Power of First Person Narrative

Jane Eyre is a novel written entirely in a first-person narrative, from Jane's point of view. It's my belief that first-person narrative of the novel helps to establish Jane as an independent, compelling and capable heroine. Most novels with first-person narratives contain some kind of bias, however small, because the character from whom the narration comes is not a neutral part of the story; it is to be expected that the narrator will put their own opinion and thoughts into the story. Perhaps they depict a character in a negative way because they posses characteristics that the narrator does not approve of, thus encouraging the reader to see this character in the same light.

Had Jane Eyre been written in a third-person narrative, the inner workings of Jane's mind wouldn't have been revealed to us. As a reader, I would have had to analyse Jane's character based simply on her actions and by any dialogue spoken by her. While these would have been helpful, being able to find out what Jane was really thinking greatly benefited me as a reader.

One of the most beneficial things I gained from the first-person narration of Jane Eyre was Jane's thoughts and feelings toward Mr. Rochester. Outwardly, Jane is generally courteous and kind to Mr. Rochester and at the beginning of their relationship, she is nothing more than polite. Because of the first-person narrative, however, we know that Jane's feelings toward Mr. Rochester are much more than the feelings of an employee towards her employer. " I believed he was naturally a man of better tendencies, higher principles and purer tastes that such as circumstances had developed, education instilled, or destiny encouraged. I thought there were excellent materials in him; though for the present, they hung together somewhat spoiled and tangled. I cannot deny that I grieved for his grief, whatever that was, and would have given much to assuage it." (204) Jane also refers to Mr. Rochester as an idol for her, saying that he has replaced the presence of a God in her life. These two small excerpts from Jane's realm of thought reveals to the reader how she really feels about Mr. Rochester.

As I've previously discussed, the character of Jane deviates largely from any other female characters of the eighteenth century. In the eyes of many critics, Jane Eyre is seen as the earliest feminist novel. I agree with this statement in a sense, though I believe Charlotte Brontë's intentions in writing Jane Eyre were not to tell the story of a feminist heroine, but to simply tell the story of a woman who believed there was no need to pretend she was inferior to all men. That is to say, I don't think Brontë made the conscious decision to create a feminist character, largely because at the time Jane Eyre was written, the idea of feminism hadn't begun to bloom yet; it was not until 1928 that British women over the age of 21 were allowed to vote and the second wave of feminism that focused primarily on equality between the sexes did not begin until the early 1960's.

Jane, in speaking of the obscene amount of gifts Mr. Rochester bestows upon her when they are engaged to be married, says, "The more he bought me, the more my cheek burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation." (377) Jane's aversion to being "bought" and objectified by Mr. Rochester shows that she does not define herself by materialistic objects or beauty, two components that often define a woman, especially in Jane's time. Although this is a simple part of the story, it reveals a lot to us about the moral integrity of Jane and it's something that would remain hidden from the reader had Brontë chosen to write the novel from a different angle.

I believe that the first-person narrative in Jane Eyre is far more powerful than a third-person narrative would have been. Because Jane guides us through the story, and subsequently her life, I felt as though I was truly experiencing everything alongside Jane. When Jane describes her failures or hardships, when she describes the love she feels for Mr. Rochester, the descriptions made me feel as though Jane was a close friend of mine, putting her faith in me as she told me all sorts of stories about her life. I think the choice of Brontë to write Jane Eyre from Jane's point of view was an intelligent decision, one that allowed more liberty within the novel and allowed the reader to feel a deeper connection with Jane.