Research Task 4:

Jane’s dreams and paintings:

·    Rochester takes interest in Jane’s three paintings.

·    Jane begins having dreams about children (which she and Bessie had a conversation about)and continues to have a series of dreams after meeting Rochester more personally during a walk through Thornfield.

·    Jane dreams about Blanch Ingram marrying Rochester.

·    After Rochester and Jane’s engagement, she starts dreaming of children yet again.

·    After Jane leaves Rochester and Thornfield, she starts dreaming about the red room.

In Jane Eyre there is a lot to do about dreams and it is a regular theme of the novel that helps us characterize Jane comprehensively. Her dreams tell us that even though she doesn’t have a liking towards fantasy, her dreams occur naturally, meaning she doesn’t force it. Jane’s dreams sum up just how hard she is emotionally trying to cope with the pressure of becoming the ideal Victorian lady, which is something she hopes to become. Jane’s emotions usually reflect her dreams. She later also starts painting and those paintings are mostly the physical images to her dreams. Her dreams expresses cautions of future events that may or may not happen in her life be it good or bad. After every significant dream Jane has, something severe happens that brings her misfortune. Jane’s dreams and paintings do not necessarily characterize her as a dreamer, but, since her dreams are never really joyful, it gives us the idea that she is struggling to cope and adapt with her surroundings.