In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, an orphan is represented as both the protagonist and narrator of the story. Jane is a meek, simple but good-natured girl who quickly learns the difficulties of life. Orphaned by the death of her parents, Jane is forced to live as a dependent under the roof of the widowed Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed and her two children treat Jane with anything but kindness, equality, and love. From the moment of her parents' death until the fateful day she allowed Jane to leave the Reeds, Jane was starved for affection and belonging. Despite these difficulties, Jane becomes a strong and independent character who constantly defends morality and equality, even if it means losing love. The presence of an orphan in this nineteenth-century novel serves as a foil to the other characters, a moving factor in the plot, and an identity for the difficulties Victorian women face in both fiction and history. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To fully understand Jane's significance as an orphan character, we must first look at her background and early life. Bronte uses John Reed to tell the reader the story of Jane's addiction: “you're an addict…you don't have any money; your father left you no one; you should beg, and not live here with children of gentlemen like us, and eat the same meals as us, and dress at your mother's expense” (Bronte, 15). From John Reed's terrible description of Jane Eyre's life, the reader learns that the protagonist is dependent on a family that is not immediately hers and considered part of a lower social status than that of the family. This is the representation of the orphan: unwanted, unloved and mistreated. It is clear that the absence of her parents in Jane's life creates a childhood of constant degradation and isolation for her that will impact her actions later in life. In addition to representing a small and neglected child, the orphan in this novel is represented by his moral conduct and beliefs. This virtue is a perfect example of contrast to almost every other character in the book, with the exception of Miss Temple and Helen Burns. Serving as a comparison to the other characters in the story highlights not only his goodness, but also the harsh and despicable characteristics of the other characters. From the beginning of the novel, the reader automatically dislikes characters like Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Miss Scatcher. By the time Bronte has introduced all these characters, the reader is already completely on Jane's side and completely against the others due to the knowledge that it is based on Jane's pure and virtuous values. As someone the reader trusts and agrees with, he is the perfect person to give a true and accurate interpretation of the other characters. For example, Jane expresses her feelings and creates a meaningful image of Mrs. Reed with the quote, “Well, I might fear, well I might not love Mrs. Reed, for it was her nature to hurt me cruelly. I have never been happy in his presence. No matter how carefully I obeyed, no matter how strenuously I tried to please her, my efforts were still rebuffed” (42). The reader is unable to accept any character who treats nice Jane so horribly. Rochester also has his moments where he's a bit of an evil character. Bronte points this out during a conversation between him and Jane: "Furthermore, since happiness is irrevocably denied to me, I have the right to derive pleasure from life; and I will get it, no matter what the cost" (Bronte, 163). Of course, Jane isopenly disagrees with this selfish principle, showing that he not only has patience in the midst of temptation, but also has moral goodness compared to Rochester. The fact that Jane is an orphan plays an important role in this concept. Jane never had a real family and by Mrs. Reed's example, she never had anyone to spoil her or look the other way when she misbehaved. If she had, she could very well have become like John or Georgiana. In other words, the orphan belongs nowhere; therefore, it has not been contaminated by any kind of social standards. Furthermore, Jane is a very modest person. Living with the Reeds, at school, and even on the Rochester estate when people like Miss Ingram are visiting, Jane is constantly reminded that she is not the same as others; it is often below. Although her humility puts others before herself and allows her to never act selfishly, it has serious effects on Jane's self-esteem and sense of worth. This humility that is part of Jane's personality can be contrasted with most of the other characters in this novel, demonstrating to the reader their overall moral identity. For example, Jane paints a portrait of herself and Miss Ingram. After looking at these portraits side by side, it becomes even clearer to Jane that she is aesthetically distant from Miss Ingram. Jane even goes so far as to call herself a "stupid idiot" (190) and advises "covering your face and being ashamed" (190). This demeaning view Jane has of herself is undoubtedly a creation of the way the Reed family treats her. If Jane's parents were still alive, she certainly would not have felt like such an outsider either aesthetically or literally. Besides the fact that young Jane is completely dependent on the Reeds, she has never had any kind of intimate relationship with the Reed family. In another sense, Jane was never allowed to escape the title of charity case. Jane would have loved to be called daughter or sister, but her severely hungry heart never got those relationship titles. The reader pities Jane and feels sympathetic towards her as she expresses this need for love to Helen Burns: "to get a little real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other person I really love, I I would gladly submit to have my arm bone broken, or to be thrown by a bull, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let his hoof strike my breast” (Bronte, 83). and desperate to demonstrate her need for affection. From this passage alone the reader is led to believe that Jane would put this need for affection before anything else. Jane's decisions throughout the novel, however, prove this inference to be true false. The protagonist's devoted search for affection and love is often complicated by her need to be independent. Jane's independent nature is also created and nurtured by the fact that she is an orphan belonged to nothing and no one; this young girl was forced to learn to survive on her own. The struggle between Jane's need for affection and autonomy is what ultimately drives the plot of the story and creates the woman of Jane Eyre. The theme of independence in this novel can be best demonstrated by Jane's actions towards the person she loves the most. Her relationship with Rochester is far from easy as she is forced to choose between her two deepest desires. Rochester is willing to give her love and a sense of belonging, but at the cost of her independence. However, the independent nature that Jane develops early in her life does not disappoint her. Jane quickly realizes how extremely important it is for her, as a woman, to maintain a plan.