From Rags to Riches

" I have now been married ten years. I know what it is to live entirely for and with what I love best on earth. I hold myself supremely blest—blest beyond what language can express; because I am my husband’s life as fully as he is mine. No woman was ever nearer to her mate than I am: ever more absolutely bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh.  All my confidence is bestowed on him, all his confidence is devoted to me; we are precisely suited in character—perfect concord is the result."


      As one of the final passages in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, Jane's blatant change of heart and of mind are clearly expressed. The story of the stubborn heroin in this novel has always been seen as a "rags to riches" triumph, for where she began as a orphan servant, she ends as a happily married, wealthy woman. However, it is not the materialistic wealth that causes such a story to have a happy ending. It is the heartwarming evolution of a young girl who, however slowly, learns to love.


       At the beginning of the novel, Jane appears to be a stubborn, independent young girl with a quick tongue. She loves to argue, yet keeps all other emotions locked away. Seemingly cold-hearted, Jane rejects the society- and everyone in it- that so harshly rejects her. Whether from sheer determination or the lack of a better plan, Jane finds her way through the maze of a tortured childhood, and emerges a different woman. Compassion has just begun to run it's course through her, and her walls are starting to crumble. 


      It is the upstanding, successful Edward Rochester that knocks Jane off her feet, and brings with it, all her inhibitions and anxieties. Over time, Rochester breaks into the heart of Jane Eyre,  earning her trust, and eventually, her love. Jane's surrender to emotions that she has fought for so long can be seen as nothing but a beautiful triumph. 


      This rages-to-riches tale is one to be envied, for Jane gained more in the end than most could only hope for. 

"We are rich only through what we give, poor only through what we refuse"

 Ralph Waldo Emerson