In Jane
Eyre, binary opposition is dominant, emphasizing the divide between the
characters and the feelings of the characters too. For example, Jane is an
example of a warm and compassionate character. On the other hand, there are
characters such as Mrs. Reed who demonstrates a rather cold personality.
Throughout the novel, fire and ice are used to show contrast between the
characters and also to highlight Jane’s feelings toward certain situations.
Imagery using ice and cold is often used when Jane is feeling loneliness and
discontent. For example, when Jane and Rochester’s wedding is interrupted,
Jane’s feelings are described emphasizing the cold, “A Christmas frost had come at midsummer; a white December storm
had whirled over June; ice glazed the ripe apples, drifts crushed the blowing
roses; on hayfield and cornfield lay a frozen shroud: lanes which last night
blushed full of flowers, to-day were pathless with untrodden snow” (Bronte
260). Jane’s personality is often described as warm and bright, yet her feelings
are often described as quite the antithesis. Charlotte Bronte’s implementation
binary opposition throughout Jane Eyre
creates images for the reader’s interpretation of the text and also stirs up
feelings from the audience. Binary pairs reinforce the feelings of the
characters and emphasize the themes of the novel.
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Madrid: Gaviota, n.d. Print.
It's interesting how you related the comparisons of fire and ice to binary opposition! I too noticed the many references to the pairs in the novel, but I never related it to binary opposition. What is even more interesting is that Charlotte Brontë's sister, Emily Brontë, used the same comparison of fire and ice in Wuthering Heights. In that novel, Catherine says that her and Heathcliff's souls are like fire and ice, they are opposites. However, this relationship between fire and ice is prevalent in many more instances of that novel as well.
ReplyDeleteWhy would the novels have this similarity? It's possible that the sisters were influenced by their childhood in the moors of England; the fire must have been their only source of heat from the cold weather there, causing such similar use of binary opposition. In my post, I analyzed other similarities between the novels, but perhaps the use of similar binary oppositions is something I should have included. You presented a very interesting idea in this post, well done!