Family and home

One of the central themes of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is the theme of family and home. The novel, in many ways, presents Jane’s search for a loving family and a home. 

Jane grows up as an orphan, taken in by her aunt, but lacking the love and care that she needs. Gateshead is not a home to Jane and she feels isolated there and longs to leave it. Neither are the Reeds a family to her, as they constantly abuse her and highlight her status as a dependent who should not associate with them.

Because of her family’s lack of affection towards Jane, she searches for surrogate maternal figures. Bessie is the first to fill this role, as she is the only one at Gateshead to show Jane kindness, though she also punishes Jane as her duty is firstly to her employer, Mrs Re...