- "An hour or two sufficed to sketch my own portrait in crayons; and in less than a fortnight I had completed an ivory miniature of an imaginary Blanche Ingram. It looked like a lovely face enough, and when compared with the real head in chalk, the contrast was as great as self-control could desire." (p. 164)
Jane Eyre is fond of painting portraits throughout the novel, but specifically, the portrait of Blanche Ingram and Rosamond Oliver had significance to the major themes of the story. In this excerpt, Jane draws a portrait of herself and Blanche Ingram, leading her to criticize and compare their differences in appearance, social status, and character. Upon meeting Blanche Ingram, Jane was astonished by her unique beauty. Charlotte Bronte illustrates Jane's lack of confidence, and the feeling of "not being good enough" in Mr. Rochester's eyes through these portraits. In addition to this, Jane creates a painting of Rosamond Oliver, who is also strikingly beautiful. Jane attempts to capture Mr. St. Johns interest, in hopes to spark an stronger attraction to Ms. Oliver by creating this piece of work. In actuality, it discreetly indicates Jane's insecurities. Overall, Bronte incorporating the power of art suggests Jane's ability to express those insecurities through painting. Jane turns to art as a method to let out/overcome her jealousy and frustration.
Work Cited:
"Jane Eyre: Symbols."
Lit Charts. Web. 1 Dec. 2009. http://www.litcharts.com/lit/janeeyre/symbols.
"displays" -- consider the word choice there; nice discussion of the purpose of the portraits in the bigger scheme of the novel -- what might be Bronte suggesting about the power of art?
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