Symbols in Jane Eyre

Brontë begins Jane’s story at Gateshead. Note the significance and slight wordplay here, as a gate suggests an entrance and this is the head of Jane’s journey. The names of other places Jane visits will have similar symbolism and foreshadow the experiences she has at each one.

Throughout the story, Brontë uses bird metaphors as a symbol to represent Jane’s desire for freedom from the social constraints that being a woman entails. Despite their wealth, beauty, and luxury goods, the women here are also compared to birds, suggesting that a woman will be metaphorically caged no matter her social standing.

Brontë continues to give significance to place names. A marsh is soft, waterlogged land that can be difficult to traverse. “Marsh End” suggests Jane will find herself on firmer footing here, just as the ground at the end of a marsh would be more solid; it marks the symbolic end of Jane’s journey.

Brontë uses fire as a symbol for passion throughout the novel. She most often associates Rochester and Bertha Mason with fire to comment on their volatile personalities and their tendencies to make decisions based on emotion rather than reason. This huge fire near the end of the novel is a culmination of the passion and the tension that’s been building between Jane, Rochester, and Bertha.