"You were born, I think, to be my torment: my last hour is racked by the
recollection of a deed, which, but for you, I should never have been
tempted to commit"(243).
From the first introduction of Mrs. Reed until the day she died, she held the same outlook on Jane. As a child, Jane displeased Mrs. Reed by here mere existence. Jane did exhibit strong willed characteristics that upset Mrs. Reed, but after Jane's Change in character Mrs. Reed's hate for her remained. While on her death bed, Mrs Reed says to Jane, "You were born, I think, to be my torment: my last hour is racked by the recollection of a deed, which, but for you, I should never have been tempted to commit". Mrs. Reed is not able to forgive Jane for her childhood actions and holds them against her forever. Mrs. Reed's static character brings out the change that takes place in Jane's character. Jane is able to move on from the unfortunate time at Gateshead, while Mrs. Reed is cursed to die with bitter feelings towards Jane.
I really liked this page, I actually did characterization of Mrs. Reed as well. I liked how you talked about her as a static character, but I felt like you made Jane the antagonist. "Mrs. Reed is not able to forgive Jane for her childhood actions". In my opinion, Jane is wrongly framed by Mrs. Reed for her childhood deeds, and Mrs. Reed should be shown as the antagonist. You did have one confusing part "after Jane's Change in character Mrs. Reed's hate for her remained". I think that might have just been a grammatical error though. Overall, I agreed with your analysis of Mrs. Reed and how Bronte minimally develops her!
ReplyDeleteEmily Konen