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.