God And Religion In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

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In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, the title character of Jane Eyre struggles to find her own attitude towards God and religion, particularly in light of the various unfortunate circumstances that befall her. In one of those circumstances in particular-- her horrific living conditions at the Lowood School-- she meets and befriends Helen Burns, a fellow student there, whose outlook on life and faith directly contrast with those held by Jane at the time. Bronte uses the contrasts between Jane and her foil Helen to reveal the desirableness of one finding a spiritual and moral middle ground, between subjecting oneself to a life of misery and living a life fueled by vengeance. Helen faces her unfortunate life and the various cruel mistreatments …show more content…
However, although Jane admires Helen’s approach to life, which is Bronte’s praise of such a degree of spiritual discipline, Jane also notes that her friend’s resignation to whatever trials her unfortunate life throws at her seems sad and consequently feels a bit of pity for her. By adding this sense of pity and the undesirable trait of sadness, Bronte isn’t completely supporting the extremeness of Helen’s attitude either. Helen Burns’ religious outlook may have been better than young Jane’s-- and hence was praised, in contrast to Jane’s, whose was only criticized-- but each girl’s view highlights imperfections in the other’s view. The lack of a perfect answer on either side creatins a platform for Bronte’s support of having one’s beliefs in the theological middle ground rather than on either extreme.
Jane finally develops such a religious view herself after having lived through many other harsh circumstances, many years after Helen’s tragic death. Jane is not as impetuous as her childhood self and takes on many of the praised theological beliefs that Helen demonstrated all those years before, such as putting her faith in God’s deliverance and provision, but without the passive resignation held by her late friend. Jane ultimately lives her life in blissful happiness, a contrast to the perceived aura of sadness surrounding Helen’s outlook life, reinforcing the author’s support
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