摘 要

《简爱》是英国著名女作家夏洛蒂—勃朗特写于 1846 年的经典作品。虽然 迄今 150 多年，但是这部作品仍然深受广大读者的喜爱，这都是因为这部作品的 女主人翁简.爱。外在的美是短暂的，内在的美才是永恒的。本论文主要分析简. 爱性格中矛盾的形成原因，进而结合时代背景发掘出作者真正想借由简爱表达的 追求独立的主旨。简爱是个孤儿，从小受尽凌辱，但从不为生活所屈服，她有着 坚强的人格和尊严。在幼时恶劣的生存环境中，她学会了如何生存。也正是她的 成长经历，造就了她独立的人格、进取的精神和美好的理想。简爱是一位与众不 同的小说人物，她只能靠自己生活，敢于表达自己的思想。在世俗的压力下，她 凭借努力工作，聪明智慧和倔强的个性，始终保持着自己的尊严。在她的生活道 路上，从来不屈服。虽然她身材矮小，但是灵魂高大。简爱勇于追求真爱并对所 爱的人忠贞不渝。她的善良、聪明、独立深深地吸引着男主人公，最终获得一份 完美的爱情。但是另一方面，等级制度又让她意识了自己的弱小这就向我们展现 了她的自卑。

关键词：独立 信念 自尊 平等

Abstract

Jane Eyre is a classic written by Charlotte Bronte, a famous British woman writer, in 1846. Although more than 150 years have been done so far, the work is still loved by a wide range of readers, all because of Jane Eyre, the female owner of the work. The beauty of the outside is short, and the beauty of the inner is eternal. This thesis mainly analyzes the reasons for the formation of contradictions in Jane Eyre's character, and then explores the main thrust the author want to express by Jane Eyre’s pursuit of independence combined with the background of the times. Jane Eyre is an orphan,she has been tortured by abuse since she was a little girl, but she never yield for mercy.She has a strong personality and dignity. She learned how to survive in the harsh living environment of her childhood. It is also because of her experience of growing up that create her independent personality, enterprising spirit and beautiful ideals. Jane Eyre is a distinctive novel character, she can only live on her own, dare to express her thoughts. Under the pressure of the secular, she always maintained her dignity by hard-working, wisdom and stubborn personality. On the path of her life, she never succumbed. Although she is small, she has a noble soul. Jane dares to pursue true love and be faithful to the one she loves. Her kindness, cleverness and independence deeply attracted the hero, and finally won a perfect love. But on the other hand, the hierarchy has made her aware of her weakness, which shows us her inferiority.

Key Words: independent，faith， dignity， equal

Contents

1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1Charlotte Bronte and Her Works............................................................................................ 1

1.2Plot of Jane Eyre.................................................................................................................... 1

1.3Literature Review................................................................................................................... 2

1.4The Significance and Background of This Paper.................................................................. 3

2 Analysis of the multi-sided nature of Jane Eyre's character............................................................ 4

2.1 Complexity of The Inner World............................................................................................ 4

2.2 Multifaceted Nature of Material Pursuits............................................................................. 5

3 The Rebellious Side of Jane Eyre's Character................................................................................. 5

3.1 Jane Eyre's childhood rebellion............................................................................................ 6

3.2 Jane Eyre's schooldays rebellion...........................................................................................7

4 The Compromise Side of Jane Eyre's Character..............................................................................7

4.1 Jane Eyre's compromise on her spiritual level......................................................................7

4.1.1The Selfish side of Jane Eyre's character....................................................................7

4.1.2 The inferiority side of Jane Eyre's character..............................................................8

4.2 Jane Eyre's compromise on married life............................................................................... 9

5 The Influence of Jane Eyre's Growing Environment on Character Formation............................. 10

5.1 Birth Environment...............................................................................................................10

5.2 Childhood Growth...............................................................................................................10

6 The Role of Love in The Perfection of Jane Eyre's Character...................................................... 11

6.1 Perfect Disposition.............................................................................................................. 11

6.2 Reasonable Conduct Manner.............................................................................................. 12

7 Conclusion......................................................................................................................................13

References......................................................................................................................................... 14

Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................... 16

1 Introduction

1.1Charlotte Bronte and Her Works

Charlotte Bronte is a British woman writer. She is known as one of the "Bronte Three Sisters" in the History of English literature with two sisters, namely Emily Bronte and Anne Bronte. Charlotte was born in 1816 in a village pastor's family in Haute, Yorkshire, in the north of England. Her mother died prematurely, and Charlotte was sent to the Cowan Bridge women's boarding school when she was eight years old. At the age of 15, she went to a school run by Miss Wooller, and a few years later she became a teacher in this school. Later, she worked as a governess, and eventually, she devoted herself to the path of literary creation. In 1847, Charlotte Bronte published the novel Jane Eyre, and become sensational in literary circles. Her father was a clergyman at Haworth, Yorkshire. When they were young, the Bronte sisters were sent to a school for clergymen’s daughters. The oldest two died there due to the poor and unhealthy conditions. This experience inspired the later portrayal of Lowood School in the novel Jane Eyre. After the death of the elder sisters, Charlotte and Emily were brought home to be educated by their father. Charlotte’s first novel, The Professor, was rejected by the publisher. But her second one, Jane Eyre, won immediate success when it appeared in 1847.

In the same year, Emily’s single and unique work Wuthering Heights and Anne’s Agnes Grey were also published. Soon they were followed by Anne’s The Tenant of Wildfell Hall(1848). After the death of Emily and Anne, Charlotte continued writing. Her next important novel, Shirley, a work about the industrial troubles between the mill-owners and machine-breakers in Yorkshire in 1811-1812, came out in 1849. Another novel Villette appeared in 1853. This is her most autobiographical work, largely based on her experience in Brussels. In 1854, Charlotte married her father’s curate. She died a few months later in pregnancy. The professor, her first written work, was published posthumously in 1857.

1.2Plot of Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is a novel that reflects the living situation and mental outlook of oppressed women, and as a classic feminist text, the heroine Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre has both the rebellious side of the challenge to tradition and the conservative side of compromise with society.

The rebellious performance of Jane Eyre's character is manifested in her childhood and school days, while the compromise aspect of her character is manifested in her personal spiritual level, love experience and married life. Throughout the text, the portrayal of Jane Eyre's character has not only the rebellious side to the traditional challenge, but also the conservative side of the compromise with the society.