Allusions In Jane Eyre

ALLUSIONS IN JANE JANE EYRE EYRE Jane Eyre has an abundance of Biblical, literary, and historical allusions, see the list below for some examples:  Milton’s Paradise Lost: Rochester quotes 'fallen seraph of the abyss' (a direct reference from Paradise Lost), when speaking to Jane about the blended categories of good and evil.  Rochester identifies himself with Milton’s character of Satan, as he regards himself as a great sinner. o The plot of Jane Eyre somewhat follows the plot of Paradise Lost, Jane is rarely at peace as she is forced to leave her ‘homes’ in search of stability and independence.  When she leaves Thornfield, she leaves her ‘paradise’ (“Miserable I am, and must be for a time; for the catastrophe which drove me from a house I had found a paradise was of a strange and direful nature.”). By the end of the novel, she is able to regain her peace and paradise when she returns to Rochester.  Bewick’s History of British Birds: A book that provides details about various species of birds, along with engraved illustrations. Jane enjoys the book as an escape from her life with her cruel aunt and cousins (7).  The Tenth Plague: Just before she is about to marry Rochester, Jane learns of his mad wife and reflects on her feelings, saying, “My hopes were all dead—struck with a subtle doom, such as, in one night, fell all the first-born in the land of Egypt.”(Ch. 26)  Nero and Caligua: Mentioned in connection with John Reed, these notorious Roman leaders were known for excessive spending and evil deeds (10).  Eutychus (biblical allusion): Eutychus is a character in a quirky biblical story who dies while listening to a sermon. In the novel, Jane compares to the girls on a Sunday evening at church to Eutychus, in an attempt to convey how worn down, tired and sleepy they all were.  Gulliver’s Travels: Jane requests Bessie to fetch this novel written by Jonathan Swift. The story uses the form of a traveler’s narrative to develop a satire about human nature (20).  Guy Fawkes: Jane tells readers that Abbot compared her to Guy Fawkes. As part of the famous “Gunpowder Plot,” Fawkes, along with fellow conspirators, attempted to blow up King James I and the Houses of Parliament in London in 1605. The reference is made in connection with Jane’s status as an “illconditioned child” (25). o Helps to illustrate the foolishness and close-minded attitudes of Abbot’s character  Babel: A Biblical city in Shinar where the building of a tower is held in Genesis to have been halted by the confusion of tongues; Jane makes this reference to describe the chaos at Lowood School (46).  Rasselas: An essay being read by Helen Burns; this work by Samuel Johnson contends that happiness may not always be within one’s grasp (49).  Bluebeard’s castle: A fairy-tale in which a young wife has access to all the rooms in a castle except for the one that contains the bodies of her dead predecessors. Jane mentions this in connection to her lingering by a passage near the attic (108). o Furthermore, in this story the wife of Bluebeard goes against his wishes and enters the forbidden room to find all of his past wives (murdered bodies), who upon entering the forbidden room became forever trapped inside themselves. o Foreshadow Jane’s fate if she stayed? References the entrapment of Rochester’s past wife?  Dian: A Celtic deity, Jane uses this name when she refers to Blanche’s appearance with this name (175).  Eliezer and Rebecca: Rochester and Blanche Ingram dress up as Eliezer and Rebecca during a game of charades. In the twenty-fourth chapter of Genesis, Eliezer, Abraham's servant, is sent to find a bride for Abraham's son, Isaac. Eliezer does not marry Rebecca, just as Rochester will not marry Blanche (186).  King Ahasuerus: The Persian king who is found in the Book of Esther and promises to give Esther what she wants, just as Rochester promises Jane (265).  Samson: From the Bible in Judges 16, Samson reveals to his lover Delilah that his hair, the source of his strength, has never been cut; she uses this secret against him to bring about his destruction (265).  Marmion: A book of Romantic poetry written by Sir Walter Scott that is read by Jane while St. John examines her drawings (377).  Medusa: From a Greek myth, Medusa is the mortal Gorgon who is slain when decapitated by Perseus. A person would turn to stone if looking at her. The allusion is made in connection to Jane’s demeanor after she has learned that she is an heiress (389).  Paul and Silas’s prison: Paul, the apostle, was thrown into prison with Silas for serving Jesus. After suffering severely, they were miraculously freed. Jane makes reference to this as she reflects on the voice she had heard that seems like an inspiration (429).  Nebuchadnezzar: The proud king of the Babylonian Empire who experienced a fall. His deterioration is described in The Bible as “he was driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till his hairs were grown like eagles' feathers, and his nails like birds' claws.” Jane makes a reference to Nebuchadnezzar when she returns to Rochester and finds him in seclusion (444).  Apollo: The Greek god of sun and music. Rochester uses this reference in response to Jane’s description of St. John (449).