1. Relationships in Jane Eyre
David Nguyen, Katherine Welch, Natalie Laryea, Divya Ramamurthy, Carly Sablatura

2. Prompt
Relationships as they pertained to the 18th century and how they compare today. This needs to consist of parental relationships, parent/child relationships, family unity/disconnect, etc. Provide examples from the text.

3. Literal Meaning of the Prompt
How do relationships (parental, friendships, familial) in the 18th century compare to the nature of relationships in the present?

4. Relation to the Novel
Jane’s relationships with the characters in the novel define the plot
In each part of the novel, Jane forms relationships that teach her about the injustices of the world, intelligence, forgiveness, obedience, determination, love, jealousy, independence, & duty.

5. Example 1: Moorshead St. John’s control over Jane
“It is — that he asks me to be his wife, and has no more of a husband’s heart for me than that frowning giant of a rock” (Bronte 387).
St. John’s marriage proposal to Jane clearly portrays his ultimate devotion to duty, not love. His demand ignores Jane’s desires which shows that St. John does not care about a woman’s wants; he only cares about what will help him complete his task because he wants to experience the benefits. This is the typical thought process of marrying woman who is simply seen as an asset for a wealthy man of high status.

6. Example 2: Lowood Mr. Brocklehurst’s contempt towards Jane Eyre
“You must be on your guard against her; you must shun her example — if necessary, avoid her company” (Bronte 59).
This event portrays an abusive, intrusive student-teacher relationship. Rather than advising or shaping Jane into an intelligent, obedient student, stern, cold Mr. Brocklehurst punishes and embarrasses Jane in front of her peers and other teachers to taint her reputation.

7. Literary Devices #1
Simile: Jane’s relationship with her family (Gateshead)
“All John Reed’s violent tyrannies, all his sisters’ proud indifference, all his mother’s aversion, all the servant’s partiality, turned up in my disturbed mind like a dark deposit in a turbid well” (Bronte 8).
In the red room, Jane thinks about how her family’s purposefully excludes her from their lives. Jane was an orphan with a unique mind which compelled Aunt Reed and her children to show Jane contempt and scorn due a lack of understanding between the two entities. These feelings of loneliness and worthlessness taints Jane throughout her life at Lowood and causes her to forget the value of forgiving.

8. Literary Devices #2
Tactile Imagery: Before leaving the room from having tea with Jane and Mr. Rochester, Adele kisses Mr. Rochester goodnight (Thornfield)
“Adele went to kiss him before quitting the room: he endured the caress, but scarcely seemed to relish it more than Pilot would have done, nor so much” (Bronte 118).
This subtle moment in the novel displays the detached and enforced relationship between Mr. Rochester and Adele. Mr. Rochester only brought her to England because her mother, Celine, abandoned her. Since he doesn’t believe Adele is his daughter, he doesn’t care for her as much as he would if Adele was his daughter. 

9. Literary Device #3
Gothic element (sign/omen): Rochester calls out to Jane and Jane hears him (Ferndean)
“Perhaps your soul wandered from its cell to comfort mine; for those were your accents — as certain as i live — they were yours” (Bronte 429).
This mere coincidence or supernatural intervention portrays the strong, pure connection between Rochester and Jane. For the time period, it was an unconventional relationship where a man and woman were in love with each other and were equals, which is typical of an ideal partnership of the 21st century.

10. New Prompt:
Novels and plays often include scenes of weddings, funerals, parties, and other social occasions. Such scenes may reveal the values of the characters and the society in which they live. Select a scene in the novel and discuss the contribution the scene makes to the meaning of the work as a whole.
The second prompt that we chose related to our first prompt we were given because they both are about the way characters interact with each other in stories. The first prompt focusing more on relationships, while the second examines the way certain events form particular character interactions. 

11. Significant Moment #1 Rochester and Jane’s wedding (Thornfield)
Jane and Rochester’s wedding scene in Thornfield exemplified how relationships were back in the 18th century. Rochester married Bertha for her money, and Jane was to be just a mistress since Rochester already had a wife. Jane couldn’t bear to be just a mistress to Rochester, and that’s why she ran away. In the 18th century, many people married for money and not for love, which is an almost nonexistent practice today.

12. Significant Moment #2 Rochester and Jane’s wedding (Ferndean)
Jane returns to Rochester and marries him. In the end, Rochester confesses how he is dependent of Jane and that they both are only happy when together. This shows how Jane has an empowering role in their relationship when she says 'I married him' emphasizing how she is the one who agreed to wed.
Jane throughout the novel came off as a character who favors independence of men but in the end, still feels dependent of Rochester of making her happy. During this time period, the radical feminist thought was rare and still young, so people like Jane where she likes to be equal to her partner is quite rare. Rochester is dependent of Jane after becoming blind, and Jane relies on Rochester in keeping her happy. Their relationship, though rare, symbolizes the idea of women being equal to men and how the role of women will evolve in the later time periods. 

13. Citations and Sources Jane Eyre
jane-eyre-wedding-dress
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marriage-proposal-every-seminarian-must-avoid

14. Wedding Game! Most Likely To… - Jane and Rochester -

15. Most Likely To…
Be rich?

16. Most Likely to:
Have a secret wife?

17. Most Likely to:
Be a teacher?

18. Most Likely to:
Be in love?