As a child in Gateshead, Jane is completely dependent on the Reeds (Brontë 13). In many ways she is a prisoner. Indeed, Jane's imprisonment in the red room is the complete physical manifestation of her forced submission. Inferior to the servants, because she does “nothing for her support,” Jane is beaten by her cousin and envied by her aunt. Jane scoffs at the term "benefactor" for Mrs. Reed since her aunt's help comes with the heavy price of submission. Jane is told that she “should not think that she is on an equal footing with the Misses Reed and Mr. Reed. . . it is up to you to be humble and try to make yourself pleasing to them." Yet, try as she might, Jane can't make this happen: say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay "All the violent tyrannies of John Reed, all the proud indifference of his sister, all the abhorrence of his mother, all the partiality of the servants, have arisen in my troubled mind like a dark deposit in a murky well Why was I always in pain, always accused, always condemned? Why was it useless to try to win someone's favor? they called me mean and boring, sullen and devious.” Jane confesses that she is not inclined to rebellion at the beginning of her story. It seems appropriate, then, that the novel begins when Jane's first mutiny occurs when she confronts John for his mistreatment. This moment of revolt seems to open the floodgates for Jane as she becomes increasingly dissatisfied with her position with the Reeds. When the final outburst occurs, when Mrs. Reed deems Jane a liar in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the passionate nature of Jane gets the better of her. Jane expresses her desire for love: “You think I have no feelings and can do without a little love or kindness; but I can't live like this: and you have no mercy." His desire for love often hinders his possibility of freedom and vice versa; the Reeds represent the first instance of Jane reaching out to one while the other is absent. Jane's reproach to her aunt is both truthful and liberating (34-5). After relieving her pent-up frustration, Jane declares that “my soul began to expand, to exult, with the strangest sense of freedom, of triumph, I have ever felt. It seemed that an invisible bond had been broken and that I had struggled to achieve unexpected freedom” (35). The result of Jane's ten years in Gateshead is the revelation that obedience, when it goes against one's moral understanding, is a betrayal of one's self. “I must detest those who, whatever I do to please them, continue to detest me; I must resist those who punish me unfairly. It is as natural as loving those who show me affection or who submit to punishment when I think it is deserved" (54-5). In the second part of Jane's life, her education acquired at Lowood offers her the opportunity to separate herself from her relatives (39).Breaking this dependency allows Jane to further an education that will ensure her livelihood for years to come – a necessity to gain her independence (80). her budding friendships with Helen Burns and then with Mrs. Temple, giving her a greater sense of self (70, 80). She gains intellectual freedom at the institution, which she had not achieved with the Reeds, but finds the monotony of hers suffocating existence after the eight years she spent there (81). At this point Jane doesn't even consider complete freedom as an option, “a new oneservitude. . . doesn't seem too sweet; it's not like words like Freedom, Emotion, Fun: they sound really delicious; but no longer that you play for me” (81-2). She remains realistic in what she can expect to achieve in a hierarchical society. With her new servitude, Jane finds an intellectual equal in Mr. Rochester, but their different social conditions remain an obstacle to their union (124, 143). Initially undertaking the prospect of her and Rochester together, Jane says that "a refreshing breeze awakened by hope, carried my spirit triumphantly towards the bourne: but I could not reach it, even in fancy - a contrary breeze blew from the land, and continually I brought back. Sense would resist delirium: judgment would feel passion” (143). Jane still remains realistic about what she can expect from life. Rochester's marriage proposal threatens to free Jane from her independence. because of Rochester's superior financial situation, Jane would always be inferior to him, and he, her "master" Jane is fully aware of this; she knows that by accepting Rochester's proposal she will risk sacrificing her autonomy for the 'love if it fails to ease the financial difference between them Jane believes that "if I had even the prospect of one day bringing Mr. Rochester an increase of fortune, I could better bear to be supported by him now." This is why Jane makes an effort to write to her Uncle Eyre before her marriage in hopes of acquiring even the smallest fortune (252). Without her own financial freedom, Jane is reluctant to accept the wealth that Rochester wishes to give her because she feels she is not entitled to it (252). In his attempt to give her jewelry, Jane proclaims “never mind the jewelry! I don't like hearing about it. Jewelry for Jane Eyre seems unnatural and strange” (243). Jane is adamant about not changing for anyone, including Rochester. After their engagement, Jane has no intention of becoming an elegant upper-class lady; she claims to be only herself: simple, without magnificent beauty or absolute conformity (244). By not becoming the typical rich lady, Jane proves that true independence comes from just being yourself. At Moor House, Jane finally finds herself among equals both in terms of society and mind. “The more I got to know the inmates of Moor House, the more I liked them. . . I could join Diana and Mary in all their pursuits... There was a reviving pleasure in the intercourse, of a kind which I now tasted for the first time: the pleasure arising from the perfect congeniality of tastes, feelings, and principles. (327). To be sure, Jane's time with the Rivers gives her the kind of familial love she has sought for so long (360). “I had found a brother: one I could be proud of, one I could love; and two sisters whose qualities were such that... they had inspired in me genuine affection and admiration... This was a blessing... not like the ponderous gift of gold: rich and welcome enough in its way, but sobering because of its weight” (360). This love provides Jane with the kind of emotional nourishment she needs to progress as an independent. She was finally able to find love without sacrificing her autonomy. While teaching in the village school that St. John has entrusted to her, Jane makes a living solely of her own making. “It was really hard work at first. It was some time before, with all my efforts, I could understand my scholars and their nature.” Jane, despite being a little out of her element regarding the crassness of her new students, conserves herself in teaching them. Jane admits that “the rapidity of their progress, in some cases, was even astonishing; and I got onehonest and happy pride”. The nature of his work deals with a rank he has never encountered before. Her students are not as intelligent as the girls she taught at Lowood, nor as intelligent as Adéle. She has been put in a situation that is a kind of in-work poverty. However, this challenge enriches her self-governance in the way that she now knows she is fully capable of caring for and providing for herself. Jane is then able to gain complete financial independence by inheriting her uncle's large sum; with it, he obtains social freedom. With the fortune she has been granted, Jane has the freedom to no longer rely on anyone for her physical well-being. Her heritage brings her to the same level as Rochester, Jane is able to find what she has always sought: a balance between love and independence. “No woman was ever closer to her mate than I am… I know not the weariness of my Edward's company: he knows none of mine… consequently, we are always together. Being together means being free at the same time as in solitude... we are really suited in character: the result is perfect harmony". Indeed, Rochester's injuries in some ways make Jane his superior as he comes to rely on her for his eyesight and his right hand. Jane's decision to return to Rochester shows perhaps the most noteworthy aspect of her understanding of freedom. Freedom of choice follows Jane throughout the novel. Even though Jane cannot, and knows that she cannot, control all aspects of her life, she knows that she has the will and freedom to change her life when the need arises. First in Gateshead, it is Jane's response to the pharmacist, “'I'd really like to go to school,'” that sets her whole story in motion. He knows that “school would be a total change: it involved a long journey, a complete separation from Gateshead, an entry into a new life”. Jane again enters a new life by choice when she takes the initiative to advertise and go to Thornfield (82-4). At Thornfield, Jane makes her views on independence more apparent. Heartbroken over Rochester's sham marriage to Blanche Ingram, Jane states, “I am not a bird; and no net catches me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exercise to leave you.” When she finally chooses to leave him, Rochester seems to acknowledge her statement, saying that "'never was anything at once so fragile and so indomitable as Jane...consider the thing resolute, wild, free...that he challenges me, with more than courage - with stern triumph!” Despite her love's pleas, Jane is steadfast in her morals and makes the decision to leave him, once again changing her life irreversibly. Just as she decides to to leave Rochester, Jane rejects St. John's proposal Despite her morality and Rochester's lack of it, Jane finds St. John's harsh, oppressive, and, consequently, threatening any possibility of romantic love; in the same way that by agreeing to be with Rochester he would sacrifice his principles. For his independence, he must find a balance between them. When he chooses to return to Rochester when he is financially independent, he achieves that balance. To be sure, the first sentence of the last chapter, “reader, I married him,” shows both Jane's equality with Rochester and her value of choice. Brontë could easily have said "reader, she married me", but by specifically stating that Jane married Rochester, she expresses that it was her decision and within her free power to do so. Brontë demonstrates in Jane that all forms of liberation, be it financial, social, or religious.