Hello, fearless scholars:
As you've already seen, pages 13-17 describe Jane's imprisonment in the Red Room. Reread those pages and then answer the following question(s).
Please refer to the blog rubric posted on Edline. Make sure to interact with your previous classmates' postings. Agree, disagree, or build on their points.
Why has Bronte elected to imprison Jane in a location that is infrequently visited and that is mostly furnished in red? How do these aspects contribute to Jane's devastating reaction?
Sorry to whoever has to read this monstrosity first…=)
ReplyDeleteCharlotte Bronte establishes an important motif in her novel, Jane Eyre, when she causes the protagonist to be locked away in an unvisited room decorated entirely in red. The protagonist, Jane, is forced into solitude by her aunt after attacking her older cousin, and is imprisoned in the “red room.” This room holds weight in the story not merely due to its regal furnishing and ostentatious coloration, but also because it represents the central conflict that has thus far unfolded in the story. The aspect of its color and status aside, the room itself is a focal point in the recurring motif of imprisonment. Jane is constantly isolated and separated from her cousins, as she is a penniless, dependent orphan being raised by her only family. This makes her not only a burden to her aunt and cousins, but also a pariah, as she is vastly different from them in both physicality and mannerisms. Therefore, her incarceration in the red room not only acts as a literal imprisonment, but also a figurative one, as she is forced away from her only relatives, who bind her in the shackles of greed and indifference.
In addition to the red room’s physical status as a prison for Jane, it also acts as a metaphorical representation of her suffering. The color red, which is widely interpreted as a symbol of anger and rage, represents Jane’s fury at her cruel family, who needlessly harass her with both word and deed. In addition, the red color represents the physical injuries Jane has endured, among which is a cut to the head. Therefore, the red color of the room also symbolizes the blood Jane sheds through her suffering. In addition, the fact that the room is infrequently visited represents the family’s attitude towards Jane. Her aunt and cousins consistently ignore and rebuke her, refusing to acknowledge her existence aside from berating her. This ignorance on their part is represented by the loneliness of the room. Finally, Jane’s recollection of Mr. Reed, who died nine years ago in the red room, represents the conflict between her and her family. Mr. Reed requested that his wife care for Jane, but when he died, she quickly began to ignore the girl. Thus, imprisoning Jane in the very room of his death is an ironic twist, as Mrs. Reed both dispenses of her burdensome niece and the memory of her husband’s request. All of this later comes to a head as Jane passes out in the red room, symbolizing the toll the conflict has taken on her, and how she wishes to be liberated from the confinements of her prison. Thus, the motif of a caged bird wanting to fly is continued and intensified in this section of the story.
I agree with David in that the red room Jane is forced to go in acts as a state of literal imprisonment and a figurative one because as we discussed in class today Jane is a caged bird and is trapped in the Gateshead Hall with her cousins and aunt who do not want her. I also agree with David that the red room is the color red because Jane is a young girl who experiences pain and suffering, physically and mentally. She experiences physically pain when her older cousin hits her and blood pours out of her head and she experiences mental pain because she is unwanted by her family and they put her down anytime they can calling her mean names. For example, John Reed tells her that she is dependent, has no money, and does not deserve to live there with children like "them" which shows that he believes he is more important then she is. Also, the fact that Jane Eyre has inner self-esteem leads her to more trouble because when she tells John that he is a murderer he immediately reacts to make sure Jane is punished for talking to him that way. All of these aspects contribute to Jane's reaction because she makes herself sick to the point where she is unconscious by screaming so much because she believes she sees Mr. Reed's ghost because he died in that very room. I agree with David that it is ironic that the red room is where Mr. Reed died and where Jane is imprisoned. Jane has had enough from her family and when she passes out it proves to the reader that she cannot live in these conditions any longer. Bronte has chosen a room that is not visited often because it further proves they do not accept Jane as part of their family and they physically remove her from their vision by putting her in the red room.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with David, along with Gianna. The red room serves as a physical and mental punishment. Jane is constantly reminded of the fact that she is poor, unwanted, and an orphan. It only makes sense that Mrs. Reed punishes her with the red room because as she sits in solitude she is reminded of the fact that she is poor and alone. As she sits in the red room she is taunted with the luxury. Mrs. Reed tortures her with her riches, as if to insinuate that Jane will never be rich and surrounded by nice things. The solitude of the red room reminds her she is unwanted (however her defiance of Mrs. Reed is not unwonted) It is also a physical punishment because she is put in a scarlet prison, forced to sit by herself and reflect on her "wickedness." I think it is also possible that Bronte uses the luxurious red room to highlight the fact that the only time she ever comes in contact with anything "nice" is when she is being punished. She is surrounded by the rude Reeds and then punished by sitting in the beautiful red room. To many, being forced to sit in a room, oozing luxuries is not a punishment, however, it is to Jane because she cannot enjoy it, because she does not appreciate the material things. She does not desire money, just freedom. Like David and Gianna both touched upon the red is related to the injuries Jane sustains while living at the Reed house (while tussling with John). Going off of the bird metaphor we discussed in class i find it interesting that she is punished with a smaller room. First off Jane already dislikes her life in the Reed household, her metaphorical cage. However, when punished Jane is shoved into an even smaller surrounding limiting her freedom even more. In fact, when Jane is forced into the red room for the first time, she faints, as if she was choked, because she had no space, much like how a bird would react if you put it in an extremely small cage. The red room completely restricts her freedom.The red room serves to torture Jane physically and mentally, it also aids in the idea of a bird metaphor in the novel over all.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both David and Gianna. The red room is second time we see Jane isolated from the rest of the family by the use of something red. The first is the "scarlet" red curtain she uses to hide herself while reading. The color red symbolizes the physical injury Jane suffers. The room itself is another symbol for her isolation. She is constantly referred to as a "dependent" and "less than" others even the slaves and servants. The use of the color red is very important. Red is a color the eye is drawn to and is used to highlight important points and characters. Bronte chose to use of red forces the recognition of these places and the character of Jane. The red room symbolizes not only Jane's fury and physical injury but to her power. Jane is isolated from the family because she is completely misinterpreted by her family. Jane's power contradicts traditional woman's roles during this time. The family sees her power and independence as something to be squashed. She is a caged bird and is forced to keep her power and energy inside. This room is over stimulating to Jane,due to the eyes strong attraction to it which probably caused her hallucination and fainting spell. Jane's isolation from the rest of her family due to be seen as not submissive to her older cousin and aunt's wishes characterizes the strength with which Jane is able to survive the abuse she endures. As the color red has already been used twice to isolate and characterize Jane, it may also foreshadow another point in which her strength or power is challenged and questioned.
ReplyDeleteDavid made a solid point about the Red Room acting as a prison for Jane, which is strengthened by the fact that the mattress in the room is white. The bed stands out from its surroundings in much the same way that Jane does from the house's occupants. While red is associated with danger, white is contrastingly representative of goodness and purity. The bed is even described as “[glaring]” (13), denoting Jane's obvious differences from her caretakers. In this same sentence, the bed is said to “[rise] high...out of these surrounding shades [of red]” (13), perhaps foreshadowing Jane's rise to independence and individuality.
ReplyDeleteGiven that we already know that this novel addresses Jane's femininity I think it is justified to point out the sexuality present in this red/white contrast. Red is historically symbolic of lust, while white expresses virginality. This, combined with the fact that beds contain sexual symbolism as well, leads me to believe that an integral plot point will occur in the Red Room. (I'm not sure of the propriety of addressing exactly what I predict, so I apologize in advance.) Much in the way that the bird-like Jane is forced to comply to the houses rules and, in saying “I will not stir” (11), willingly does so, I predict that the whiteness of the bed may be stained red, either literally or figuratively.
I also noticed that “Reed” is one letter away from red, showing the dominion of redness over the entire household.
I agree with Cooper's position regarding color as a mechanism connoting feelings of danger as well as feelings of purity. However, Bronte also uses the physical position of objects to demonstrate the social and emotional standing of Jane Eyre. On page 13, Bronte uses the word "rose" twice in reference to the shades and the bed. This is a play on words with the color roses are usually associated with - red. However, the height of the white, pure bed high above Jane mirrors her distance from what the Reed's consider to just demeanor. Jane on the other hand was sitting in what was described as a "low" ottoman, which demonstrates not only what the Reed family thinks of her position, but how she feels as well. She weighs the possibilities of leaing the household, but oppurtunities are seldom to escape the situation she is in. The fact the room is locked symbolizes this feeling. The room itself is very large, but seldom visited. Jane is full of personal depths, but her family never bothers to explore the uniquness she holds, dismissing it for malcreant behavior.
ReplyDeleteJane is juxtaposed with Georgiana. This directly relates to the red room because she thinks about Georgiana while in the room and she thinks of her as having "pink cheeks". Shades of pink were found in the room's wall by Jane. In fact, they were described as having a "blush" of pink. This is also a play on words, reffering to the blushing of cheeks that pushes the idea Bronte is trying to forward.