Jane Eyre vs. Men in Her Life

Jane endures many beatings, as well as emotional scaring, during her ten years at Gateshead. John Reed orders Jane around, expecting her to obey every time. John says to Jane, upon finding her by herself, “Say, ‘What do you want, Master Reed?’…I want you to come here…” (8). John Reed expects Jane to refer to him as “Master Reed” in order to assert his dominance over her. He also says that to her while she is alone, reading “Bewick’s History of British Birds”; demonstrating, Jane is not allowed any form of peace or pleasure for herself. She is “beneath him”. Additionally, John Reed also beats Jane frequently. “He bullied

Mr. Rochester. She says “And was Mr. Rochester now ugly in my eyes? No reader: gratitude, and many associations, all pleasurable and genial made his face the object I

person she lives with at Gateshead. He regards her as inferior, because she does not “earn her keep”. As a result, he beats her until she hides from him as much as possible. She demonstrates her desire to avoid him, by hiding “behind curtains”, where John cannot find her. Jane Eyre’s experiences with John Reed causes her to fear and hate him more than any other person. Jane tells Mrs. Reed, “I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed…” (36). Jane’s audacity to insult her cousin, to her wealthy Aunt’s face, proves she hates him more than anyone. Although she gets older and becomes indifferent of him, Jane does not mourn his death. When she hears about John’s suicide, Jane merely asks “And how does his mother bear it?” (224). She does not shed a tear, or show any concern for John herself. Jane also says, “How people feel when they are returning home from an absence, long or short, I did not know: I had never experienced the sensation… neither of these returnings was very pleasant or desirable…” (246). She did not like returning to John’s home, even into adulthood. Jane could never love the cousin who tortured her as a child.

The three men had a great impact on her life. Jane survived through each one’s mental or physical abuse. She even fell in love with one of them. Jane did not let her gender prevent her from doing or saying what she thought was right in each situation. She was hurt by each one, directly or indirectly, but Jane fought and moved on with her life. Jane Eyre proved to each male, through her actions or speech, that she is more than just a poor, orphaned child. She is a strong woman and will challenge any man that tries to make her “inferior”.

and punished me; not two or three times in the week, nor once or twice in the day, but continually…” (9). Battery to a younger, physica

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