The symbolic features in'Jane Eyre'

王文杰

'Jane Eyre ' is also a symbolic novel. Symbolism is widely used in the works. The names of people and places in the book have their meanings. For example :
Jane Eyre : This name is both an expression of the author 's own identity and experience ( Charlotte Bronte once used the pseudonym Jane Eyr ) and a hint of the protagonist 's desire for equality and happiness ( Eyre is homophone with air in English, meaning air or freedom ).
Rochester : This surname comes from a british city and means ' stone castle ' in french ( roche stands for stone, ster stands for castle ), hinting at mr. rochester 's hard, cold, secretive, arrogant and stubborn character.
Helen Burns : The name means ' bright ' and ' burning ' in English, suggesting that Helen is a girl with wisdom and faith. She is abused and discriminated in boarding school, but she can keep calm and tolerant. She eventually died of tuberculosis, but her spirit has left a profound impact on Jane Eyre.
Moor House : This place name comes from the wilderness area of northern England ( moor means swamp or wasteland ), suggesting that this is a place of isolation, simple poverty, loneliness and loneliness. It is also the place where Jane Eyre wandered after leaving Mr.Rochester, where she met her relatives and St. John Rivers, who also proposed to her.
In addition to the above examples, there are many other symbolic meanings that can be explored, such as the names of Gateshead, Roward, Thornfield, and the names of Bertha Ingram, Grace Poole, Bethsa Mason and so on.