Religious Conflict

Throughout the novel, Bronte portrays Jane as being wracked by moral conflict as it pertains to religion. With each deeply religious person she encounters – Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John Rivers – she questions her own religious beliefs. In the end, she rejects Brocklehurst’s hypocritical living of his religious belief, Helen’s passive version of hers, and St. John’s version that would require sacrificing Jane’s own emotional well-being. Despite all this, Jane remains a spiritual individual. She admits to praying several times throughout the novel, including at the interruption of her wedding and when she is homeless and destitute. This allows her to find her own form of spirituality, free from the pressures put on her by those around her to conform to the way they chose to believe.