Passion and Motherhood:

Since Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane Eyre in a first person narration she had to use a lot of symbolic imagery to show the hidden emotions of other characters and the relationships between them. The imagery in relationships is particularly interesting because of the symbolic context that it gives to characters. The relation ship between Helen and Miss Temple is a combination of passionate love and motherly love. Bronte uses fire to represent passion and images …

…a passionate outburst. It seems that Helen almost burns inside for the attention of Miss Temple, and when she receives it the fire inside her burns brighter. The imagery that is used in the interaction between Miss Temple and Helen is important in helping convey emotions to the reader that Jane, the narrator, is not able to know. Charlotte Bronte accomplishes this with the symbolic use of fire, the moon and the characters’ proper names.