Throughout Jane Eyre, as Jane herself moves from one physical location to
another, the settings in which she finds herself vary considerably. Bronte makes the most
of this necessity by carefully arranging those settings to match the differing
circumstances Jane finds herself in at each. As Jane grows older and her hopes and
dreams change, the settings she finds herself in are perfectly attuned to her state of mind,
but her circumstances are always defined by the walls, real and figurative, around her.
As a young girl, she is essentially trapped in Gateshead. This sprawling house is
alm…
