English 20-IB Oral PresentationComparison Between Charlotte Brontë’s Life, and Jane’s in Jane Eyre.Brendan BottcherMay7,2009Charlotte Bronte filled Jane Eyre with experiences she had endured throughout her past. Charlotte uses Jane as a mask, because in the mid 19th century, she was unable to express her feelings directly. In Jane Eyre, the correlation between Jane and Charlotte Bronte is more subtle than between Elie Wiesel, and Elie (the main character) in Night, but the connection between Charlotte and Jane is still irrefutable.At first glance, it is difficult to distinguish the comparisons between Charlotte Bronte, and Jane, as Charlotte is discreet in how she portrays her past. Instead of outright telling the reader of the struggles she has been forced to endure throughout her past, Charlotte instead includes finer similarities in the setting and characters of her past when writing Jane Eyre. Firstly, many of the people Jane encounters throughout Jane Eyre are derived from Charlotte’s past. Helen Burns (a character Jane befriends in Lowood) is to Jane as Charlotte’s sister Maria was to Charlotte as she was growing up. Jane has few friends at Lowood, and relies heavily on Helen during tough situations, this can be seen when Jane says: “Helen. Look here; to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love...” (Chapter 8).Both Helen and
