Jane Eyre Rebellion Quotes

What a consternation of soul was mine that dreary afternoon! How all my brain was in tumult, and all my heart in insurrection! Yet in what darkness, what dense ignorance, was the mental battle fought! I could not answer the ceaseless inward question – why I thus suffered; now at the distance of – I will not say how many years, I see it clearly.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 2. Looking back at her imprisonment in the red room as a child, Jane describes her mental turmoil over being punished that day by Mrs. Reed for acting in self defense. While she is depressed by her solitary confinement, she is also stirred by the emotions of the rebel slave who wants to fight back – “all my heart in insurrection.”

As I instantly turned against him, roused by the same sentiment of deep ire and desperate revolt which had stirred my corruption before, he thought it better to desist, and ran from me tittering execrations, and vowing I had burst his nose.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. No longer willing to be pushed around, Jane is determined to resist further abuse in the Reed home, especially from John. When he begins to chastise her, she turns on him, and she scurries off complaining that she burst his nose.

“They are not fit to associate with me.”
Mrs. Reed was rather a stout woman; but, on hearing this strange and audacious declaration, she ran nimbly up the stair, swept me like a whirlwind into the nursery, and crushing me down on the edge of my crib, dared me in an emphatic voice to rise from that place, or utter one syllable during the remainder of the day.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. When the rebellious Jane hits John Reed on the nose for attempting to abuse her and declares that the Reed children are not fit to associate with her, Mrs. Reed attacks her. A simile describes Mrs. Reed sweeping Jane “like a whirlwind” into the nursery, where Jane is confined and told to shut up by Mrs. Reed, who boxes her ears.

“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child,” he began, “especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?”
“They go to hell,” was my ready and orthodox answer.
“And what is hell? Can you tell me that?”
“A pit full of fire.”
“And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?”
“No, sir.”
“What must you do to avoid it?”
I deliberated a moment; my answer, when it did come, was objectionable: “I must keep in good health, and not die.”

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. the clergyman and supervisor of Lowood Mr. Brocklehurst questions young Jane about hell, where the wicked are said to be sent after death. Jane’s instinctive answer about how to avoid hell is interesting – stay in good health and don’t die! It tells us quite a lot about the survival and rebellious instincts of the child Jane which will serve well throughout her life.

“Psalms are not interesting,” I remarked.
“That proves you have a wicked heart; and you must pray to God to change it: to give you a new and clean one: to take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. Jane is summoned to the Reeds’ breakfast room, where she is questioned by Mr. Brocklehurst on hell, sin and the Bible. She instinctively rebels and dismisses the psalms as not interesting. He retorts by accusing her of having a heart of stone, metaphorically speaking, and commands that she pray to God to replace it with a heart of flesh.

I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed; and this book about the liar, you may give it to your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies, and not I.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. An angry and hurt Jane asserts herself in this chapter and retaliates. Resentful of her aunt’s false accusations about her character, she defiantly walks up to her and asserts that she is no liar. Telling Mrs. Reed that she doesn’t love her, she declares that the only person she dislikes more is her son John. She suggests that Mrs. Reed give Mr. Brocklehurst’s book to her lying daughter Georgiana. The book, entitled the Child’s Guide, tells of the sudden death of “a naughty child addicted to falsehood and deceit.” It was was given to Jane by Brocklehurst.

I am glad you are no relation of mine: I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. Jane is said to be “shaking from head to foot, thrilled with ungovernable excitement” when she launches this verbal assault on her aunt. Jane is striking back after Mrs. Reed branded her a liar to Mr. Brocklehurst. Jane disowns her aunt and warns her that when she grows up she won’t hesitate to tell everyone about the cruelty Mrs. Reed inflicted on her.

You think I have no feelings, and that I can do without one bit of love or kindness; but I cannot live so: and you have no pity. I shall remember how you thrust me back – roughly and violently thrust me back – into the red-room, and locked me up there, to my dying day; though I was in agony; though I cried out, while suffocating with distress, “Have mercy! Have mercy, Aunt Reed!” And that punishment you made me suffer because your wicked boy struck me – knocked me down for nothing. I will tell anybody who asks me questions, this exact tale. People think you a good woman, but you are bad, hard-hearted. You are deceitful!

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. Jane confronts her aunt over her cruelty, hypocrisy and deceitfulness. She rejects the good woman image that Mrs. Reed portrays to other people. Instead Jane brands her as wicked and unloving. Jane rails against her aunt’s callousness in imprisoning her in the red room as punishment when John Reed struck her and knocked her down without cause. She labels her aunt a liar.

Ere I had finished this reply, my soul began to expand, to exult, with the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph, I ever felt. It seemed as if an invisible bond had burst, and that I had struggled out into unhoped-for liberty.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. After her fiery tirade against her Aunt Reed’s cruel behavior, hypocrisy and deceitfulness, Jane feels liberated. Having spoken out against the tyranny of Gateshead Hall, the strong-willed and determined Jane exults in her new empowering feeling of freedom.

Mrs. Reed looked frightened; her work had slipped from her knee; she was lifting up her hands, rocking herself to and fro, and even twisting her face as if she would cry.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. After the powerful confrontation with Jane, Mrs. Reed shows signs of fear and panic. She is clearly taken aback and is worried over how her young niece stood up to her. This marks a turning point in their relationship, when Mrs. Reed loses control over Jane.

Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time; as aromatic wine it seemed, on swallowing, warm and racy: its after-flavour, metallic and corroding, gave me a sensation as if I had been poisoned.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. When Jane stands up to her Aunt Reed she feels a sense of triumph and vengeance. But as a child doing battle with an adult, her passionate outburst also leaves her with feelings of remorse and guilt. In one simile she compares the taste to “aromatic wine,” but in another the sensation is “as if I had been poisoned.” After this passage Jane goes on to say: “Willingly would I now have gone and asked Mrs. Reed’s pardon; but I knew, partly from experience and partly from instinct, that was the way to make her repulse me with double scorn, thereby re-exciting every turbulent impulse of my nature.”

It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you; and besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 6. Helen Burns is speaking to Jane after Helen has been flogged on the neck by teacher Miss Scatcherd brandishing a bundle of twigs. The rebellious Jane says that had she been struck by that rod, she would have grabbed it from the teacher’s hand and broken it under her nose. But Helen is a religious girl who believes in the Bible’s message of turning the other cheek and showing Christian forgiveness to your enemies. She becomes Jane’s best friend at Lowood.

If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way; they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should – so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 6. While her friend Helen subscribes to the doctrine of turning the other cheek when mistreated, Jane is less forgiving to those who are cruel and unjust. When people are wicked she believes in striking back hard at them in order to teach them a lesson.

But I feel this Helen: I must dislike those who, whatever I do to please them, persist in disliking me. I must resist those who punish me unjustly. It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 6. Jane’s childhood struggles with the cruel Reed family have left her with an unforgiving and rebellious nature. While she will love those who love her, she vows to resist those who unjustly punish her.

Women are supposed to be very calm generally; but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 12. Jane expresses these feelings as she looks out over the rooftop of Thornfield Hall. She speaks out strongly against the sexist treatment of women and the restrictions her gender faces in Victorian society. She rails against expectations that women remain calm and submissive and confine themselves to baking, knitting, playing piano and embroidery. She demands freedom from “restraint” and “stagnation” and equality with men, saying that women have the same feelings as men. Jane’s rebellion against the limitations and confinements of her lot is a powerful example of early feminism, making this the first major feminist novel. Jane’s revolt against social injustice is not just a story for Victorian England. It is one that is still very relevant to today’s society.

“You examine me, Miss Eyre,” said he. “Do you think me handsome?”
I should have deliberated, have replied to this question by something conventionally vague and polite; but the answer somehow slipped from my tongue before I was aware: “No, sir.”

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 14. Mr. Rochester gets flirtatious with Jane here, asking if she thinks him handsome. When Jane defiantly and cheekily says “no,” she is speaking the truth as Rochester is not classically handsome. But she is also showing that she is a woman with an independent mind who speaks honestly and refuses to flatter him.

“I tell you I must go!” I retorted, roused to something like passion. “Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton? – a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! – I have as much soul as you, – and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh; – it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal, – as we are!”
“As we are!” repeated Mr. Rochester – “so,” he added, enclosing me in his arms. Gathering me to his breast, pressing his lips on my lips: “so, Jane!”

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 23. Jane makes a passionate speech to Rochester, proclaiming her self-worth and equality, despite being of a poorer class than him. Her emotional outpouring comes after Rochester pretends to be engaged to beautiful socialite Miss Ingram, yet insists that Jane must stay. Despite her love for Rochester, Jane is adament that she will leave, asserting herself as an independent woman equal to Rochester. Using metaphors of food – “morsel of bread” and “drop of living water” – Jane reveals the depth of her passion for him. Had she been gifted with Miss Ingram’s beauty and wealth, he would find it hard to leave her, she boldly tells Rochester. After Jane lays bare her feelings for Rochester, he embraces and kisses her as an equal.

“Jane, be still; don’t struggle so, like a wild, frantic bird that is rending its own plumage in its desperation.”
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you.”

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 23. Mr. Rochester does not want Jane to leave him after she declares that she is because he is “as good as a married man.” He uses a nature simile to compare her to a desperate wild bird tearing its own feathers. However, the strong-willed and determined Jane rejects this imagery. She exerts her independence as a woman by declaring that she is no caged bird and is leaving to go to Ireland. Jane is very much a free woman and a revolutionary ahead of her time. She rejects the patriarchy of a Victorian society that treats women as subservient to men.

And then you won’t know me, sir; and I shall not be your Jane Eyre any longer, but an ape in a harlequin’s jacket – a jay in borrowed plumes.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 24. A horrified Jane responds thus to Rochester after he tells her: “I will attire my Jane in satin and lace, and she shall have roses in her hair; and I will cover the head I love best with a priceless veil.” Jane has just accepted Rochester’s marriage proposal and he wants the world to acknowledge her beauty by showering her with jewelry and fine clothes. But Jane resists this, refusing to change her outward appearance to suit her new social position. She uses two apt animal metaphors to emphasize how unnatural this is to plain Jane. She would be “an ape in a harlequin’s jacket” or “a jay in borrowed plumes.” Jane doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of the wealthy Victorian man’s wife who dresses to demonstrate her high station. She values too much her spirit of independence and freedom and the desire to be her natural self. This spirit is one of the reasons Rochester is so drawn to Jane.

“I am cold: no fervour infects me.”
“Whereas I am hot and fire dissolves ice.”

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 33. This is the first instance of Jane standing up to St. John. Ice and fire are recurring symbols in the novel. He is compared metaphorically to ice, while the rebellious and passionate Jane retorts that she is made of fire. This foreshadows the moment when Jane will confront St. John and his anger, assert her independence and leave him. Jane is not a woman who allows a man dicate the course of her life.

“I scorn your idea of love,” I could not help saying, as I rose up and stood before him, leaning my back against the rock. “I scorn the counterfeit sentiment you offer: yes, St. John, and I scorn you when you offer it.”

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 34. This is Jane’s unequivocal response after St. John insists they must be married going to India while Jane will only go as his sister. Her outburst against St. John is provoked by his attempts to dominate her and his demand that she choose divine love over human love. Theirs is a conflict between logic and passion, between reason and emotion. The rebel spirit of the fighting Jane comes to the fore as she stands up for what she desires. She does not wish for a loveless marriage. In the battle of wills between St. John with his logic and Jane and her passion, Jane’s strength prevails. Earlier when St. John listed out Jane’s credentials for the perfect missionary’s wife, he described her as “docile.” But Jane is far from docile, as St. John learns with her decisive rejection of his marriage proposal.

I broke from St. John, who had followed, and would have detained me. It was my turn to assume ascendency. My powers were in play and in force. I told him to forbear question or remark; I desired him to leave me; I must, and would be alone. He obeyed at once. Where there is energy to command well enough, obedience never fails. I mounted to my chamber, locked myself in, fell on my knees, and prayed in my way – a different way to St. John’s – but effective in its own fashion. I seemed to penetrate very near a Mighty Spirit, and my soul rushed out in gratitude at His feet. I rose from the thanksgiving – took a resolve – and lay down, unscared, enlightened – eager but for the daylight.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 35. Immediately after hearing Rochester’s voice calling her, Jane feels empowered to break away from St. John. Asserting herself against St. John’s religious strength, she commands him to go away and leave her alone. This is a powerful act of self-assertion in which she takes her power back from St. John. Then she goes to her bedroom and offers a thanksgiving prayer to God – for her rescue from the despotic clergyman. Having experienced St. John’s unloving and controlling ways, Jane knows that she loves Rochester.

Reader, I married him.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 38. The opening sentence of this final chapter is probably the most famous line in Jane Eyre, and one of the most famous lines in English literature. Jane tells us that she has wed Mr. Rochester. A climactic moment, it is also Jane’s most rebelliously defiant moment. She doesn’t say: Reader, he married me. Instead she asserts her gender equality with: Reader, I married him. It is a happy ending for the ultimate love story, a masterpiece of passion and heartbreak, fairytale and gothic horror, tumultuous romance, anger and final peace and contentment. But it is no conventional ending. Thornfield is reduced to ashes. Rochester’s wife has fallen to her death from the roof of the burning house. Rochester is blind and has lost a hand. But out of the ashes of tragedy and torment, the once homeless orphan Jane has found home, family and love with her flawed Byronic hero.