"Are there any characters who aren't completely insane?"
"Hmm, well...Helen Burns is sort of eccentric, but not insane."
--
"I expected she would show signs of great distress and shame; but to my surprise she neither wept nor blushed: composed, though grave, she stood, the central mark of all eyes" (51).
"'It is far better to endure patiently a smart which nobody feels but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all connected with you; and, besides, the Bible bids us return good for evil'" (55)
"...her spirit seemed hastening to live within a very brief span as much as many live during a protracted existence" (73)
"'I am sure there is a future state; I believe God is good; I can resign my immortal part to him without any misgiving. God is my father; God is my friend: I love him: I believe he loves me'" (83)
--
"More religion? Really?" You are respectful of other people's beliefs, but this sort of stuff just gets under your skin.
"Hush, it isn't that bad. Helen Burns is Jane's first friend at Lowood. Her character does not change, but the insights into her personality are deep. She has blind faith in God, trusting that no matter what happens to her on Earth, she will have her peace after death. She is solemn and aware of her faults. Jane describes her as being an old soul. From Helen's first appearance to her last, she maintains a stoic state and never moves from her beliefs."
You yawn and sink deeper into your chair.
"WHOA OUCH OW OW!!!" You spilled the tea on yourself. The woman blushes at the expletives you shout, but she quickly gets a towel to sop up the mess.
"Sorry..." you say sheepishly. She just smirks and returns her gaze to the book in her hands.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Signet Classics, 2008. Print.
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