“My bride is here . . . because my equal is here.” (295)

This quote shows a great change in Mr. Rochester. Now that he and Jane are truly equals, they can get married. Previously, he had felt as though he was above Jane and women in general to the point that only having a mistress was perfectly acceptable. Now, however, he is not objectifying her as merely someone he can control, but as someone he truly loves. The reader can infer that this is the beginning of a loving relationship in which both partners play an equal role - a novel idea for Jane and Rochester’s time, but the ideal for many couples being married in the 21st century.

EDIT: Bronte uses this as yet another instance in which Jane's life defies convention. Jane holds herself as a strong, independent woman who will not settle for less than what she feels she deserves, including settling to only be the mistress to the love of her life. Once he has finally accepted her as his equal - a novel idea in a time when woman were by far considered to be the "weaker sex" - Jane will enter into the marriage, obviously on her own terms.

“. . .we have a genuine witch in the house, who is in close alliance with the old gentleman.” (224)

Miss Ingram’s worry of the witch and devil (“the old gentleman”) in their midst, and the general consensus from everyone else gathered, speaks to how closed-minded the masses really are. They cannot explain how the fortune teller operates either in worldly or religious reasons, for that reason, she must be in cahoots with the devil or have some similar dark motive. Bronte depicts Jane as clearly not worried by these “evil” persons, just as she is not worried about many of societies other esoteric beliefs. Because of this, Jane comes across as open-minded when those around her are much more dogmatic – an idea which carries through the entire novel.

“. . . Gulliver’s Travels . . .” (17)

In Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift, the protagonist is frequently ostracized by those around him due to his difference from the tiny people around him when he arrives in their land simply because he is seen as a giant. Then, he is treated similarly in a land of giants simply because he appears to be miniscule from their vantage point. No matter what, he does not fit in simply because of a factor he cannot control. This is similar to the situation experienced by Jane: she never quite fits in, and not for lack of trying. To anyone that has ever read Gulliver’s Travels, Bronte makes it clear from the first chapter's reference that this is the fate to which Jane shall be subjected throughout her tale.

EDIT: Jane has difficulty fitting in, despite her efforts to do so, because she is so different from most other women of her time. While they are content to remain objectified, meek, and dominated, Jane refuses to let this become her fate. Throughout her life she may be ostracized for her true nature, but she remains independent, strong-willed, and opinionated despite the circumstances.

Source:

"SparkNotes: Gulliver’s Travels." SparkNotes: Today's Most Popular Study Guides. Web. 03 Jan. 2010. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/gulliver/.

"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last." (xlvi)

This quote, in the preface, sets up the tone of the rest of novel, and in many ways sums up exactly what is to come in the next 400 or so pages. Many see Jane as immoral because she is strong willed in many ways and manages to emerge from each trying situation stronger than she went into it. They don’t feel as though women should be able to persevere without a strong man to help them. In the same way, this quote foreshadows what is to come from the relationship with St. John Rivers – he qualifies as one that uses religion as an excuse for his self-righteousness, even telling Jane that it is against God not to marry him. This quote represents one of the main themes of the novel: to go against tradition is not always because it is “wrong.” It may be perfectly fine for some individuals, but that does not mean that it is perfectly fine for all.

"Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilised by education: they grow

Jane Eyre, of all people, would have the right to complain about the situation into which life has thrust her. She is an orphan who has been thrown out by the very people who were entrusted to care for her. She is bumped from place to place, never feeling at home for a good part of her life. Much of this has to do not with the people who know her best, but with those that don’t know her at all. And yet, she understands prejudices. She accepts that people will judge her because of circumstances over which she has had little or no control, and does not fight this. Jane knows that she can do very little to change how people will perceive her, just as very little can be done to remove weeds that have grown in a stone pathway (as any landscaper or gardener knows).

"It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it." (123

This dissatisfaction with tranquility seems to be a personal motto for Jane throughout the novel. While other women are content to fall into typical “women’s work” such as being a homemaker, school teacher, or governess, Jane merely puts on a front of satisfaction. Instead, she is always wondering about what else might be out there for her to experience or to be; what else could form her into the person she dreams of someday being. Just because society demands that women behave in a certain manner does not determine that Jane herself will be happy with this. She is a modern day woman, in a very pre-modern time.

“A new chapter in a novel is something like a new scene in a play; and when I draw up the curtain this time, reader, you must fancy you see in a room

By speaking to the reader, Bronte’s novel leaves the bubble in which it could exist. Without statements so blatantly directed at the reader, Jane’s words would have no home. She is not writing in a diary, or speaking to anyone in particular so it seems, until this statement is made. Through engaging the reader, Bronte draws them into Jane’s tale. They are no longer outside observers, but instead participants throughout the protagonist’s life.