The Child of Nature, the Child of Grace, and the Unresolved Conflict of Jane Eyre

Author(s): Richard Benvenuto

Reviewed work(s):
Source: ELH, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Dec., 1972), pp. 620-638
Published by: The Johns Hopkins University Press
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THE CHILD OF NATURE, THE CHILD OF GRACE,

AND THE UNRESOLVED CONFLICT OF JANE EYRE
BY RICHARD

BENVENUTO

AfterJane Eyre has recovered strengthat Moor House, she

descendsto the kitchenand meets Hannah, the housekeeperwho
had refusedher shelterthreedays earlier. Recognizingnow that
Jane is not a thief,but a lady of some refinement,
Hannah begs
forgiveness.Explaining her concernfor the two girls and their
defenselessposition, she asks Jane not to judge her harshly.
Jane's judgment is rather harsh-not because Hannah denied
Jane shelteror regardedher as an imposter,but because Hannah
has " just now made it a species of reproach" that Jane has no
" brass " and no house. " Some of the best people that ever
lived," Jane argues," have been as destituteas I am; and if you
are a Christian,you ought not to considerpoverty a crime."
The response is typical of Jane. From childhood on, she has
assertedthe innatedignityof individualpeople, and she has stood
foran equality amongmen that transcendsdifferences
in material
possessionsand social rank. A similarspiritof independenceand
self-assurancerose against Mrs. Reed's accusation that Jane was
a deceitfulgirl: " People thinkyou a good woman,but you are
bad; hard-hearted.You are deceitful!" (p. 36, originalitalics).
As an adult, she argued withRochesterthat the " poor, obscure,
plain, and little" have fullas much soul and heart as theirsocial
superiors: " I am not talkingto you now throughthe mediumof
or even ofmortalflesh:-it is my spirit
custom,conventionalities,
addresses
that
your spirit;just as if both had passed throughthe
grave,and we stood at God's feet,equal-as we are " (p. 240).
Jane speaks passionately when she defends herselfor those
she identifieswith. But the basis of her defenseis reasonable
1 Jane Eyre (Boston:
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1959), p. 325. All quotations
from Jane Eyre are from this edition, the Riverside Edition, and page referenceswill
hereafterbe included in the text.

620

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

and morallyunimpeachable,
as wellas passionate.Mrs. Reed has
acted cruellytowardsJane;Janeand Rochesterare equal in the
sightof God; no true Christiancan condemna man forbeing
poor. Placed in theirrightchronological
order,Jane'sremarks
showher growingmoreconvincedof the innatedignityof individual men. From the limitedresponseof tradinginsultswith
Mrs. Reed, Janedevelopsherownlanguageto assertherequality
with Rochester;and finally,with Hannah, she speaks in the
moral defenseof all the poor. The distanceshe has traveled
towardsspiritualenlightenment
becomesapparentif we go back
to the time whenMr. Lloyd suggestedthat Jane seek out her
poor Eyre relations. Jane refused,admittingto herselfthat
she was " not heroicenoughto purchaselibertyat the priceof
caste." Jane hastensto explainthat as a child she had only a
dim idea of what povertydenoted,and that she thoughtof
" the word only as connectedwithraggedclothes,scantyfood,
fireless
grates,rudemanners,and debasingvices: povertyforme
was synonymous
withthe degradation" (p. 24). This attitude
or bias is surelycorrectedby the timeJaneteachesHannah that
to virtue.
povertyis no impediment
Or is it? Less than a week beforeshe rebukedHannah for
thinkingof povertyas a species of reproach,Jane herselfexpressed,in farstronger
terms,theverysameopinionas Hannah's:
at thisday I can scarcelybearto reviewthe timesto whichI
allude: the moraldegradation,
blentwiththe physicalsuffering,
formtoo distressing
a recollection
everto be willingly
dwelton. I
blamednoneof thosewhorepulsedme. I feltit was whatwas to
and whatcouldnot be helped: an ordinary
be expected,
beggaris
an objectofsuspicion;
a well-dressed
frequently
beggarinevitably
so.
. I I And as to the womanwho wouldnot take my handkerchief
in exchange -forher bread, why she was right; if the offerappeared

to hersinister,
or the exchangeunprofitable.(p. 312)

The degradationwhichJane feelswhenshe is wandering,

destitute,in the strangetownof Mortonis not the resultof hunger
and fatigueonly. She feelsit still at the supposedtime of her
some ten yearslater,whenshe is a comfortable
writing,
married
woman. At " thisday," she can scarcelybear to recallthemoral
disgraceof beingwithoutbrass. Giventhesefeelings,
and given
herreductionof humanrelationships
to a cash basis-the woman
in the bakerywas rightto refuseJanebreadifthe offer
appeared
" unprofitable
"-Jane is in no positionto lectureHannah about
Richard Benvenuto

621

herdutyto thepoor. Yet Janeis perfectly

sincere,bothwhenshe
shrinksfromthe moraldegradationof beingpoor,and whenshe
defendsthe moralintegrity
of the poor.
CharlotteBront6'scriticsdifferover the kind of organization
or narrativepatternto be foundin JaneEyre. Most of themdo
agree,however,that the novelis structurally
organizedto reveal
a consistentdevelopment-howeverit be identified-inJane's
progressfromorphanto wife. Oftenlikenedto the Cinderella
tale,Jane'sstoryis ofa lowlygirlwhowinsentryintoand acceptance by the governingclass. We watch Jane passing through
and temptation,yet retainingher self-respect,
suffering
and
eventuallyvindicatingherselfin her propersocial caste. But
her varyingattitudestowardspovertyand the personalimportance of wealthsuggestnot one but two chartsto describethe
course of Jane's development.They point to differenttacit
assumptions
about thenatureofman and to different
conceptions
in Jane of herself.When Jane is in Morton,her sense of an
individual'sstatusand worthderivesfromher acceptanceof the
social hierarchyand the importanceof position.When she is at
Moor House, she advancesthe claimsof one personto be heard
in his own right,despitehis place in society. Althoughthey
oppose priorities,neitherpositionis broughtunder reviewor
modified;neitherbecomesironicby its juxtapositionwith the
other. The girlwho,stood up to Mrs. Reed is the motherof the
woman who taughtHannah the meaningof Christiancharity.
But outsideofthisdevelopment,
in a separatesphereof identity,
is a Janewhodoesnot changeat all: thegirlforwhom" poverty
.0. was synonymouswith the degradation"and the twentyyear-oldwomanwho definespovertyas a " moraldegradation."
Ten yearsof growthin one directionhas had littleeffecton the
Janewhowas not heroicenoughto accepta libertypurchasedat
the priceof caste.
A division between the value systems supportingJane's
thoughtsand deeds is apparent,not only fromher views on
poverty,but in the crucialdecisionsby whichJane shapes the
structureof her lifeand expressesthe basis of her faith. Jane's
rejectionof Rochester'sproposal to be his mistressand her
rejectionofSt. John'sproposalofmarriageextendthe divisionto
whereI intendto followit. Even afterhercrises
herfoundations,
are past, however,and Jane is attemptingto round offand
completeourviewofherlife,she continuesto shiftand rearrange
622

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

her moralemphasis.St. John,portrayedbrilliantly

as a fanatic
monomaniac,is recastin the finalparagraphsunderthe glowof
an impending
sainthood.Janepraisesthe Englisheducationthat
has correctedAdele's Frenchdefects,and she describesAdele as
"9a pleasingand obligingcompanion;docile,good-tempered,
and
well-principled"(p. 427). Janedesireschildrento be docileand
good-tempered-toconformto the behavior expected of a
Christianand a dependent.One can only wonderwhat Jane's
fate wouldhave been if she had been a docilechild? Could she
have survivedthe Reeds? Differences
in the backgroundof the
two girlsdo not sufficiently
explainwhysimilarqualitiesappear
as defectsin the one and as virtuesin the other,or whyJane
willnot admitAdele as a fitcompanionuntil,Adele acquiresthe
dispositionthat Mrs. Reed attemptedto imposeon Jane,and
that she wouldhave used, doubtless,to keep Jane subduedand
fettered.Beforeshe will accept Jane in the family,Mrs. Reed
insiststhat Jane acquire " a more sociable and childlikedisposition" (p. 7) -a disposition,presumably,
that would insure
to adults. We are expectedto
docility,obedience,and deference
thinkofJaneas rightwhenshe opposesMrs. Reed forexcluding
herbecauseshe does not satisfya preconceived
behavioralnorm,
and to thinkofheras equallyrightwhenshe adoptsMrs. Reed's
role and bases Adele's acceptabilityon her conformity
to the
same norm.
Socially,Janeis dividedbetweenrolesthatidentify
heras both
a rebel againstthe culturalestablishment
and its apologist.In
herreligiousand morallife,Janeis dividedbetweentwoconcepts
of salvation,forshe is both a child of God, accountableto a
morallystructureduniverse,and " a freehumanbeingwithan
independentwill" (p. 241), accountableto,herself.To remain
her will embracesvalues that run counterto reindependent,
ligiousduty and social convention,
but she neverrenouncesher
faithor seeks exile fromsociety. She is dividedbetweenwhat
CharlotteBrontecalls " nature" and " grace." The termsappear
in.a sceneat Lowood,whenBrocklehurst
enterstheschoolroom
and objectsto JuliaSevern'scurlyhair-" whatis that girlwith
curledhair?" His angermountswhenMiss Templeexplainsthat
" Julia'shair curlsnaturally."Brocklehurst
explodes," NaturalRichard Benvenuto

62$

ly! Yes, but we are not to conformto nature: I wish these

girls to be the childrenof Grace" (p. 62, originalitalics). The
purpose of the scene was to underscoreBrocklehurst'shypocrisy,
not the conflictin Jane. Immediately afterhis vowing to send
all the seniorgirlsto the barber,Brocklehurst'swifeand daughters
enter,elaboratelycurled and plumed. The choice betweennature
and grace, however,is one whichJane is called on continuallyto
make. Nature and grace identifythe ethical norms and Miterpretative principles of behavior that lay claim to Jane's selfimage. They are the opposite directionsshe takes in her search
forthe authorityto which her existencewill be held answerable.
Charlotte Bronti presents nature as one's individuality. Its
laws derive fromwhat is innate, original,or self-determined
in
a person. Its values are fulfilledwhen one expresseshis unique
self, his inner-directedbeing. Grace is the submergence of
individualityin a uniformor collective ethos, a prescribedway
of life. Grace is a force,ultimatelyderived fromdivine sources,
that redeems one from himselfand fromthe natural impulses
that blind him to the goal which all must strive for. Nature
insistson an individual's rightto question and probe moral duty
and social custom for their justice to him. Grace affirmsthe
necessityof moral precept and social law for the well-regulated
life. Each principledefinesits own versionof the elect. Children
of nature seek salvation fromthe law withinthem,whichis their
capacity forhappinessnow. Childrenof grace seek salvation from
theirportion of the law governingall, which is their promise of
happiness hereafter.For each, thereis no higherlaw.
The choice is obvious, when it is between Julia Severn's curly
hair and Brocklehurst'sinsistence that all the senior girls be
cropped. There is no conflict;instead, we enlist wholly on the
side of nature. But Brocklehurstis a perversionof grace, not a
fit representativeof it in the contest with nature. Nor does he
reflectits importancefor Charlotte Bronte. Adherenceto grace
meant forher no less than the preservationof her immortalsoul,
and genuinelypious herself,she struck at the false piety of the
Pharisee. Both grace and nature reveal that " Conventionalityis
not morality." But grace leads to the " world-redeeming
creed of
Christ"' (p. 3), which man is not to tamper with, and nature
impels the individual to seek and create a moralityfor himself.
Judgingfromher lettersand her juvenilia, CharlotteBront6 was
divided between the two, no less than was her character Jane.

62.4

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

acceptedit as her dutyto assisther family,

CharlotteBrontiE
as a governessor teacher,even
and she soughtemployment
and severityof the workgalledher. She
thoughthe limitations
heldby hercultureand her
to the senseofpropriety
conformed
family,and her consciencewas quick to attack any inclination
one with her social standingor religious
or act not befitting
herthat
She agreedwithSoutheywhenhe informed
convictions.
writingwas not a suitableoccupationfora womanand thatit
distractedher fromher properduties. But she was already
devotedto writing.She couldnot overcomethe impulseof her
or theneed to createand expressan existenceshe
imagination,
had foundand storedin a selfthatwas herown.2
approachesthe opposition
In Jane Eyre, CharlotteBrontiei
betweennatureand graceas a partisanof both. Her characLeristicmethodis to enterseparatelytheirmoralspheres,and from
oflife.
measurements
ofeach,she takesdifferent
theperspective
By drawingthelinefairlybetweenthem,she setsup theconflict
in a way thatcannotbe resolved.The resultis a tensionand a
discordthatI do not thinkCharlotteBronteintended.She did
the
or to undermine
not mean the conflictto be unremitting,
basis of Jane'ssenseof orderand purpose.As she presentsthe
however,thereis no othercourseforit to take; there
conflict,
forit to lead to butonewhichwouldconsiderably
is no conclusion
novel
as we knowit.
the
change
As early as the secondchapter,Jane's conflicthas already
passed the limitswhereresolutionis possible. AfterJane has
beenexiledto theredroom,sheasks," Whywas I alwayssufferalwaysaccursed,forevercondemned?"
ing,alwaysbrowbeaten,
(p. 14). Comparedto her Reed cousins,she has behavedwell.
Yet they-the selfishEliza, the insolentGeorgiana,the sadistic
John-are theirmother'spets,and Janeis banished.Janehas
seen,in theworldaroundher,externalqualitiesgivenprecedence
over internalqualities,caste privilegesviolatingnative worth.
A systemof value derivedfromthe moralauthorityof grace
itselfin the socialorderarrayedagainstJanewho,as
manifests
the child of nature,reactswithoutrage,resistance,and deep
2 The case for Charlotte BrontM'sinner division between the precepts of moral duty
and the impulse towards creative individuality is convincinglypresented in Winifred
G4rin, Charlotte BrontM: The Evolution of Genius (London: Oxford University
Press, 1967), especially chapters III and VII. Also see Fanny E. Ratchford, The
Brontes' Web of Childhood (New York: Columbia University Press, 1941), passim.

Riehard Benvenuto

625

moral insightinto the forcesopposing her: 'Unjust- unjust!'

said my reasone" (p. 15). It is the response of her emotionsas
well, and her punishmentis clearly unjust. JohnReed assaulted
her; her aunt has never treated her as her uncle intended. Even
admittingthat Jane's developmenthas only begun, the events
of the firsttwo chapters,the point of view by whichwe see them,
and the conclusions which Jane draws, all combine to give the
social outcast a moral authoritysuperior to that of the social
powers which punish her. What Jane is, in her innate self, is
right. The values that the Reeds would coerce her into accepting
are wrong, because they are destructive of what Jane is by
nature: frank,independent,and imaginative.
Thus far, Jane relates the episode in the red room as she
experiencedit and judged it when she was cut offfromsociety.
The ten-year-oldgirl pronounces her punishmentunjust, asks
why she was punished,and can findno reason why the unoffending should receive harsher treatment than the aggressor. But
just when CharlotteBronte has establishedthe moral validity of
the child of nature's perspective as an indictmentagainst the
social system,she changes perspectivesand reviews the episode
fromthe view of a socialized adult, who speaks forthe systemof
grace. " I could not answer the ceaseless inward question-why
I thus suffered,"J~inesays as a child; " now, at the distance ofI will not say how many years, I see it clearly'" (p. 15, original
italics) . The woman who is pleased withthe effectsof an English
education on Adele expresses its effectson herself: " I was a
discordin Gateshead Hall; I was like nobody there;I had nothing
in harmonywith Mrs. Reed or her children,or her chosen vassaland she accepts
age." She was punishedbecause she was different,
the reason as sufficient.Whereas the child of nature took its
moral vision from its sense of its own claims to life and saw
injustice in the world contestingthose claims, the child of grace
roots its moral vision in the class-consciousstandards of society
and turns the verdict against individual judgment. The Reeds,
Jane says, " were not bound to regardwith affectiona thingthat
could not sympathize with one amongst them; a heterogeneous
thing,opposed to them in temperament,in capacity, in propensities;a useless thing,incapable of servingtheirinterest,or adding
to theirpleasure " (p. 15) -a completereversalfromthe fervent
moral protest, " Unjust-unjust." Just as Jane defends the
bakery woman's willingnessto let her starve,she feels the Reeds

626

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

for
are justifiedin refusingher affection,
if it is unprofitable
themto giveheraffection.
Basingherjudgmentson one concept
of the self,Jane exposesthe capricioustyrannyof the ruling
classes and the oppressionof the innocentand the destitute.
Anotherselfconceptteachesherto see,in place oftheoppression,
a rationalself-interest
and a necessaryrestraint.Jane calmly
observesthat Mrs. Reed could not be expectedto behave huintrudedon her
manelyto an " uncongenialalien permanently
own familygroup" (p. 16). But she faintedwhenMrs. Reed
refusedto let herout of the red room.
When Jane is in the red room,she exercisesthe powerof
defining
good and evil on the basis of her experienceof them.
As injusticetouches her, she learns what it is. Much later,
in tranquility
revealsthe moralnormsand the acceptreflection
able standardsofbehaviorofJane'ssociety.As privatejudgment
gives way to a public frameof reference,
Janelooks upon her
early actions as vagaries,which is what they are when seen
throughthe eyes of the Reeds. The child of nature,grasping
truthdirectlyin themomentof presentexperience,
cutsthrough
and falsehoodof socialconventions
and patterns
the artificiality
of speech. When Brocldehurstcalls Mrs. Reed Jane's bene.
Janethinksto herself,
"Benefactress!benefactress
factress,
if so, a benefactress
theyall call Mrs. Reed my benefactress;
is a
"
disagreeablething (p. 32). Possessingthe child of nature's
instinctive,
originalgrasp of the characterof her world,Jane
arrivesat her own conceptsand definesthe realityaroundher
accordingto its meaningforher,despitewhat " theyall" say.
Gracecurbsand reshapesthisinsight,
exposingand analyzingthe
of privateexperiencein the lightof a common
idiosyncracies
social norm. Its grasp,no less than its counterpart's,
claimsto
be of the inherenttruthof things.AlthoughJane faintswhen
Mrs. Reed refusesto let herout oftheredroom,reflection
brings
her to justifyher aunt and to speak in Mrs. Reed's tone and
language: " I was a precociousactressin hereyes: she sincerely
lookedon me as a compoundof virulentpassions,mean spirit,
" (p. 18).
and dangerousduplicity
CharlotteBrontemeans us to respectJane'sabilityto enter

her aunt's point of view, and means us to see the truth ofthough not necessarilyto give full assent to-the judgmentshe
therebypasses against herselfas a dangerouscompound. W. A.
Craik has pointed out that the use of more than one perspective,

RichardBenvenuto

6927

in theepisodeof the red room,creates" a moralattitudesand a

senseof claimsotherthanmerelythoseof the child'ssufferings,
a state whichis continuedthroughoutthe novel."3 Craik's
analysisof " the multiplenarrativestancerevealingthe number
of levelsat whichwe are askedto view a singlesituation" is a
moresensitive
responseto theartofJaneEyrethanis G. Armour

Craig's portrayalof Jane as a demonof the absolute.4Yet, what

we find in Jane Eyre are not interlockinglevels of truth,as
Craik proposes, but rival absolutes, a refusal or inability to
compromise.One can make an allowance forthe subjectivityof
perception and understand why Jane would appear to Mrs.
Reed to have a mean spirit and a dangerous duplicity. But
Mrs. Reed's judgment exists as an either-or,and it is only as
such that it can be applied to Jane. Mrs. Reed is right,or she
is wrong,depending on whetherone takes his values fromthe
standardsofgraceor the standardsofnature. One set ofstandards
must be suspendedforthe otherto operate; to lean to the truth
of one is to denythe applicationof the other. If we are expected
with which Jane accepts Mrs.
to approve the broadmindedness,
we
know at the same time, from
Reed's judgment against her,
what we have seen of Jane and heard fromher, that she does
not have a mean spiritor a dangerousduplicity.If anything,she
has threatenedMrs. Reed because she has told the truth.
We are meant to respect Jane when she sounds like Mrs.
Reed because CharlotteBront. intendedJane to reconcilenature
and grace, and Jane's developmentto lead towards harmony
and a society
betweenthe innerforcesseekingpersonalfulfillment
and stabilization.It is an importantstage
pressingforconformity
of Jane's growththat she perceivethe value of a stoical acceptance of duty and fatein Helen Bums; and just as importantthat
she resist Rochester's attempt to dress her in the conventional
styleof the upper classes. The two perspectivesemployedin the
episode of the red room suggest a pattern of developmentin
which the mature adult correctsthe excessesof the child. Most
' The Bront3 Novdls (London: Methuen & Co., 1968), p. 78. For a
similar argument, that Jane Eyre sets up a " delicately balanced relationship between Jane's
imaginings and the world they encounter," see JenniferGribble, " Jane Eyre's Imagination," NCF, 23 (1968), 287.
'Craik, The Bront3 Novels, p. 82. G. Armour Craig, " The Unpoetic Compromise:
On the Relation between Private Vision and Social Order in Nineteenth-Century
English Fiction," in Society and Self in the Novel, ed. Mark Schorer, English
Institute Essays, 1955 (New York: Columbia University Press, 1956), p. 41.

628

The Child of Nature, The Child of Grace

has
readersfeelthatby theend of JaneEyre an accommodation
been reachedbetweenthe conflicting
forcesin Jane's life.5 But
the patternof a developmentto an accommodationis more
apparentthan real. The adult's view is as absoluteand as uncompromising
as the child's. And in a threeday periodwhenshe
is twentyyearsold,Janeexpresses,
as we have seen,contradictory
views on poverty,status, and individualworth. Her development does not bringher harmonybetween nature and grace.
Jane Eyre revealsinsteadthe absenceof any patternby which
the two value systemscan be harmonized,the absence of a
schemeof humanlifein whichboth can function.
The unhealed division in Jane is projectedoutwardin the
portraitsof Jane's two lovers-antagonistic,mutuallyrepellent
men who learn of each other'sexistenceonlythroughJane. St.
Johnis a rigidadherentto grace,a man who,despitea momentarystrugglewhichJanewitnessesin himbetween" Natureand
Grace" (p. 392), has become a tool in the serviceof a suprapersonalset of values; and he insiststhat Jane do the same.
Janerecognizes
thatgracetriumphant
in St. Johnis a destructive
"
force: With all his firmnessand self control,"Jane thinks,
" he taskshimselftoo far: lockseveryfeelingand pang within-

expresses, confesses, imparts nothing" (p. 352) . Grace can

operate only on the destructionof nature. The one instance in
which St. John unlocks the " fountain" of his natural loves and
desires is timed for a quarter of an hour, while he contemplates
Jane's portrait of Rosamond Oliver. Punctually, he lays the
picture down, picks up his watch, and stiflesthe feelingthat
"this presentlife and passing world suffice" (p. 354).
Similarly,Jane recognizes in Rochester's account of his life,
after the discovery of Bertha Mason, the destructivenessof
nature triumphant. And to flee the temptation that life with
Rochester in this passing world would suffice,she must lock
herselfup no less tightlythan she accuses St. John of doing:
I must renounce love and idol. One drear word comprised
c....
my intolerableduty-' Depart! "' (p. 299). The combined pre-

'One of the morenotable and influential

exceptionsis Richard Chase, " The Brontes,
Or Myth Domesticated,"reprintedin Forms of Modern Fiction: Essays Collected in
Honor of Joseph Warren Beach, ed. William Van O'Conner (Minneapolis: The
Universityof MinnesotaPress, 1948), pp. 102-19. AlthoughChase and I finddifferent
kinds of division in Jane Eyre, both of our readings imply that Charlotte Bront8
was not always fullyaware of what she had put in her own novel.

RichardBenvenuta

629

sence of natureand gracein Jane.thoughit makesher a more

complexcharacterthan eitherof the two men, does not bring
hermorepeace. It subjectsherto the state of innerwarfareand
destructivechoicethat her lovershave alreadyexperiencedand
to
showtheeffects
of. St. Johnand Rochesteralignedthemselves
to
not
it
because
was
one of the alternatives,simply
possible
work
marryRosamondOliverand answerthe call to missionary
Bertha
Mason
with
the
and
in India, or to respect
vows made
live withJane. Both men were in positionsfromwhichthere
could be no release until they ceased to recognizeone set of
standardsand made its oppositeall-inclusive.Jane'spositionis
moreharrowingin that a commitment
to one set of standards
givesherno releasefromits opposite.She takesas herguidetwo
versionsof the absolute in human life. Far fromsettlingher
set up each value systemupon the
conflict,her commitments
in a way that, once each choice is
and
rejectionof the other,
made, seemsirrevocable,subject to no higherappeal.
III

With the amountof studythat othershave alreadygivento

Jane'sinnerdivision,one could understandably
thinkthat it has
been thoroughlyanalyzed and sufficiently
diagnosed as the
commonmalady of the head versusthe heart,the rationalor
moral aspects of characterin conflictwith the emotional.For
Robert Bernard Martin, the major theme of all Charlotte
Brontes novels "sis the study of the adjustmentbetweenthe
reasons and the passions," a tensionbetweenrationalityand
sensibility.6M. H. Scargillcalls Jane Eyre " a recordof the
eternalconflictbetweenthe fleshand the spirit,aficonflictwhich
is solved satisfactorilywhen all passion is spent.'

And Inga-

Stina Ewbank,quotingfromone of CharlotteBront6'sjuvenile

works, " Caroline Vernon," says that Jane's temptation, in

Chapter 27, to be Rochester's mistress" could be summed up as
' Passion tempted,conscience warned her.' "8 My exception to
the prevailingview of Jane is that it bases her conflictupon a
divisionbetween facultiesor powers,like conscienceand passion,
6 The Accents of Persuasion: Charlotte BrontM'sNovels (London: Faber and
Faber, 1966), pp. 40, 25.
""'All Passion Spent': A Revaluation of Jane Eyre," UTQ, 19 (1950), 1921.
8 Their Proper Sphere: A Study of the Bronte Sisters as Early-Victorian
Female
Novelists (London: Edward Arnold Ltd., 1966), p. 193.
7

630

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

and thatbothstem,nonetheless,
froma unitivesenseofpersonality. If Jane'sconflicthad as its base a singlepersonality,
the
conflictwould be resolvableonce Jane learnedto adjust the
relativeclaimsof her reason and her emotionsupon her sense
of self-identity,
and once she learnedto use eitheras a corrective
forthe exaggeratedclaimsof the other. But natureand grace
do notmakerelativeclaimsuponJane. They standfortwo selfforforcesinclusiveofherwholebeing,whichis divided
identities,
so completelythat two self-images
claim possessionof all her
human faculties.When Jane defendsthe moral integrityof
the poor, she is not speakingpassionatelyand in defianceof
reason,or vice versa. She is emotionally,intellectually,
and
morallyconvincedofwhatshe sys. Andlikewise,withhertotal
and feelingly,
being,reflectively
she revoltsfromthe memory
of havinghad to beg. Not one unitivepersonality
withdifferent
partsto it, but two unitivepersonalities
contesting
againsteach
othermakeup hercharacter.Thereis muchto be said forseeing
her conflictas criticshave generallypresentedit-not the least
of whichis that it resultsin a novelof greaterconsistency
than
I am able to find. The portraitsof Rochesterand St. John
speakmoredirectlyto a conflict
betweenpassionand conscience
thanperhapstheydo to the largerdivisionof natureand grace.
But evenifit turnsout thatRochesterand St. Johnare no more
than embodiments
of passion and conscience,they cause Jane
to definehertotal beingin two ways,to commitherselfto two
in each ofwhichthereis roomfordifferent
schemesof existence,
notionsof passionateand rationalbehavior.A characterdivided
by passionand consciencenormallywillfluctuatebetweenthem
as he comes underthe temporarysway of each. Though she
contradictsherself,Jane does not fluctuate,properlyspeaking.
to the lifeoffered
She makesfirmcommitments
by natureand
to the lifeoffered
by grace.
to natureoccurswhenshehearsRochester's
Jane'sconunitment
voice,just as St. Johnis about to coerceher into acceptingan
emptyformofmarriage.It is a completeendorsement
ofherown
of
her
a recognition
nativeselfas its own absolute
personality,
norm. Rochester'svoice was " no miracle,"but the " workof
nature.She was roused,and did *. . herbesti" (p. 399). Nature,
in this role,is not an impersonalforceor an abstract,external
system.The nextmorningJane remembers
a strange"cinward
sensation" precedingRochester'svoice. The voice itselfhad
RichardBenvenuto

631

in the externalworld." It was " like an inspiration.The wondrousshockoffeelinghad comeliketheearthquake whichshook the foundationsof Paul and Silas's prison;
it had openedthe doorsof the soul's cell and loosed its bands"
(p. 400, originalitalics) St. Johnrepresents
duty,suppression,
obedience: the behaviorand the attituderequiredby the absolute externalmoralityof grace. He would forceJane to seek
acceptancein the termsof the law he serves,withno moreroom
forcompromise
than he has givenhimself.These is no meeting
the demandsof gracehalfway.Janemust eithergo to India as
St. John'slawfulwife,or not go at all. As Jane'sdescription
of
it makesclear,Rochester'svoiceis hervoicespeakingin thetones
of an absoluteinternalnorm-nature,or her individuality.The
voice revealsto her the foundations
of her being. It is a power
like an earthquake,breakingdown the prisonof religiousduty
and social code. It is as fundamentalas breathing-aninspiration. As her liberationfromthe false ascendencyof St. John,
Rochester'svoice speaksforJane'struestlife,,
not merelyforher
feelings,but for her deepest aspirations,her self-consciousness.
There can be no mistakeabout the intentof the episode. Jane
is rightto assumethe ascendencyover St. John,rightto leave
him,and rightto speakforherindividualselfand uniqueportion
of existence.
But thoughit is clear that Jane is rightto commitherself
totallyto nature,whenSt. Johnwouldforceherintothe service
of grace, it is not clear how this commitment
affectsor even
relatesto her earlier,equally entirecommitment
to grace,when
Rochesterasks her to align herselfwithnatureand becomehis
mistress.Jane'sreturnto Rochesterraisesthe questionof why
she left him,thoughJane never acknowledgesthat it was an
errorto have lefthim. CharlotteBrontedoes not mean it to
appear as such. She sanctionsJane'sleavingSt. Johnto return
to Rochester,and she sanctionsJane's leaving Rochesterand
takingthe road that leads her to St. John. Jane herselfsenses
that her directionsare unclear,but she can expressherpredicament only throughthe abstractions,judgmentand principle.
Justbeforeshe hearsRochester'svoice,Janesays that she""was
almostas hard beset" now as she " had been once before,in a
different
way, by another. I was a fool both times. To have
yieldedthenwouldhave beenan errorofprinciple;
to have yielded
an
error
of
been
have
now would
judgment" (p. 397). She
"4 seemedin me-not

632

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

mighthave said, almosta fool,sinceshe did not yieldto either.

Jane'sassessmentofherdilemma,however,is a morecomprehensiveone thanwouldbe requiredby a conflict
limitedto conscience
and passion. It is as close as Jane comes to recognizingthe
totalityof the commitments
exactedby natureand grace.
The choice betweenthe two amountsto a choice betweena
relativisticor situationalmoralityand a fixed,universalmoral
code, betweenlivingoutsideany establishedreligiousframework
and livingas a Christian.Speakingfor Christianity
and fora
moral code handed down throughtime,St. John asks Jane to
continuein the directionshe took whenshe leftRochester,the
directionof principleor moral law not subject to individual
variationor change. To have yieldedwouldhave been an error
of judgment,a violationof the thoughtand moral awareness
which she bringsto her time. Rochester,on the otherhand,
makes an explicitappeal to a relativisticethics and to Jane's
innatepowersof thoughtand herrightto a self-made
morallife.
" Is it better,"Rochesterasks, " to drive a fellow-creature
to
despair than to transgressa mere human law-no man being
injuredby the breach?'" (p. 300) . The "cmerehumanlaw " is
the commandment
forbidding
adulteryand the culturalban on
bigamy.To have yieldedwouldhave been an errorof principle,
againstJane's sense of what is everywhere
and eternallyright.
To put Jane's statementsomewhatdifferently:by opposing
Rochester,she yielded to a sense of her morallife as properly
underthe controland guidanceofothers,authorities
withgreater
responsibility
than herown;by opposingSt. John,she yieldedto
a senseof hermorallifeas properlyunderhercontroland shaping,and she acceptsthe responsibility
forself-guidance.
As she
leaves one man and thenthe other,she travelsthe twoexistences
of the childof grace and the childof nature.9
But if Jane left St. John to answer the call, speakingin
Rochester'svoice,fromthe foundationof her identity,it is still
not clear why she leftRochester. It is possibleto argue that
Rochesterposes as greata threatto Jane'sfreedomand to her
sense of innerdirectionas St. Johndoes, and that forJane to
become Rochester'smistresswould resultin her becominghis
tool and, beforelong,the fourthin his stringof cast-off
lovers.
'Robert Bernard Martin, in The Accents of Persuasion,p. 71, argues that Jane
Eyre upholds an absolute moralityagainst relativism,which he definesas a moral
trap Rochesterfalls into and Jane avoids.

Richard Benvenuto

633

Janeinfersas muchfromRochester'sstoryof Celine,Giacinta,

and Clara; whether
she doesjusticeto his love forhercan never
be known. She feels oppressed,overpowered
by his love and
physicalpresence.A " hand of fieryiron" graspsher " vitals"
(p. 299). ". . . he crossedthe floorand seized my arm,and
graspedmy waist. He seemedto devourme withhis flaming
glance: physically,
I felt,at the moment,powerlessas stubble
exposedto the draughtand glowofa furnace" (p. 301). Jane's
to resistdomination
struggle
byothersis perhapstheoneconstant
in her life. But her resistanceto Rochesteris possible only
through
thesubjugationofherpersonto a religiousheritagethat
graspsher more vitallythan he. As she escapes Rochester's
threat,her actions are anythingbut those of a free agent.
" DrearilyI woundmy way downstairs,"
Jane says, " I knew
" (p. 304). " I was
whatI had to do, and I did it mechanically
weepingwildlyas I walkedalong my solitaryway: fast,fast
" (p. 305). What we see,insteadof a
I wentlike one delirious
higherexpressionof freedomin the performance
of one's duty,
is an extremecompulsion.The subsequententranceinto the
novel of St. John,givenover completely
to a compulsiveallegianceto principle,
makesit possibleto arguethatJane'sloss of
freedom
was herloss ofRochester.
In fact,Rochesterdoes not threateneitherJane'sfreedomor
her individuality.He gives her the opportunity
to manifest
both. And in urgingher to accept the claimsof a relativistic,
he speaksin a voicethat is no less hersthan
temporalmorality,
"
that whichwas in " her whenshe rejectedSt. John. Of the
of a fellowcreature'shappinessovera merelaw,Janeis
priority
as convincedas Rochester:" This was true: and whilehe spoke
my veryconscienceand reasonturnedtraitorsagainstme, and
chargedme withcrimein resistinghim. They spokealmostas
loud as Feeling: and that clamouredwildly.'Oh comply!' it
said" (p. 301) . Nothinghere suggeststhat passion tempted
while consciencewarned. Nor do I see any basis for Arnold
Shapiro'sreadingthat Jane " is almosttornapart by her conflicting
feelings:her 'reason,'whichtellsherto leave; herpity
and love forRochester,whichwant her to stay."10 Rochester
betweenJane'sreason (or judgment)
does not stirup a conflict
her reason,and her feelingsand her love. Jane'sconscience,
:o "

634

In Defense of Jane Eyre," SEL 8 (1968), 692.

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

the moral,intellectual,and emotionalfacultiesthat give Jane

her specificnatureand being-agreethat Janeshouldbreakthe
law of her religionand live by her own law. Her conscience
chargesher witha crimein following
the universal,unchanging
moralcode of grace. As a specificindividual,as JaneEyre,she
sees a highermoralityin what she herselfyearnsto be and do:
cc. .

soothehim;savehim;lovehim;tellhimyoulovehimand

will be his" (p. 301). It is this same senseof the self'shigher

law and rightof judgmentthatJanerecognizeswhenshe breaks
freefromSt. John: " It was my timeto assumeascendency"

(p. 399, originalitalics).

I agree, of course, that Jane is "torn apart"'-not almost,
however,but completely. Jane says, " my very conscience and
reasonturnedtraitorsagainstme," but what is the me, ifit is not
conscience,reason, and feeling? As somethingother than the
union of these,it is not the same me that speaks so passionately
and withsuch moral confidencebeforeSt. John. Jane is her own
double. As nature claims to speak in the voice of Jane's fundamental self,so does grace. And the child of grace hears its most
authenticvoice froma different
set of foundations: " I care for
myself. . . . I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by

man. I will hold to the principlesreceived by me when I was

sane, and not mad-as

I am now. . . . Preconceived opinions,

foregonedeterminations,
are all I have at this hour to stand by:
there I plant my foot" (p. 301). The child of grace identifies
the inviolableme of her existenceas a subject of " the law given
by God; sanctioned by man." The identitydesignated by the
words," Jane Eyre," is not now that of the woman who yearns
to make happy the man who loves her. This JaneEyre is a vessel
of principleswhichcome to her already formed.She is a dependent of the law whichshe receivesfroma morallyordereduniverse,
and whichshe accepts as the basis of her existence. Por the child
of grace,any deviationfromthe law and fromthe culturalmores
and customs derived fromthe law is forbidden.Especially forbidden is the deviation into individualism,the fundamental
identityof the child of nature.
If one can accept a dual use of terms,whichI thinkis unavoidable, Jane is by nature a child of grace. The laws of grace are as
instinctiveto her as is her feelingof moral degradationat having
to beg-and as instinctive,forthat matter,as her questioningof
moral authority. AlthoughJane says that she " will hold to the

RichardBenvenuto

635

" she receivedwhenshe was " sane, and not mad,"

principles
theprinciples
thatlead herto rejectRochesterare inbornas part
ofherbirth-right
as a humanbeing.We do not see Jane,in the
herwillto that
courseofhergrowing
up, learningto subordinate
of a higherauthority-aneducationthatshe wouldhave had to
unlearn,somehow,on the road back fromMoor House to
Thornfield.When she regretsa rebellioustriumphover Mrs.
Reed, she does so not as someonelearningto submit,but as
is alreadyinternalized
someonein whomthevalue of submission
"
(p. 37). In fact,we do not see Janereceiving" the principles
in a momentof sanityor otherwise."The principalreligiousor
authoritarian
figuresin Jane'slife,beforeshe meetsRochester,
are Mrs. Reed, Brocklehurst,
and Helen Burns. Janerejectsthe
contribute
exampleof all three. Mrs. Reed and Brocklehurst
littleto theformation
ofJane'smorallife,exceptto add strength
to herspiritofrevoltagainstall theystandfor-whichin essence
are thelaws sanctionedby the ruleof duty.
and
Helen Burnshas noneof theiraggression
and hypocrisy,
Helen's councilof submissionto the law must be taken more
seriously.Whenshe leavesRochester,
Janepracticesthekindof
thatHelen devotedherlifeto, but it is farfrom
submissiveness
clearthatJane'sactionresultsfromHelen'sadvice. Whilesheis
withHelen and underher-tutelage,
Janedoes not becomedocile
and submissive.Instead, stimulatedby Helen to defendthe
priorityof nature,Jane arguesforself-assertion
as opposedto
submission(p. 56), and forthe value of earthlylove as opposed
to the gloryof the hereafter(p. 67). Janetakes fromHelen's
" written
foreheadthe pasteboardwith" Slattemn
on it, and she
throwsit intothe fire.WhenHelen is dyingand makesa final
attemptto convertJane to the life of grace,Jane remainsas
skepticalas ever. " I believe: I have faith: I am goingto God,"
Helensays. Janereplies," Whereis God? Whatis God? ' When
Helenpromisesthatshe and Janewillbe reunitedin heaven" by
the same mighty,universalParent,"Janeasks," Whereis that
region?Does it exist?" (pp. 79-80).
1"Cf. Barbara Hardy, The AppropriateForm: An Essay an the Novel (London:
The Athlone Press, 1964), pp. 65-66. ProfessorHardy notes that the growthof
Jane's religiousfeeling,whichenables her to withstandRochester,"is the one thing
the novel takes for grantedand does not demonstrate."She attributesthe omission
to an assumptionso widespreadthat Charlotte Bronte did not feel the need to
demonstrateit. The assumptionis that "faith is the product of growth and
education."

636

The Child of Nature,The Child of Grace

Jane addressesthe second questionsto herself,silently" in

thought."Their answerand the answerto her firstquestion,
"What is God?", must come fromwithin,froma searchinto
the selfthat leads Jane to a thirdquestion,whichshe asks as
" Whatwas I? " (p. 305). As Charlotte
she is leavingThornfield,
Bronte alternatelyexplainsthe questionof Jane's identityby
makingJaneanswerableto bothnatureand grace,she provides
alternateviews of the metaphysicaland moral nature of the
universewhichJanelivesin and perceives.BehindJane'sleaving
Rochesteris the premisethat one's individualwill can lead to
salvationonlyifit is obedientto the willof God. God is outside
the self;salvationin heavenis beyondthehereand now. Behind
Jane'sleavingSt. Johnis the premisethatman's individualwill
is the onlyarbiterbetweenthe moralquestionsand conflicts
of
life. Helen'sand St. John'sGod is replacedby an " inwardsensation,"and damnationand salvationbecomestatesof separation
fromand unionwiththe man Jane loves. Janeis equallyconvincedthat she is rightto leave and to returnto Rochester,
beforeshe knowsof the changein his maritalstatus;she passes
in the red
different
judgmentson the justiceof her punishment
room;shegivesopinionsonpovertythatdirectly
conflict
witheach
other'sstandardofvalue. She has firstprinciples
and an ideological basis to supporteach directionofherthought.I findit hard
not to concludethat,in so far as it is revealedin Jane Eyre,
CharlotteBrontes mindwas dividedagainstitselfand did not
perceiveits division.
to Rochester,Janehas virtuallycommitted
By returning
herto
self the standardof naturethat unitesRochester'svoice and
lifewithhers. She is on thevergeofadmitting
thatcommitment,
its
in
totality,whenshe asks herselfwhethershe wouldrunto
himifhe appeared: " And ifI did-what then? God blesshim!
Whatthen?Who wouldbe hurtby myoncemoretastingthelife
his glance can give me?" (p. 402). Her question,echoing
Rochester's,appeals to the same moral scale. Rochesterhad
asked," Is it betterto drivea fellow-creature
to despairthanto
a
transgress mere human law-no man being injuredby the
breach?" (p. 300) . Jane thinksshe is raving,not because she
is about to surrender
a principleshe learnedin a momentof
sanity,but becauseRochestermaybe abroad,and shemayhave
alreadylost the life his glance can give her. Jane does not
embracean out-and-outrelativism,
but she is one step away
Benvenuto
Richardc

637

fromit: she identifies" life" withthe promptingof herjudgment

and desireand with the fulfillment
of her individual nature.
She remains one step away, and her inner conflictremains
below consciousness,thoughdangerouslyclose to it. By returning
when she is still ignorantof Bertha's death, Jane is forcingthe
issue betweennature and grace to a climax fromwhich only one
could emerge dominant. If Bertha were alive, and if Jane's
alternativeswere to remain as Rochester's mistressor leave him
again, her mind would have to choose which of the voices it has
made an absolute it would henceforthrenounce. By sparing
Jane a decisionthat would have been finalbecause it would have
requiredconscious mental effort,CharlotteBronteispares herself.
Such consciousnesscould not come to the character without its
enteringthe mind of her creatorfirst. But CharlotteBronte did
not falsifyher art or deliberatelysidestep the issue she raises.
Her desire for freedomand her submissionto,a structuredfaith
were too much a part of her identityand her sense of personal
worth for her to see that she could not express both without
wandering between two worlds. By Bertha's death, Charlotte
Bronteimeant usito see a triumphof nature complementedby a
triumph of grace: Jane's decision to return to Thornfield,by
Rochester'seligibility.She thoughtshe had broughther narrative
to a point where the forcesshe had stirredup could peacefully
settle, and she did not perceive what she had not solved. Her
desperate measure to induce harmony suggests the strengthof
the driftwhich she had to resisttowards disorientation.Lacking
the self-consciousnessof a Matthew Arnold at the Grande
Chartreuse,Charlotte Bronte bringsus just as close to the conflict,in its formativestages, between the modern alienated self
and the traditionsand beliefsof its world. She does so, of course,
fromArnold,who was denied the resolutionCharlotte
differently
Brontei believed she had found. Arnold would have known,
though,and Charlotte Bronteimakes us see, what it would have
cost her not to have given Jane Eyre the ending it has.
Michigan State University

638

The Child of Nature, ThIe Child of Grace