Question The settings of Jane Eyre represent stages in the development of Jane's character. How far and in what ways do you find this to be the case? Response The settings of Jane Eyre represent stages in the development of Jane's character and we see her change and develop in each one. She is not only influenced by the surroundings of each place but also the people in each one. At Gateshead, Jane indicates to us in the very first line of the novel that it was an important date and place for her, "that day . From that moment on we anticipate something, though we do not know what, until her passionate outburst at John Reed is described to us and her cruel banishment to the Red Room, "these sensations for the first time predominated over fear, and I received him in frantic sort...take her away to the Red Room and lock her away . The name ˜Gateshead' symbolises Jane's sense of imprisonment within the house and how she is both physically and mentally trapped there. This command, "lock her away , clearly shows how she was physically trapped, and the fact that her only escape is through reading and her imagination, which she always fears will be disturbed, "I wished fervently he might not discover my hiding place , shows how she is mentally trapped, never allowed to fully lose herself in her daydreams. This adverb, "fervently , indicates Jane's desperation and desire to be left alone. The "thick black bars  in Chapter 3 again symbolise her imprisonment and sense of being trapped at Gateshead, and it is only Mr Lloyd who opens the metaphorical gate for her, "Would you like to go to school?  Although Jane has not had a particularly happy childhood, she understands that she would much rather be wealthy and miserable than poor and happy, "Poverty looks grim to grown people; still more so to children...I could not see how poor people had the means of being kind . This reminds us of her young and naive age at this stage of the book, and the older Jane, the narrator, does not hint to us yet that it is she who is writing the novel, from an older and wiser perspective. The separation and isolation of Jane from the Reeds, "she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for contented, happy little children , is ironic, as, had Jane ever been included, she could have been a happy, contented child. The first time we hear Jane's name is when she is chastised by Mrs Reed, "Jane , so, the first other view we get of Jane is a negative one, meaning it is now up to Jane, as the narrator, to prove herself to us. Mrs Reed also says here, "I don't like cavillers or questioners , an interesting remark, as, when Jane is later told by Helen Burns that she asks too many questions, she makes sure she does not do this anymore, as we see when she arrives at Thornfield, "I recollected it was not polite to ask too many questions . This shows that Jane was a good and obedient girl, but only when she loved or respected the authority telling her what to do. Therefore, Gateshead represents the first stage of Jane's life, when she first speaks out against the icy treatment from the Reeds, and it is her fiery passion that triggers her move from Gateshead to Lowood School. At Lowood, we see Jane develop from a young girl who cannot control her passions into an educated and self-controlled lady due to the harsh discipline at the school and the guidance of Helen Burns and Miss Temple. Lowood is an appropriate name both because it is literally low, built in a "cradle of fog and fog-bred pestilence , and because it is a place where the orphan daughters of impoverished gentlemen are prepared for their position in society, as wife and mother. The school is also surrounded by forest, symbolising how Jane is still not free, but trapped by trees instead of the ice at Gateshead, "the grounds where all was still and petrified under the influence of a hard frost . Lowood is another icy setting for Jane where the heat of her passions cannot survive, "you think too much of the love of human beings; you are too impulsive, too vehement . Whereas Jane did not go outside much at Gateshead because she was trapped there, we see her go outside more at Lowood, "The garden was a wide inclosure, surrounded with walls so high as to exclude every glimpse of prospect , symbolising her increasing independence and freedom. However, this gothic and prison-like description of the walls suggests that Jane is still very much trapped and locked in, like at Gateshead. Jane's passions are tamed by the kind guidance and help from Helen and Miss Temple who love and care for her, "Miss Temple kindly assisted me...'Don't be afraid Jane' the kind whisper went to my heart like a dagger . This kind word from Miss Temple reminds us of when the angel Gabriel warns Mary to not be afraid, subtly reiterating the huge religious influence at Lowood. The religion at Lowood is not positive for Jane, however, as it is institutionalised religion, choking