady?” Is it birth, breeding, experience, money, or something else? What is the novel’s answer? PROMPT

Simply put, the prompt asks, “what are the factors that allow a girl to mature into a woman?” LITERAL MEANING

The novel, Jane Eyre, deals with the maturation and transformation of the protagonist, Jane, into a lady. Jane’s character development is the backbone of the novel. She begins her life as a poor, abused orphan. However by the end of the novel Jane is a lady. But how? Jane has an eventful life filled with experiences and significant moments. From her early childhood with her abusive aunt, to her days at Lowood, to her fling with Rochester, to the proposal from St. John, and her eventual marriage and child with Rochester, Jane’s journey to becoming a lady is eventful to say the least. Though some experiences are beneficial and others detrimental to her, each one of Jane’s experiences brings her closer and closer to becoming a lady. Thus, in essence, a combination of birth, breeding, experience, and money are what allows Jane to evolve into a lady. HOW IT RELATES

“Miss Temple had always something of serenity in her air, of state in her mien, of refined propriety in her language, which precluded deviation into the ardent, the excited, the eager: something which chastened the pleasure of those who looked on her and listened to her, by a controlling sense of awe; and such was my feeling now…The refreshing meal, the brilliant fire, the presence and kindness of her beloved instructress, or, perhaps, more than all these, something in her own unique mind, had roused her powers within her… They conversed of things I had never heard of; of nations and times past; of countries far away; of secrets of nature discovered or guessed at: they spoke of books: how many they had read! What stores of knowledge they possessed!” (Bronte 65). TEXT EXAMPLE #1

Miss Temple has an independent spirit that has allowed her to accomplish a certain level of open-minded intellect even though she wasn’t considered a lady due to her lowly social standings. She is a successful teacher, forward thinking, unmarried and ambitious. She stands up to the authoritative male figure Mr. Brocklehurst, certainly an unexpected action of any woman in her position. As Jane's first positive female role model, Miss Temple encourages the spirit of independence and dignity in Jane. Miss Temple was a mother figure to Jane. She displayed kindness, forgiveness, and resolve when she stood up to Mr. Brocklehurst. Miss Temple was one of Jane’s first positive women along with Nurse Bessie and Helen. Despite not being married or rich, Miss Temple is still able to achieve the status of lady since she displays tremendous independence and kindness. As it can be seen, there are a variety of factors that can enable someone of the 19 th century to be a lady. ANALYSIS

“Miss Ingram was a mark beneath jealousy: she was too inferior to excite the feeling. Pardon the seeming paradox; I mean what I say. She was very showy, but she was not genuine: she had a fine person, many brilliant attainments; but her mind was poor, her heart barren by nature: nothing bloomed spontaneously on that soil; no unforced natural fruit delighted by its freshness. She was not good; she was not original: she used to repeat sounding phrases from books: she never offered, nor had, an opinion of her own… sometimes ordering her from the room, and always treating her with coldness and acrimony… he was going to marry her, for family, perhaps political reasons, because her rank and connections suited him; I felt he had not given her his love, and that her qualifications were ill adapted to win from him that treasure” (Bronte ). TEXT EXAMPLE #2

Blanche Ingram is completely different from Miss Temple, but she was still considered a lady in the late 18 th century and early 19 th century. Blanche was never in love with Rochester, yet she desired to marry him for his wealth. As Jane attests, Blanche "cannot truly like him, or not like him with true affection. If she did, she need not coin her smiles so lavishly, flash her glances so unremittingly, manufacture airs so elaborate, graces so multitudinous" (Bronte 175). These actions, along with Blanche’s fancy garments and constant obsession with her appearance, show that Blanche places her self-worth on two components of "marriageability": her physical beauty and the social status was all she had, similar to Nora Helmer from A Doll’s House. She is very dependent on the man she marries and wants to have a husband who can support her. Unlike Jane or Miss Temple, Blanche is driven by a desire to move up the social ladder. However, she is still considered to be a lady, which only exemplifies the statement that there are several ways in which a girl can become a lady. ANALYSIS

Jane loses her best friend, Helen, in Lowood. Though devastated, Jane was also surprised of how accepting Helen was of her fate. While lying next to Helen, listening to Helen talk about how she will be with God, Jane wonders, “Where is this region” (heaven) and “Does it exist” (74). The process of maturing into a quintessential lady of the 18 th and 19 th century usually went hand in hand with a religious understanding. In this sense, Helen’s death and Jane’s subsequent questioning of her faith, helps Jane mature as a lady. MOMENT IN LOWOOD

“Varens is the name of your future pupil” (Bronte 88). Adele Varens is an eight year old girl who Jane is responsible for tutoring when she arrives in Thornfield. While nurturing and tutoring Adele, Jane is able to gain invaluable experience as a motherly figure. In the time period of the 18 th and 19 th centuries, being a mother was designated as a requirement to be a lady. Therefore, serving as a motherly figure to Adele in Thornfield is a significant experience that Jane endures on her path of transforming into a lady. MOMENT IN THORNFIELD

“Twenty thousand pounds, I think they say… Here was a stunner-I had been calculating on four or five thousand. This news actually took my breath for a moment” (Bronte 365). Another important factor of achieving status as a lady in Europe in the 18 th and 19 th century was through wealth. Although Jane was initially an orphan and on the brink of being homeless after leaving Thornfield, the money she inherits following her uncle’s death enables her to be wealthy enough to be considered a lady. Jane arrived in Moorshead as a poor girl looking for a place to live, but by the end of her stay, she is rich. Unlike many of her previous experiences, this one is highly beneficial in her journey to becoming a lady. MOMENT IN MOORSHEAD

“ ‘I will at least choose-her I love best. Jane, will you marry me?’ ‘Yes, sir’ (Bronte 426). Jane takes one of her final steps to becoming a woman in Ferndean when she marries Mr. Rochester. She completes the process of becoming a lady when she gives birth to her first child with Rochester. The final requirements to fitting the characteristics of a 18 th to 19 th century lady in Europe is to be a married mother. In Ferndean, Jane is able to achieve the final requirements when she marries Mr. Rochester and becomes a mother. MOMENT IN FERNDEAN

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