Significance Of A Name Brand Girl In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

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Name Brand Girl In our modern day and age we ignore such a pivotal and integral piece of our history, our names. Some people never take the time to delve into the significance of one’s surname or as it is commonly referred to, a “last name.” The novel Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Bronte is a prime example of how we can overlook something so important. Jane, the main character, is an orphan girl who is under the care of the cruel Reed family before going off to boarding school. Jane’s surname, Eyre, is incredibly important as different homonyms of the word track her growth to maturity throughout the story, specifically the words err, air and heir. The first word that tracks Jane’s progression is “err.” This word is defined as to make a mistake or to be incorrect; sin or do wrong. This accurately describes the way she was treated while under the care of the Reed family and while she was at Lowood. Jane was constantly being found in the wrong even when there was evidence in her favor. An example of one of these situations is when she was was thrown into the red room for defending herself from her cousin John Reed. In another light, Jane herself could be considered an err of mistake, as she was an orphan. She had no one to call family and was a constant outcast in her youth. …show more content…
After Mrs. Temple leaves Lowood to be married Jane has an insatiable desire for freedom and to make her own way in the world, her next step towards maturity. Jane makes the statement, “I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will,” which summarizes the point nicely. Jane moves to Thornfield Hall to be a governess andbegin her adult life. Jane asserts herself as a light, airy and free flowing person who isn’t going to be bound by