I just finished reading Jane Eyre. A melancholy yet pleasant sort of read. I realize it's not a true story - but she is an inspiring character.What a tragic childhood she had. Without anyone to love her or treat her respectfully, she somehow persevered.
At the age of 10 she said,
"Even for me life had its gleams of sunshine."
At the dreadful Lowood school for girls, she met Helen Burns, who was always in trouble for the silliest of things - yet never deserved the wrath. She dies from illness in the arms of Jane. Before she died, Helen taught Jane these words:
"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs. We are, and must be, one and all, burdened with faults in this world; but the time will soon come when, I trust, we shall put them off ... and only the spark of the spirit will remain, the impalpable principle of life and thought, pure as when it left the Creator. ... Injustice never crushes me too low. I live in calm, looking to the end." Helen Burns
And then the JOY Jane finally finds at the end of the story when she is able to fully love and be loved. She learned so much from her life experiences and came out a cheerful and wise soul. What a gal!
5 comments:
I love Jane Eyre and have read it a few times. Suzette just taught a class at BYU-I on the Bronte sisters and she was saying something about how harlequin romances kind of came from Jane Eyre. They just lost all the morality of the characters. She had lots of interesting things to say about it.
I re-read Jane Eyre last year. It is one of my most favorite books. I think I have read it 3-4 times now. Sigh.
I love this post. I haven't read that book forever, but I sure love the messages you shared from it. It is really helpful to see different perspectives from other's lives, even if they aren't real ;)
I have this book on my list to read. I better get on it. It sounds great!
I love this book! It's one of my very favorites. The movies are good too - but don't quite match up to the book.
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