I approached my cheek to her lips: she would not
touch it. She said I oppressed her by leaning over the bed,
and again demanded water. As I laid her down—for I
raised her and supported her on my arm while she
drank—I covered her ice-cold and clammy hand with
mine: the feeble fingers shrank from my touch—the
glazing eyes shunned my gaze.
‘Love me, then, or hate me, as you will,’ I said at last, ‘you have my full and free forgiveness: ask now for God’s, and be at peace.’
Why I chose this excerpt:
One theme that stood out throughout this story is family and the quest to find loved ones. From Aunt Reed, to Helen Burns, to Mr. Rochester Jane spent most of this book finding familial love. At Gateshead, her extended family essentially threw her out of the home. At Lowood, the strict rules kept anyone from getting close (or in Helen and the other student's cases, they'd die or leave because it's a school) And then obviously at Thornfield, both Mr. Rochester and Jane find love within each other and try to make it work.
I chose this specific excerpt because it solidified this theme for me as a big concept in this book. In this scene, Aunt Reed is still quite rude to Jane and despite "not touch[ing]" her, Jane still offers her "full and free forgiveness". This unconditional offering only happens in families, and even though this was barely a family Jane still felt obligated to her horrible Aunt. This stood out as a character defining moment for Jane. To be able to rise above the wickedness of her Aunt and then later her cousins, was enlightening to her character and spoke to this overall theme.
The saying goes "Blood is thicker than water" and thats because family ties are always closer than friendships or acquaintances , no matter how bad it can get. This is supported by Jane in this passage and throughout the book as she is always willing to forgive those she loves.
‘Love me, then, or hate me, as you will,’ I said at last, ‘you have my full and free forgiveness: ask now for God’s, and be at peace.’
Why I chose this excerpt:
One theme that stood out throughout this story is family and the quest to find loved ones. From Aunt Reed, to Helen Burns, to Mr. Rochester Jane spent most of this book finding familial love. At Gateshead, her extended family essentially threw her out of the home. At Lowood, the strict rules kept anyone from getting close (or in Helen and the other student's cases, they'd die or leave because it's a school) And then obviously at Thornfield, both Mr. Rochester and Jane find love within each other and try to make it work.
I chose this specific excerpt because it solidified this theme for me as a big concept in this book. In this scene, Aunt Reed is still quite rude to Jane and despite "not touch[ing]" her, Jane still offers her "full and free forgiveness". This unconditional offering only happens in families, and even though this was barely a family Jane still felt obligated to her horrible Aunt. This stood out as a character defining moment for Jane. To be able to rise above the wickedness of her Aunt and then later her cousins, was enlightening to her character and spoke to this overall theme.
The saying goes "Blood is thicker than water" and thats because family ties are always closer than friendships or acquaintances , no matter how bad it can get. This is supported by Jane in this passage and throughout the book as she is always willing to forgive those she loves.
No comments:
Post a Comment