"Each image told a story; often mysterious to my undeveloped understanding and imperfect feelings, but always profoundly interesting." --Jane Eyre (9) Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There is something extraordinary and spiritual about the artwork of Jane Eyre. In her story, Jane's solitary pastime sometimes serves as an outlet for past or present pain and often offers her a chance to deal with unpleasant memories and emotions. Jane's art transcends her isolation by connecting her with others who see it; serves as a bridge across the chasm between her desire to be alone and her need for companionship, as demonstrated by key scenes in the novel that include a viewing of her art. This struggle between isolation (“hidden self”) and companionship (“public self”) underpins the restlessness of the novel, as Jane's art is her own, marking her as its woman. His art offers a means to trace his growth to maturity. The epigraph above is taken from Jane's comments on Bewick's History of British Birds, Jane's first artistic influence at the beginning of the novel, and is spoken by a young girl whose self is also "underdeveloped". ” and “imperfect.” There are five scenes in the novel that establish the importance of art to Jane's growth: her three watercolors seen by Rochester at Thornfield, the miniature of Blanche Ingram that precedes their meeting, her sketch Rochester's unconscious pencil drawing during his return to Gateshead, Rosamund Oliver's request for a portrait of Morton, and St. John's viewing of his work, leading to the discovery of his identity near the end of the novel scenes occur throughout the novel, giving her art prominence in the story, and there are also several references to her unique artistic ability when Jane confronts her jealousy of Blanche Ingram, the focus of Rochester's affections when Jane arrives for the first time in Thornfield, she immediately decides to draw a portrait of him based on Mrs. Fairfax's verbal description (169). She states that "it is madness in all women to let a secret love kindle within them" and decides to refuse imagination and resigning oneself to reason; at which point he decides that he can never be the object of Mr. Rochester's affection (168-9). Jane treats herself as her pupil and criticizes herself for abandoning "reason and resolution" and vows to have them for the time being, after which she falls asleep easily (170). This scene curiously resembles the first time Jane decides to produce art as a young woman at Lowood, except that the focus of that earlier moment was strictly on imagination, where Jane was content to imagine "the spectacle of my ideal drawings", after which she too fell asleep happy (78). Since Jane does not want to abandon sense and reason, her portraits at this point are based on reality; she uses Mrs. Fairfax's descriptions along with the socially constructed Native theories of the time to develop how she thinks Blanche Ingram should look. In other words, one of this novel's greatest conventions regarding Victorian women is highlighted when Jane paints. this portrait? conventional views of what they should look like and, in fact, what Jane is not. He does not allow himself to dream of a better life with Rochester, just as St. John cannot imagine marriage and happiness with Rosamund Oliver. Jane imagining a portrait of herself and Rochester would have been more ideal, but reason intervenes and she recoils only at thinking of her position as "[g]overness, disconnected, poor, and simple."(169-70). This is reinforced by his description of Blanche Ingram as a "'consummate lady of rank,'" which is a status Jane cannot achieve (169-70). Given the "mixed messages" that a housekeeper traditionally lived with, namely that "she was and was not a member of the family, she was and was not a servant", it is no wonder that Jane seeks comfort in an isolated world ( 338). However, Jane's heart wins over reason. When he returns to Gateshead to witness his Aunt Reed's final days, he finds himself in the company of his cousins ​​Eliza and Georgina, two unpleasant women (244). Since their presence, along with her ruthless aunt, brings her no comfort, her art is her comfort and provides "occupation and entertainment" during her stay, where she allows herself to do so. follows the “ever-changing kaleidoscope of imagination” (244). His imagination is again in power, and from that power he later produces a sketch of Mr. Rochester and declares: "There, I had the face of a friend under my gaze: and what meant that those young ladies turned their backs on me?" (244-5). More than an act of reason to counteract feelings of jealousy and resentment, here Jane executes an automatic, unplanned, unexpected, and unconscious design, which leaves her "absorbed and satisfied" (245). The imaginative mind is the source of content for Jane, not reason. This literal "escape from reality" for Jane also serves as an escape for the reader from the reality of the novel. The portrait is reminiscent of Rochester, who, when Jane begins to reflect on him, serves as a sort of "Prince Charming" to Jane. The reader is also reminded of the fact that Jane and Rochester are the same; the portrait allows Jane to "capture" Rochester on paper and delimit him with lines. In this sense, there is a contradiction in Jane's (and the reader's) feelings that symbolizes the relationship between Jane and Rochester. Unlike herself, however, Jane believes that Rosamund Oliver is a more balanced woman. He meets Rosamund while living and teaching in Morton and also shows interest in Jane's drawings and paintings. Although Jane sees her in a more favorable light than her cousins, Jane explains that Rosamund is "not deeply interesting or entirely impressive" (388). It is his beauty, not his intellect, that attracts Jane and makes her feel "a thrill of artistic joy at the idea" of painting his portrait (388). This portrait presents a stark contrast to the portrait Jane painted of Blanche Ingram. A contrast is observable in the way Jane approaches the two different portraits. While Rosamund is at her request, Blanche is unaware that Jane is painting her portrait. Blanche's portrait is done as a remedy for Jane's emotions, and Rosamund's is created by Jane's desire to paint it, as she has no animosity towards her. Another difference is that Rosamund is able to see Jane's artwork, which leads her to make the request. for a portrait first and foremost. Rosamund ironically declares to her father that Jane "'is intelligent enough to be a governess in a high family,'" which is an ill-advised, though true enough, comment on Jane's position in society (389). This comment is noticeably ignored by Jane, who says, “I would rather be where I am than in any high family in the country” (389). This statement reveals a confident and mature sense of self. She no longer needs the place in Thornfield, because she has changed since she left there. This change is reflected in his attitude towards art, which is no longer an act of desperation but a comforting pastime. The final viewing of his drawings in his presence proves to be another major change in Jane's life. For St. John, Jane's drawings are a deterrent to loneliness and a better distraction than getting "lost.".