Jane Eyre’s most memorable moments
Therefore, childhood and how it is presented plays an important role in the book. Bronze uses a variety of methods to illustrate childhood; through use of language, descriptions, presentations of relationships and thoughts, and contemporary references. One method utilizes by Bronze to present the experience of childhood is her use of childish language.
The early chapters, featuring Jane as a child, are worded more simply than the later chapters; Bronze describes what happens through the eyes of a child, Jane, and so we are presented with an innocent, and often ignorant, viewpoint; Jane watches as ‘the tall girls went out’ – an older character would note the vents with more else .NET language, but the young Jane simply describes what she experiences, the more sophisticated interjections throughout the novel come from the mature Jane.
Bronze also conveys childhood and childish ignorance through Cane’s thoughts – she reads but the elder Jane notes that her childhood self had only ‘half-comprehended notions’ of the subject matter. Another depiction of the naivety of childhood comes from when Jane first meets Helen Burns; the ignorance of childhood is contrasted with the reasoning of a more mature mind – Jane ‘could not very well understand’ Hellene calm reasoning and ‘recalled her to Lane’s] level’ of youthful thinking.
Bronze uses visual descriptions and statements to evoke the powerless feelings of being a child; visually so in her emphasis on Cane’s small, child-like stature in her first meeting with Mr. Brochures – she states that she ‘looked up at… A black pillar’ – and using statements such as Jane speaking of herself as having ‘underdeveloped understanding and imperfect feelings’. Bronze also uses detailed descriptions of emotions – Jane feels a ‘passion of resentment’ bout her perceived unjust treatment, yet is unable to do anything about it.
More visual descriptions to emphasis the powerlessness of youth are used when Jane arrives at Elwood; many characters are described as tall and physically dominating, as the reader sees them from a small child’s perspective, such as ‘the tall girls’ or ‘the great girls’ and Miss Temple, ‘a tall lady. The experience of childhood is also illustrated through how Bronze presents the young Cane’s relationships with others.
With Bessie, Cane’s helplessness and inferior status -? she is a child and thus inferior to Bessie, ere elder – is shown through how Bessie has to ‘scrub Cane’s] face and hands’ and help her dress, as Jane is too young to be able to properly do this on her own. This reinforces the presentation of childhood being an age where one is helpless. Through Cane’s interaction with the Reed children, Bronze depicts another experience of childhood – bullying. John Reed ‘bullied [Jane… Intentionally’ yet, as she is a child and inferior in social status, her side of the story is never believed, again emphasizing the powerlessness one experiences during childhood. Bronze was probably aware of contemporary sews of childhood; the two ideas of innocent and sinful childhood are presented in the novel. Mr. Brochures reflects the traditional Christian view that there is ‘no sight more sad as that of a naughty child’ and so children must spend their childhood being disciplined and humble to avoid sin.
The innocence of childhood is shown through Bronze’s description of Jan?s innocent pleasure in her natural surroundings – ‘all [the days of blue sky and placid sunshine she] enjoyed often and fully, free, unwatched and almost alone’ -? showing her youthful ability to simply enjoy nature and life. In inclusion, Bronze uses a variety of methods to describe the experience of childhood, including use of language, descriptions, presentations of relationships and thoughts, and contemporary references.
