Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre opens in squalid Gateshead Hall, where the orphan protagonist is forced to live with her wealthy aunt. Here the young Jane appears reserved and unusual, a girl who says she can be "happy at least in my own way" (9), implying that her type of happiness is different from the traditional one, and that the reader does not yet understand. As the novel progresses, Jane moves to a series of places that help her develop her true character. The settings of Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Moor House and finally Ferndean Manor shape Jane and ultimately give rise to her true independence. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Bronte opens the novel at Gateshead Hall, where Jane's aunt, Mrs. Reed, temporarily imprisons Jane in the "Red Room" of the manor. The description of this room is more detailed than any other in Gateshead: “This room was cold, for there was seldom fire; it was quiet, because it was far from the children's bedroom and the kitchens; solemn, because it was known that it was entered so rarely” (14). The room is like Jane's personality at this point in the novel: isolated and dark. Jane's distance from her family members, humorless existence, and cold attitude towards Mrs. Reed when she finally confronts her are qualities that reflect her surroundings. When Jane emigrates to Lowood she leaves her childhood behind. She initially remains isolated in Lowood, but the description of the place and her reaction are not so dark: “…The building extended far away.-with many windows, and lights burning in some; we went up a wide pebbled path, wet with spray, and were admitted to a door; then the servant led me through a corridor into a room with a fire, where she left me alone” (42). Although left alone in a foreign place, Jane accepts solitude without fear, a sign of maturity. Conditions at Lowood are poor and daily life is tightly structured, and Jane is unable to conform to her surroundings because she does not yet have a clear identity. At this point we've only seen glimpses of his tough, independent character, like when he confronts Mrs. Reed. At Lowood, Jane meets her first real friend, Helen Burns. While Jane is still impulsive and short-tempered, Helen is patient and tolerant, with strong moral and religious convictions. For example, Jane comments fiercely on the way a certain teacher punished Helen: “And if I were in your place I should not like it: I would resist her; if he hit me with that rod, I would take it out of his hand; I should break it under his nose” (55). Helen calmly responds to Jane's outburst: "It is much better to patiently endure a theft which no one hears but yourself, than to commit a hasty action whose evil consequences will extend to all who are connected with you - and, moreover, the Bible invites us to reciprocate well." for evil" (55). Although Helen dies shortly afterwards, it is clear that her presence at Lowood made a strong impression on Jane and calmed her fiery tendencies. The novel's next setting is Thornfield, where Jane is hired as a housekeeper and where her greatest character development occurs. The way Bronte describes Jane's arrival at Thornfield shows that the place will be transformative: “I followed her through a square corridor with high doors all round: she ushered me into a room, the double lighting of which of fire and candle dazzled me at first, contrasting as it did with the darkness to which my eyes had been accustomed for two hours; when I could see, however, a welcoming and pleasant image presented itself to my sight” (95). The.