"By dying young, I shall escape great sufferings. I had not qualities or talents to make my way very well in the world: I should have been continually at fault."But where are you going to, Helen? Can you see? Do you know?"
"I believe; I have faith: I am going to God."
"Where is God? What is God?"
"My Maker and yours, who will never destroy what he created. I rely implicitly on his power, and confide wholly in his goodness: I count the hours till that eventful one arrives which shall restore me to him, reveal him to me."
"You are sure, then, Helen, that there is such a place as heaven; and that our souls can get to it when die?"
Bronte's characters like Helen Burns (above) and St. John Rivers directly reflect her religious beliefs. Bronte grew up under the influence of her father, who was an Anglican minister. She grew up believing in her faith wholeheartedly, and her beliefs leaked into her art.
The character Helen Burns is the one who shows the most faith in her belief in God, and heaven. Helen assures Jane that she will be with God when she dies, and that even though she is dying, she rejoices in the fact that she will meet her Creator.
All three of Bronte's siblings passed away before she did, and the message of hope in the life after death could easily be assumed to be a comforting reassurance to Charlotte as she watched her siblings go.
An artist, be it through writing, painting, acting, and so on, cannot separate their lives from that of their imaginary worlds. Artists are passionate people, and cannot escape to either "world" without bringing with them, pieces of the other.
No comments:
Post a Comment