... to get by in life. I object to this view. Soon after leaving Thornfield, Jane is confronted by St. John Rivers, whom with she stays for a while, alongside his sisters. The proposal of marriage that follows is cold; business-like, but nonetheless an offer of equals. By requesting she join him in the West Indies as a missionary wife, he views her as ... Lyndall Gordon states, "Shirley (is) Brontë's most feminist novel." Shirley's characterisation alone is enough to add weight to this claim. The development of her relationship with the modest Caroline is just as important as the romantic ...

• Word Count: 2473
• Approx Pages: 10
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... feelings to him: "I see the necessity of departure; and it is like looking on the necessity of death."" And so it comes out of the blue when Jane gets a marriage proposal from him. It is no wonder she does not believe him at first. It would be too nice to be true and she feels it - not only because of the ... , silence and rich vegetation. But it is also true that fern is a flowerless plant and maybe it symbolises simplicity - that neither Jane, nor Rochester was handsome and that they lived a modest life without any parade. So that they lived simply but happily. At Ferndean the grown-up...

• Word Count: 1877
• Approx Pages: 8
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School