Jane Eyre Themes

Jane Eyre Themes

Marriage

(Click the themes infographic to download.) In Jane Eyre, marriage is about a combination of three things: the dynamic trio of compatibility, passion, and ethics. This novels shows us that marriag...

Education

(Click the themes infographic to download.)You won't ever find Jane Eyre chanting "We don't need no education." She not only needs it; she wants it.In Jane Eyre, education provides the only route f...

Appearances

(Click the themes infographic to download.)Appearances are almost always inversely related to the actual nature of the characters in Jane Eyre. Beautiful women turn out to be scheming harpies or se...

Society and Class

(Click the themes infographic to download.)Jane Eyre (the novel, not the character) looks down its nose in disgust at the existing Victorian class hierarchy. The characters who are most interested...

The Supernatural

(Click the themes infographic to download.)There are very few things in Jane Eyre that are actually supernatural, but the supernatural is still a major theme in this novel. How can that be? Over an...

Morality and Ethics

(Click the themes infographic to download.)In the strictest sense, Jane Eyre is all about morality—in fact, it’s close to being didactic (it's as if Brontë was trying to teach her readers abou...

Foreignness and "The Other"

(Click the themes infographic to download.) Foreignness and "The Other" are uber-complex themes in Jane Eyre. The novel depends heavily on the relationship between England, at the center, and a var...

The Home

(Click the themes infographic to download.)In one sense, Jane Eyre is about the quest of an orphan girl for a home. In this novel, home isn’t just where you hang your hat—it has to be somewhere...