“I am no bird and no net ensnares me I am a free human...

â€Å"I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you†(257-258). The quote epitomizes Jane’s independence, but underneath Jane’s strong exterior, she is a young woman longing for love and a family. Throughout the novel, Jane learns to fend for herself, but we also see Jane’s longing for a family. In Charlotte Bronte’s book Jane Eyre, themes of family, love, and independence prominently play out in the characters of Jane, Rochester, and St. John. Growing up as an orphan, Jane longs for someone to love her and care for her. Her benefactress, Mrs. Reed, and her children neglected her. On one occasion, John Reed told Jane, â€Å"You have no business to take our books;†¦show more content†¦His love for Jane, while genuine, is selfish. He knows he cannot legally marry her, yet he asks her to marry him anyway. His horrid wife is brought into the light; the secret is out. Jane refuses to compromise her morals to be his mistress and leaves Thornfield. As Jane wanders the countryside in an unknown area, she stumbles on the home of her first cousin, St. John Rivers. At the time Jane does not know he is family, but he shows kindness and compassion to Jane when no one else would. Both St. John’s mother and father are dead, but he still has two sisters living. Even before Jane knows the family is her kin, the Rivers’ sisters are like sisters to her. They become the family she never had. St. John is different. He is very cold and stern. He doe not show much affection for anyone. St John loves a local girl, but refuses to marry her because he has devoted his life to full time ministry. He is independent because he isolates himself from people, never letting them get too close. St. John to chooses Jane, who is practical, smart, and sturdy, to be his wife when he goes to India to be a missionary. He does not tell her he loves her, but instead he says, â€Å"Jane, come with me to India: come as my helpmeet and fellow-laborer†(409). Jane turns him down over and over knowing she cannot marry St. John when her heart is still with Rochester. St. John wants a helper, but Jane wants a lover and St. John will never be that forShow MoreRelatedA Rose For Emily Modernism1563 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout the short story â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, by William Faulkner, the new generation tries to enforce modern standards on Miss Emily and her contemporaries. Despite their best efforts, the older generation remains cemented in traditional values. The older generation faces a slow, tragic, rotting death similar to Miss Emily’s if they continue to adhere to tradition in a modern age. Miss Emily is a contemporary of the older generation and her refusal to pay taxes demonstrates how the adherence toRead MoreA Rose For Emily Analysis1822 Words   |  8 Pages1. 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