Maturation of Jane Eyre Robert Nogay 12th Grade

Intelligent and self-aware as a child, the protagonist of the novel, Jane Eyre, grows from an immature youth to a well-respected woman by learning from several different environments that test her character. Jane must navigate society as she progresses from a student to a governess and teacher to her final position as a wife. In the beginning of the novel, Jane is a passionate girl who acts upon impulse, but as she grows she learns when it is appropriate to speak her mind and when she should contain herself. Jane learns to control and evaluate her emotions rather than whimsically acting on them; this process is defined by critic Suzanne Hader as “…long, arduous, and gradual, consisting of repeated clashes between the protagonist’s needs and the desires and the views and judgments enforced by an unbending social order”. The act of maturing is usually a struggle that goes against the nature of a person. Jane, for example, is often hurt by a relentless society full of obstacles. As Jane overcomes challenges, she begins to find her identity and ends up in a permanent situation she desires rather than one that is temporarily acceptable. Jane’s quest for identity reveals several aspects of her character that society deems...