The best examples of interpretation of 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Brontë

If you’ve ever heard someone say Jane Eyre is “the original feminist novel,” you’re already bumping into one of the most influential examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë.

In the 1970s, critics like Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar (in The Madwoman in the Attic, published by Yale University Press) argued that Jane’s insistence on self-respect and equality made her a radical heroine in a world that treated women as property. Their famous reading of Jane’s line to Rochester — “I am a free human being with an independent will” — became one of the best examples of how a single sentence can anchor a whole feminist interpretation.

In this feminist example of reading the novel, key scenes take on new weight. Jane refusing St. John’s marriage proposal isn’t just a romantic decision; it’s a woman rejecting a life where she’d be used as a tool for a man’s ambition. Her leaving Rochester after discovering Bertha isn’t prudishness; it’s a refusal to be morally compromised, even for love. These moments have become real examples of how Brontë imagined a woman insisting on emotional, intellectual, and spiritual equality long before “gender equality” was a phrase.

Today, many college syllabi still teach Jane Eyre this way, pairing it with historical materials on Victorian women’s legal status from university sites like the Library of Congress or British archives, to show how radical Jane’s sense of self really was.

The “madwoman in the attic”: examples of postcolonial and race-based interpretations

Another powerful cluster of examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë centers on Bertha Mason — the so‑called “madwoman in the attic.” For decades she was treated as a plot device; now she’s at the center of some of the most talked‑about readings.

Postcolonial critics point out that Bertha is a Creole woman from Jamaica, tied to Britain’s colonial history and the wealth extracted from enslaved people and plantations. Jean Rhys’s 1966 novel Wide Sargasso Sea is one of the best examples of a reinterpretation that flips the script: it retells Bertha’s backstory from her perspective, turning her from monster into victim. That book has, in turn, reshaped how readers interpret Jane Eyre itself.

In this line of interpretation, examples include:

• Rochester’s descriptions of Bertha’s “dark” and “discolored” features are read as racialized language, not neutral description.
• The attic becomes a symbol of how Victorian England tried to hide the human cost of empire — literally locking colonial subjects out of sight.
• Jane’s own happy ending is complicated by the fact that it’s funded (indirectly) by colonial money.

Modern readers, especially in 2024–2025 classrooms and online book communities, often bring in discussions of race, empire, and representation. University literature departments, like those at Harvard, frequently list Jane Eyre alongside postcolonial theory, showing how current scholarship pushes readers to rethink older, more romantic interpretations.

Gothic, horror, and trauma: examples include ghost stories and psychological readings

Then there’s the eerie side of Jane Eyre — the nighttime laughter, the mysterious fires, the almost‑supernatural voice calling Jane back to Rochester across miles. Some of the best examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë treat it not as a love story first, but as a gothic or psychological horror narrative.

In this view, Thornfield Hall is less a romantic mansion and more a haunted house. Bertha is the “monster” in the attic, but also a mirror of everything Jane fears: chaos, rage, and social exile. The red‑room scene from Jane’s childhood — where she’s locked in a dark room and thinks she sees a ghost — has become a favorite example of how early trauma shapes her inner world.

Recent psychological and trauma‑informed interpretations go even further. Critics and students sometimes draw (carefully) on modern resources from places like the National Institute of Mental Health to talk about how childhood abuse and neglect might inform Jane’s emotional responses: her hyper‑vigilance, her extreme moral self‑scrutiny, her constant fear of losing love or belonging.

In these examples of interpretation, the “supernatural” elements are often read symbolically:

• The ghostly voice calling Jane back to Rochester becomes a dramatization of intense emotional connection rather than literal magic.
• Bertha’s violence is seen as a distorted reflection of Jane’s repressed anger.
• The fires in the novel are read as eruptions of suppressed emotion — desire, rage, desperation.

This psychological angle has become especially popular in online reading communities and BookTok discussions, where readers openly talk about mental health and see their own experiences echoed in Jane’s inner struggles.

Disability and bodily change: newer examples of interpretation

One of the most striking newer examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë focuses on disability. By the end of the novel, Rochester is blind and has lost a hand in the fire. Earlier readings often treated this as poetic justice or a way to “tame” him; disability scholars and activists have pushed back.

In disability‑centered examples of interpretation, Rochester’s injuries are not simply punishment. They highlight how Victorian culture linked morality and physical appearance, and how literature often used disability symbolically instead of treating disabled characters as fully human.

Some readers argue that the ending — Jane returning when she’s financially independent and Rochester is physically vulnerable — can be read as a more equal partnership. Others counter that it risks sending the message that a powerful man must be “cut down” physically to be a suitable partner. These debates show how the same ending can be a real example of conflicting interpretations living side by side.

Modern disability studies courses, often supported by resources from universities and advocacy organizations like the National Institutes of Health for medical context, use Jane Eyre as a case study in how 19th‑century fiction handled (and mishandled) disability.

Religion, morality, and spiritual independence: examples of moral interpretation

Strip away the romance and the gothic atmosphere, and you’re left with a woman trying to figure out how to live a morally coherent life. That’s why so many examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë focus on religion and ethics.

Jane grows up surrounded by three very different models of Christianity:

• Mr. Brocklehurst’s harsh, hypocritical version at Lowood.
• Helen Burns’s gentle, almost saint‑like patience.
• St. John Rivers’s rigid, self‑sacrificing missionary zeal.

Examples include reading Jane’s final choice — refusing St. John’s proposal and returning to Rochester only when she can do so with a clear conscience — as a statement about personal spiritual freedom. She refuses both cold self‑denial and selfish passion, searching instead for a balance between duty and desire.

The way she talks about God and conscience has made the novel a favorite in courses on Victorian religion and ethics. It’s often paired with historical materials on 19th‑century religious debates from university archives and public institutions like the Library of Congress, offering students concrete examples of how Brontë was responding to real theological arguments of her time.

Romance vs. red flags: 2020s examples of interpretation shaped by social media

If you scroll through TikTok or Bookstagram in 2025, you’ll find Jane Eyre in the middle of a very modern argument: Is Rochester romantic or toxic? This is where some of the most vivid real examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë are playing out right now.

On one side, readers swoon over the emotional intensity, the banter, the idea of a plain, poor governess winning the love of a wealthy man who sees her mind first. They point to scenes like the “string under my left ribs” speech as the best examples of a deep, almost spiritual connection.

On the other side, readers highlight the red flags: Rochester’s emotional manipulation, the power imbalance, the lying about Bertha, the way he tests Jane’s feelings. In this example of interpretation, Jane Eyre becomes almost a case study in unhealthy dynamics — a warning, not a model.

What’s interesting is that both sides are reading the same text, but through different lenses shaped by 2020s conversations about consent, power, and emotional abuse. Some even bring in modern psychological language, sometimes referencing general mental health education resources like those at NIMH, to talk about gaslighting, trauma bonding, or emotional regulation.

These online debates are messy, opinionated, and very alive — and they’re some of the best examples of how a 19th‑century novel keeps getting reinterpreted as culture’s values shift.

Adaptations as living examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre

Film and TV versions are some of the most visible examples of examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, because every adaptation has to decide what kind of story this is.

Different adaptations highlight different aspects:

• Some play up the gothic mood — dark corridors, stormy skies, Bertha as almost supernatural. In these versions, the horror elements become the main focus.
• Others lean into the slow‑burn romance, softening Rochester’s roughest edges and framing him as brooding but fundamentally safe.
• A few more modern adaptations try to give Bertha more presence or sympathy, quietly signaling a postcolonial reading.

Even costume and set design are examples of interpretation. A plain, gray‑clad Jane suggests self‑denial and repression; a slightly more colorful wardrobe suggests inner vibrancy and strength. How much of the colonial backstory is mentioned? How graphic are Bertha’s scenes? Each choice is a tiny, visual example of how the director and screenwriter read the novel.

For students and casual viewers alike, comparing two different adaptations can be one of the best examples of learning how interpretation works in real time.

Putting it together: why so many examples of interpretation matter

When you line up all these examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë — feminist, postcolonial, psychological, disability‑focused, religious, romantic, critical of romance — the novel starts to look less like a single story and more like a prism. Tilt it one way, you see a love story. Tilt it another, you see empire, or trauma, or theology.

The point isn’t to pick one “correct” example of interpretation and throw out the rest. It’s to recognize that each reading reveals something different about both the book and the reader’s world. A 19th‑century reviewer, a 1970s feminist critic, a 2025 TikTok creator, and a disability studies scholar can all give you real examples of how Jane Eyre speaks to their moment.

If you’re writing about the novel, the best move is often to combine a few of these approaches. You might explore how Jane’s feminism is limited by her blind spots about race, or how the gothic atmosphere expresses psychological trauma, or how Rochester’s disability complicates the romantic ending. That blend of perspectives is where the most interesting examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë tend to live.

FAQ: examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre

Q: What are some common examples of interpretation of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë for essays?
Popular examples include feminist readings (Jane as an early advocate for women’s autonomy), postcolonial readings (Bertha as a symbol of colonial oppression), psychological or trauma‑informed readings (the red‑room and Thornfield as expressions of inner fear), and disability‑centered readings (Rochester’s injuries at the end and what they signify).

Q: Can you give an example of a modern, 2020s interpretation of Jane Eyre?
A very current example of interpretation treats the novel as a study in power imbalance and emotional red flags in relationships. Readers ask whether Rochester’s behavior would be acceptable today, and some see the book as a warning about ignoring your own boundaries, rather than a simple romantic ideal.

Q: Are romantic readings still valid, given newer critical approaches?
Yes. A romantic interpretation is still one of the best examples of how many readers connect with Jane Eyre. The key is to acknowledge other perspectives at the same time — for instance, enjoying the romance while also recognizing issues of power, race, and mental health that modern readers are more attuned to.

Q: How can I find scholarly examples of interpretation for Jane Eyre?
Check university library guides and literature departments, such as those at major schools like Harvard or other research universities. Many provide reading lists and open‑access articles on Victorian literature, feminism, and postcolonial theory. Public institutions like the Library of Congress also host digitized 19th‑century reviews and background materials that show how early readers interpreted the novel.

Q: Is there one “correct” example of how to interpret Jane Eyre?
No. The richness of the novel comes from the fact that multiple examples of interpretation can coexist and even contradict each other. The strongest work — whether in a classroom, a book club, or a personal reflection — usually comes from engaging with several interpretations and explaining why certain examples feel more convincing to you.