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By Grace Fields
Have you ever read a book that you picked up in every spare moment? I have always been an avid reader, but my favorite book I read in school was Jane Eyre. I finished half of the book the first day I picked it up! Between practice and classes, I devoured the book. Jane Eyre was unlike any other book I had ever read. Every time I read it, my mind’s eye clearly pictured Thornfield Hall’s gothic architecture. If, like me, autumn is your favorite season, you will fall in love with Brontë’s prose.
Some might be turned away from Jane Eyre because they think that it is merely a romance book. Jane Eyre is so much more than just romance. The novel tackles themes of forgiveness, social class, and religion. One of my favorite parts is when Jane meets a girl at the orphanage named Helen Burns. Jane has been treated poorly by her aunt and cousins all her life. After being sent to the orphanage by her aunt, she feels anger and resentment towards her family. While at the orphanage, Jane witnesses the headmaster beating Helen. Later, when she speaks with Helen, she is astonished. Helen wasn't angry about what had happened to her. She tells Jane, “Life appears to me too short to be spent on nursing animosity or registering wrongs. We are, and must be, one and all, burdened by faults in this world; but the time will soon come when, I trust, we shall put them off in putting off our corruptible bodies...I hold another creed, which no one ever taught me, and which I seldom mention, but in which I delight, and to which I cling; for it extends hope to all; it makes Eternity a rest—a mighty home, not a terror and an abyss.”
When I first read Helen’s response, I was moved and reflectively reminded of my ability to
forgive those who have wronged me. Characters like Helen are reminders to us, even today, that
we may be burdened with the wrongs of this world, but our response to others ought to be one of
love, not animosity. I hope this brief description entices you to read Jane Eyre. There is so much
to uncover in this amazing novel if you only flip to the first page.
Grace Fields is a McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville in the class of 2028. She is studying political science and economics with a minor in Spanish.