Love As A Cause Of Suffering
Love as a Cause of Suffering
Love as a cause of suffering is a theme that can be found in both the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte as well as the play "Twelfth Night" by William Shakespeare. In Jane Eyre, the main character Jane endures much suffering in her pursuit of love. She suffers due to events involving the Reed family, Ms. Temple, Helen Burns, St. John Rivers, and most of all, Mr. Rochester. Similarly, almost every character in "Twelfth Night" suffers in their quest to be loved. Olivia, Cesario, Malvolio, and Orsino all experience inner torment caused by their inability to be with their desired partners. Although both literary works offer happy endings and blissful unions, all of the main characters endure much pain and anguish throughout their journeys to happiness.
In Jane Eyre, Jane consistently makes efforts at her own expense to please others, and in turn, win their love. She makes several disappointing attempts to win the affection of her adopted family, the Reeds. They view her as a troublesome burden, and they refuse her the satisfaction of receiving even the most trivial of pleasures. Jane has no family, and she therefore values the Reeds and wants desperately for them to love her. She is at an age of insecurity and needs to feel reassured of her worth: " Because Jane lacks a distinct sense of herself, she is extremely dependent on the approval of others." (Berg 46) Rather than love and reassurance, Jane receives hostility and cruelty. They sentence her to inhumane punishments such as solitary confinement, and they send her off alone to boarding school. This is very disappointing for Jane and causes her to experience much pain and misery.
Couture 2
Jane experiences similar consequences much later in life when she discovers a cousin, St. John Rivers. She is so glad to have found family, and wishes very much to please him and gain his affection. Jane performs every chore Rivers wishes and goes to great lengths to...
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