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Terry Eagleton states the "Jane's relationship with Rochester is marked by ambiguities of equality, servitude, and independence". By examining pertinent incidents in the text, the validity of this statement will be shown, and moreover, these ambiguities will be shown to be of Jane's own doing. It will be shown that she is the one who constantly thinks herself to be inferior, and even when she is said to be Rochester's equal, she thinks of some way in which she is inadequate, in order to sabotage her own happiness.
While there are ambiguities of servitude and independence, it is the issue of equality that is most important in the novel, because both Jane's fears of servitude, and a loss of independence, are linked to the fact that she does not feel herself to be Rochester's equal. It is therefore necessary to start by examining Jane's need for autonomy.
At the beginning of the novel, Jane is being rise by her Aunt, Mrs. Reed. As a child she is constantly ostracized and......

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Approximate Word Count: 1239
Approximate Pages: 5 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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