There are lots of images or motifs in Jane
Eyre. I will discuss one of the central set of images and how it relates to
the novel as a whole.
You would do well to re-read the
novel and note how often fire and ice are referred to as central images. These two
images are fundamentally related to the theme of the novel. Fire represents the passion
and anger of Jane, while ice represents the forces of duty, submission and other
characters that are trying to suppress and oppress Jane's character. In the novel at
various points fire is used as a kind of metaphor for Jane, to describe her spirit and
vitality. For example, before she leaves Gateshead, she compares her way of thinking to
“a ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring.” Likewise fire is used to
indicate to readers who Jane can relate to. For example, Rochester is described as
having “flaming and flashing” eyes.
Ice and cold are used
in the novel to symbolise isolation, loneliness and abandonment. The first mention we
have of this is the book that Jane reads in Chapter 1, depicting the "death-white
realms” of the arctic. This landscape of course mirrors Jane's state during her time at
Gateshead - she is abandoned and isolated both physically and spiritually. This is
continued in Lowood through reference to the freezing conditions and the ice that has to
be broken each morning for the girls to wash. Most interesting is the way that images of
ice and cold are welded to the figure of St. John Rivers. He is compared at various
points to "marble" and a "glacier". He is of course a force that tries to oppress Jane
and stamp our her independence of spirit or her "flame". Consider Jane's comment on his
impact on her: “By degrees, he acquired a certain influence over me that took away my
liberty of mind. . . . I fell under a freezing
spell”.
These are just some examples of how these two key
images run through the novel as a whole - try and look for some others in the
novel.
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