Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte - 1231 Words

Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, and Pride and Prejudice, written by Jane Austen, are two well-known 18th and 19th century novels written by women. Jane Eyre follows part of Elizabeth Bennet’s life as she and her sisters begin courtships and finally marry. In Jane Eyre, the story follows the life of an orphan girl, Jane Eyre, as she grows up and lives amidst many disappointments and hardship after hardship. Although both stories have much romance in them, they are written in very different styles, making their characters more difficult to compare. Jane Eyre is a book written in the Romantic and somewhat Gothic style, and places importance on describing everything. Pride and Prejudice, however, is more of a reaction to the Romantic†¦show more content†¦Although Elizabeth grew up with a family on the lower end of the upper class, it was not a family to be longed for. Her mother was silly, her father passive in restraining his wife and daughters, although she was not without some wise sisters. Because of this family atmosphere, Elizabeth could have become like her mother or could have turned against her family; however, she became an independent young woman who tried to respect her parents while trying to act wisely. Thus both Jane and Elizabeth rose above their situations, not letting them turn them into selfish, unkind, or silly people. However, there are other similarities between Jane and Elizabeth. Both young women did not place as high of a value on money and wealth as did many of the people of their time. Although Elizabeth’s mother wanted all her children to marry men of good connections and wealth, but Elizabeth does not as high a priority on these qualities. When she could have married a very silly, foolish man and by this means secured her family’s estate, she refuses because of his character. In addition, when her friend marries this man because he has a large amount of money and has rich patrons, she does not hold that it was a good choice. Later, when Elizabeth accepts a very wealthy man, it is not, as her mother supposes, for wealth, but instead because she admires him. In Jane’s case, she is a hard working but poorer woman. Yet the reason she falls in love with her master, Mr. Rochester, is not