In life, different variables affect the growth of an individual. These variables can include any aspect of a person's life, from family influence to personal passions. In the novels Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea, the authors use certain themes to shape the lives of their female protagonists. Charlotte Brontë's wide range of Jane Eyre's life journey creates a comprehensive emotional picture of Jane's spiritual growth. Similarly, Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys exposes a mysterious character from Jane Eyre, Antoinette Cosway, the wife of Mr. Rochester. As Jane and Antoinette grow up, friendship, education, spirituality, and romantic love affect their growth and outlook on life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned"?Get an original essay As a child, Jane's friendships help keep her optimistic and ambitious as she faces countless challenges. At Gateshead Hall, Jane identifies the maid, Bessie, as her only friend among her malevolent family members. Although Bessie cannot defend Jane from this injustice, she shows Jane patience and love. Bessie's friendship teaches Jane to view friends as a source of hope. This state of mind remains etched in Jane's mind as she travels to Lowood, Thornfield Hall, Moor House and, finally, Ferndean. Early in her time at Lowood, Jane finds solidarity in a fellow student, Helen Burns. Due to a virtually loveless childhood, Jane expresses to Helen her fear of being ostracized again. His fears increase when Mr. Brocklehurst warns all the teachers and students at Lowood to beware of Jane, relaying the lies that Jane's aunt has told him. In response to Jane's insecurity, Helen says, "If everyone hated you and thought you wicked, while your conscience approved of you and absolved you of all guilt, you would not be friendless" (Bronte 94). Helen explains how self-confidence is the key to facing adversity, because in truth, God's judgment is the only opinion that matters. Jane accepts Helen's optimistic outlook on life. In fact, her newfound value for personal integrity helps her gain Mr. Rochester's respect in later chapters. Unlike Jane, Antoinette's relationships in Wide Sargasso Sea bring cynicism and little happiness into her life. At the beginning of the novel, Antoinette lives as a social outcast at the Coulibri estate. Growing up in isolation, Antoinette befriends a young black girl, Tia. Thanks to Tia, Antoinette learns of the gossip surrounding her family. Tia speaks outwardly about the murmurs of the nearby Spanish town: “She [Tia] hears all of us poor people like beggars…The real white people, they have money in gold. They didn't look at us, no one saw them approaching us. The white people of old are just white niggers now, and the black niggers are better than the white niggers” (Rhys 22). In a hostile manner, Tia belittles Antoinette's worth. Although Antoinette is kept sheltered from the outside world, she still suffers emotionally from the prejudice of her neighbors. Even her first friend won't spare her this embarrassment. This early exposure to her low social status shapes Antoinette's view of herself and her family. His quality of life continues to deteriorate when his house burns down and his mother dies after seemingly losing her mind. Such a tumultuous journey contributes to her low self-esteem and her distrust of others. Faced with adversity, Jane and Antoinette willingly accept educationas a way to escape their disappointing lives. In Antoinette's situation, her escape to the convent protects her from her family's tragic descent into chaos. Antoinette describes her convent school as “a place of sun and death where very early in the morning the sound of a wooden signal woke the nine of us who slept in the long dormitory” (Rhys 51). In this quote, Antoinette expresses her gratitude for the isolation of the convent. Surprisingly, she remains grateful despite the disconcerting presence of death. Antoinette's willingness to overlook the less attractive aspects of the convent proves how grateful she is to simply be away from her former life as a social outcast. Similar to Antoinette, Jane initially sees the establishment of Lowood as an escape from her punitive aunt. However, the theme of education is of greater importance in Jane's growth than in Antoinette's. Ane's education opens up opportunities for him in Jane Eyre and comes up often as an important topic, but in Wide Sargasso Sea education is mentioned once, briefly. Despite this disparity, the two characters shared the same romanticized vision of religious schools. For Jane, “it implied a long journey, a complete separation from Gateshead, an entry into a new life” (Bronte 28). Jane hopes to start a new life in Lowood. During Jane's tenure at Lowood, Christian education was characterized as an ascetic lifestyle. A prime example of this mindset is when Mr. Brocklehurst, Lowood's benefactor, reprimands a teacher for serving bread and cheese to the girls outside of normal meal times, an action motivated by serve burnt porridge for breakfast. Mr. Brocklehurst preaches to her: "You know that my plan in bringing up these girls is not to accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence, but to make them hardy, patient, self-denying... Oh, madam , when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into the mouths of these children, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you do not think how much you are starving their immortal souls! » (Bronte 84). In his speech, Mr Brocklehurst describes the Christian education system. Christian students, according to his piety, must be self-reliant and independent of excessive conveniences. He believes that amenities made for girls – in this case, an edible meal – distract them from this principle, robbing them of their souls. Mr. Brocklehurst's callous character, Bronte, establishes a negative portrayal of education in the exposition of Jane Eyre. However, as the novel progresses and Jane matures, education becomes a useful tool. After Mr. Brocklehurst is replaced, Jane learns to enjoy her studies more. an excellent student and an exemplary teacher. His tenacious passion for learning allows him to seize opportunities voraciously. Additionally, his education continues to benefit him in his life after Lowood. Her brilliant abilities notably landed her a job as Adele's nanny at Gateshead Hall. Secondly, his insight delighted Mr. Rochester, a man of high standards and taste. Eventually, her journey allows her to find a job as a teacher in Morton and earn the respect of St. John Rivers, a stoic preacher. Contrary to the theme of education, spirituality plays contradictory roles in the lives of the two heroines. In Wide Sargasso Sea, religion has a sinister presence, appearing in tandem with negative events in Antoinette's life. Religion is specifically associated with betrayal. For example, a biblical allusion occurs when Antoinette turns to Christophine to ask for a love potion. After receiving the potion, Antoinette leaves Christophine's quarters andnotes that "nearby, a crew of roosters and I [Antoinette] thought: 'It's for treason, but who is the traitor?' » (Rhys 107). This biblical allusion to cockcrow refers to two of Jesus' disloyal disciples, Judas and Peter. As Jesus predicted at the Last Supper, Judas led the Romans to him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Peter denied his allegiance to Jesus three times before a rooster crows. Antoinette recalls the meaning of the rooster crowing and thinks about who would be the traitor in her situation. Clearly from Mr. Rochester's point of view, Antoinette is acting as a traitor since the potion makes her feel like she is drowning in her sleep. This allusion returns a few pages later when Mr. Rochester conspires to get rid of Antoinette. He writes a letter to his father explaining his decision to return to England. As he writes this letter, he hears that “a rooster was crowing persistently outside” (Rhys 147). Unlike Antoinette, Mr. Rochester does not heed the rooster's warning. Ironically, he does not recognize the biblical significance of the rooster crowing, even though he claims to be a practicing Christian. Jane Eyre offers a different development of spirituality. At the beginning of Jane Eyre, Bronte introduces Mr. Brocklehurst, the benefactor of the Lowood establishment. Although he claims to be a humble Christian who only needs the bare necessities, he lives extravagantly and pampers his family with indulgences. Through this character, Brontë presents spirituality as a form of hypocrisy. Nonetheless, Bronte explores a more positive view of spirituality through the words of Helen Burns, Jane's childhood friend. Unlike Mr. Brocklehurst, Helen uses Christianity to engender in her an unconditional love for all people, regardless of how they treat her. At Lowood, Helen is frequently singled out by her teacher and punished for the slightest infraction. Jane watches as Helen accepts this mistreatment with grace. Stunned, Jane confronts Helen, curious as to why Helen refuses to report her punisher. In her responses, Helen relays Bible verses about loving everyone, even criminals. She said: “I can so clearly distinguish the criminal from his crime; I can sincerely forgive the former while I abhor the latter: with this creed, vengeance never disturbs my heart, degradation never disgusts me too deeply, injustice never crushes me too low: I live in calm, looking to the end’” (Bronte 77). Helen's religion gives her inner peace and the ability to forgive easily, anger slowly, and love fully. Her calm character remains steadfast even when she falls ill with typhus. Through Helen's influence, Jane develops a deeper connection to the purpose of Christianity, to love and be humble. Her friendship with Helen helps her forgive her aunt and cousins ​​for mistreating her. Helen showed him how to soften his heart. Another facet of spirituality concerns the inner spirit of Jane herself. On several occasions, Mr. Rochester calls her an angel. Throughout her journey, Jane nurtures her own spirit while remaining conscious of her religious upbringing. Finally, the theme of romantic love strongly motivates Jane, but the lack of romantic love ruins Antoinette. At the end of Jane Eyre¸ Jane finally returns to her love, Mr. Rochester, now paralyzed after his mansion burned down, and marries him. She lives happily knowing “what it is to live entirely for and with that which I love most on earth… No woman has ever been closer to her companion than I” (Bronte 656). Jane proudly professes her love for Mr. Rochester and claims that she is the most attentive and devoted lover of all. Its.