Biblical Allusions in Jane Eyre Help Brontë Demonstrate Lively Varieties of Virtue and Hypocrisy

Charlotte Brontë explores biblical themes and allusions by contrasting different interpretations of Christianity, conveying character and forecasting plot. She portrays different forms of religion with a lively cast of characters: Brocklehurst exercises a strict form of Calvinism; Helen Burns finds consolation in ultimate salvation and resignation; St. John preaches a solitary Calvinist faith. Jane matures throughout the novel due to encountering and experiencing a lively variety of virtue and hypocrisy, while also following Christian lessons taught to her by a variety of people. However, unlike Helen or St John, she does not fully reject her own human emotions and earthly desires in favour of fulfilling her moral duties. And unlike Mr Rochester, Jane refuses to let passion and love blind her faith to God. Instead, Jane eventually learns to strike a balance between the two, finding her own honourable faith. Bronte explores and contrasts injustice and hypocrisy with core Christian values such as charity, forgiveness and redemption, and this is done by contrasting different interpretations of Christianity throughout the novel.

The prevalence of injustice and hypocrisy in Jane Eyre highlights the outcome of interpreting Christianity in a manner that benefits oneself selfishly, revealing a character’s ‘true self’. Mr Brocklehurst, as a believer of a harsh form of Calvinism and master of Lowood Institution, preaches a doctrine of privation. He believes that the Lowood Girls must be taught the virtues of Christian stoicism, “consistency” and “humility”, which entails donning plain clothing and having their (some, naturally curly) hair, cut and straightened. His religious outlook is made apparent when he says “[…] you little think how you starve their immortal souls.”, alluding to the New Testament in which he borrows the notion that sinners can only be redeemed if harsh restrictions are imposed upon them, ridding all desire for material or worldly materials — the girls must carry themselves “modestly, plainly”, and be “hardy, patient, self-denying” (61). However, his hypocritical use of the scripture is highlighted when his wife and daughters enter the hall “splendidly attired in velvet, silk, and furs.” (63). He severely renounces “luxury and indulgence” to the extent that he condones starving and humiliating the students of his own institution. Yet, he allows his wife and daughter to forgo what he preaches, making him a religious hypocrite. The fact that, during his speech, he was “overcome by his feelings”, as Jane puts it, further emphasises his hypocritical nature (62). Furthermore, Brocklehurst often manipulates Christian history and misuses quotes from certain Scriptures to suit his needs. He believes that the girls should patiently endure their suffering due to the “sufferings of the primitive Christians; to the torments of martyrs.” (64). This is a highly inappropriate biblical allusion (on Brocklehurst’s part) as the girls’ lack of proper clothing, leading to many freezing, and the fact that they are regularly deprived of nutritious food, are all caused by Brocklehurst himself, the treasurer of Lowood. He misuses the scripture to satisfy his own agenda, which not only makes Brocklehurst a distasteful hypocrite, but also, in turn, marks him as a fool who inadvertently painted himself as the villain. Furthermore, it is interesting that Bronte subtly alludes to Brocklehurst’s lack of virtue and hypocrisy with the line “the outside of the cup and platter” (63). This is an allusion to one of Christ’s statements on hypocrisy: ‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. (Matthew 23:25-26.), which also forecasts the appearance of Brocklehurst's flamboyant wife and daughters, dressed in the latest fashion, further stressing Brocklehurst’s moral shortcomings.

In direct contrast to Mr Brocklehurst’s morally flawed character is Jane’s Lowood friend, Helen Burns, who is often alluded to be a Christ-like figure. In response to Jane’s brash and passionate personality, she imparts spiritual and moral guidance often found in the New Testament — to love one’s enemies, to frown upon vengeance and hate, to endure suffering patiently. Helen preaches acceptance and resignation, thus she does not complain about the strict rules of Lowood, and does not lament her poor treatment, and can face her own death with fortitude, due to her firm belief in the afterlife, she “live(s) in calm, looking to the end.” (58). Her calm nature also serves as a contrast to the easily excitable Mr Brocklehurst, displaying a lively variety of Christian virtue which elevates Helen to a person Jane admires and trusts. To Helen, Christianity is a religion that stresses tolerance and patience instead of a form of religion that actively forces Christian values onto people, which is what Brocklehurst practices. Helen embodies her beliefs — the Christian values of patience and forgiveness. However, Jane finds Helen’s tendency to self-deny, and passiveness to Lowood’s almost totalitarian rules dissatisfying, not due to the lack of faith but because it is Jane’s nature to strive for freedom and justice, along with the need to feel human emotions. This is shown in Chapter eight when Helen tries to calm the wrongly-accused Jane, in which afterwards, Jane remarks: “[…] in the tranquillity she imparted there was an alloy of inexpressible sadness.”, showing that while Jane understands and admires Helen’s tranquil interpretation of Christianity, it is not a religion that she wishes to practice (68). Helen’s Christ-like disposition has had a considerable impact on Jane though, as she ultimately learns to forgive those who have wronged her in the past, such as Mrs Reed.

Bronte often contrasts different interpretations of Christianity by using biblical allusions, revealing one’s character. Although Mr Brocklehurst and Mr Rochester appear in different sections of the novel, by contrasting the use of a single scripture between the two characters, their moral differences are highlighted. According to Critic Catherine Brown Tkacz, within Chapter four, Brocklehurst self-righteously asserts that Jane must pray to God “to take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh”, which is a mechanical and lifeless paraphrase of Ezekiel (32). It is interesting that Mr Rochester makes use of the same verse later on in the novel where he refers to his heart as a tough “India-rubber ball.” (129). Then, he wonders if there is hope “of my final re-transformation from India-rubber back to flesh.”. Rochester, unlike Brocklehurst who manipulates biblical allusions to his own advantage, uses these allusions to show self-reflection and intelligence. Therefore, the use of biblical allusions reveals flaws in one character, while showing positive moral qualities in another.

Christian principles such as charity, forgiveness, and redemption are often explored in the novel, Bronte uses biblical allusions to develop and convey characters in relation to these values. Most evidently, Mr Rochester is a hypocritical character who redeems himself towards the end of the novel. His clandestine wife, Bertha Mason, is kept in Thornfield due to Rochester’s practice of the Christian value of compassion and pity. However, he fully considers committing bigamy when he proposes to Jane, which not only makes him a hypocritical character, but brings his religion and faith to God to question. Unlike the reserved St John Rivers who interprets Christianity as a life-long moral duty and is willing to rid himself of worldly desires, Rochester’s form of Christianity is, in a way, light-hearted. He often compares himself to Satan, referring to himself as “a fallen seraph”, which highlights his self-critical and cynical nature, however, his choice of diction also alludes to his moral shortcomings. It is interesting to note that when he has reformed at the end of the novel, his language and allusions are drawn from less harsh sections of the Bible that mostly speak of forgiveness and redemption, showcasing a drastic change in his religious outlook. Furthermore, the biblical allusion to King Nebuchadnezzar in Chapter 23 further emphasises this character development. The symbolic chestnut tree in Thornfield is struck by lightning, mirroring Nebuchadnezzar’s strange dream of a large tree, which was revealed to be a warning from God as the king was deemed prideful and sinful. Nebuchadnezzar does not reform even after his dream; Rochester proposes to Jane after the incident, paralleling the king’s arrogance and pride. When Jane reunites with Rochester after the fire at Thornfield, she remarks that there is a “'faux air' of Nebuchadnezzar in the fields about you” (424). Here, this allusion points to the “reformed” Nebuchadnezzar whose pride has abased. Rochester has lost his sight and social standing, but has, in turn, earned a moral regeneration.

Brontë uses biblical allusions as a means to convey character and forecast plot. Christianity is interpreted various ways by different characters, demonstrating a lively variety of virtue and hypocrisy. Some characters practice Christian principles such as charity, forgiveness, and redemption, and are contrasted with injustice and hypocrisy, elevating characters such as Helen Burns and Mr Rochester while calling into question religious hypocrites such as Mr Brocklehurst.