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1、Themes,Motifs&SymbolsThemesThemesarethefundamentalandoftenuniversalideasexploredinaliterarywork.LoveVersusAutonomyJaneEyreisverymuchthestoryofaquesttobeloved.Janesearches,notjustforromanticlove,butalsoforasenseofbeingvalued,ofbelonging.ThusJanesaystoHelenBurns:“
2、togainsomerealaffectionfromyou,orMissTemple,oranyotherwhomItrulylove,Iwouldwillinglysubmittohavetheboneofmyarmbroken,ortoletabulltossme,ortostandbehindakickinghorse,andletitdashitshoofatmychest”(Chapter8).Yet,overthecourseofthebook,Janemustlearnhowtogainlovewith
3、outsacrificingandharmingherselfintheprocess.HerfearoflosingherautonomymotivatesherrefusalofRochester’smarriageproposal.Janebelievesthat“marrying”RochesterwhileheremainslegallytiedtoBerthawouldmeanrenderingherselfamistressandsacrificingherownintegrityforthesakeof
4、emotionalgratification.Ontheotherhand,herlifeatMoorHousetestsherintheoppositemanner.There,sheenjoyseconomicindependenceandengagesinworthwhileandusefulwork,teachingthepoor;yetshelacksemotionalsustenance.AlthoughSt.Johnproposesmarriage,offeringherapartnershipbuilt
5、aroundacommonpurpose,Janeknowstheirmarriagewouldremainloveless.Nonetheless,theeventsofJane’sstayatMoorHousearenecessarytestsofJane’sautonomy.Onlyafterprovingherself-sufficiencytoherselfcanshemarryRochesterandnotbeasymmetricallydependentuponhimasher“master.”Thema
6、rriagecanbeonebetweenequals.AsJanesays:“Iammyhusband’slifeasfullyasheismine....Tobetogetherisforustobeatonceasfreeasinsolitude,asgayasincompany....Wearepreciselysuitedincharacter—perfectconcordistheresult”(Chapter38).ReligionThroughoutthenovel,Janestrugglestofin
7、dtherightbalancebetweenmoraldutyandearthlypleasure,betweenobligationtoherspiritandattentiontoherbody.Sheencountersthreemainreligiousfigures:Mr.Brocklehurst,HelenBurns,andSt.JohnRivers.EachrepresentsamodelofreligionthatJaneultimatelyrejectsassheformsherownideasab
8、outfaithandprinciple,andtheirpracticalconsequences.Mr.BrocklehurstillustratesthedangersandhypocrisiesthatCharlotteBrontëperceivedinthenineteenth-centuryEvangelicalmov
