Intelligent and self-aware as a child, the novel's protagonist, Jane Eyre, grows from an immature young woman to a respected woman by learning from diverse environments that test her character . Jane must navigate society as she goes from student to governess and teacher to her final position as wife. At the beginning of the novel, Jane is a passionate girl who acts on impulse, but as she grows up she learns when it is appropriate to speak her mind and when she should restrain herself. Jane learns to control and evaluate her emotions rather than act on them extravagantly; this process is defined by the critic Suzanne Hader as “…long, arduous and gradual, consisting of repeated clashes between the protagonist's needs, desires and opinions and the judgments imposed by an inflexible social order”. The act of maturing is usually a struggle that goes against a person's nature. Jane, for example, is often hurt by a relentless and obstacle-filled society. As Jane overcomes challenges, she begins to find her identity and finds herself in a permanent situation she desires rather than a temporarily acceptable one. Jane's search for identity reveals several aspects of her character that society deems unacceptable. Jane matures as a person by learning to act on the emotions of reason and also learning when to contain them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Jane's actions and thoughts highlight her immaturity as a child while living in both Gateshead and Lowood. While Jane lives with her foster family in Gateshead, she argues with her aunt, Mrs. Reed, over a conversation her aunt had with the supervisor at Jane's new school. After Mr. Brocklehurst leaves, Jane aggressively berates her aunt for falsely portraying her character to Mr. Brocklehurst. After Jane tells Mrs. Reed that she does not love her and wishes to leave the house, Mrs. Reed solemnly leaves the room. Jane gloats, thinking to herself “I was left there alone – victor of the field… I remained on the carpet for a while… I enjoyed the solitude of my conqueror” (45). When Mrs. Reed leaves the room, Jane feels a sense of pride as if she had won the argument; Jane intentionally caused Mrs. Reed to show what appeared to be remorse and remorse. This “victory” is an example of Jane's immaturity. Jane makes valid points about her treatment at Gateshead, which was abusive and cruel, but her argument provides no benefit and apparently hurts Mrs. Reed. Jane verbally abuses a woman who raised her as a child alone with the help of governesses, and although Jane's time in Gateshead was not always a pleasant experience, at least she was never left without food or shelter . Jane doesn't appreciate what she was given and instead berates the person who kept her safe. Scolding Mrs. Reed hurt Jane in the long run because Mrs. Reed later refuses to forward an important letter to Jane out of spite. It would have been better for Jane to control and contain her emotions in this particular situation. This act of passion was not the only one of its kind during Jane's youth. While Jane is at school at Lowood, her friend, Helen Burns, is beaten with sticks for forgetting to clean her nails. Helen is not angry because she says it helps her correct her defects, but Jane argues: “…If I [Jane] were in your place I wouldn't like it…if he hit me with that rod, I'd take it out of his hand; I should break it under his nose” (66). Jane does not commit an immature actionduring this scene, but reflects one. The teachers use arguably cruel methods to correct students, but this does not justify Jane's thoughts of retaliating through physical attacks. If Jane were to retaliate with the cane, she would no doubt get in trouble or potentially be expelled from school, but she doesn't consider this outcome. Jane, at this point, doesn't know how to evaluate and control her emotions. Jane doesn't act on this thought like she has in the past, which is a step in the right direction, but she would have if she were the one who was hit. Both Jane's discussion with Mrs. Reed and her theoretical plan for revolt speak to the maturity of her character. In both situations, Jane acts or plans to act on raw emotions, without thinking about the repercussions. He or she needs to learn the difference between when it is okay to speak and act on how he or she feels and when it would be best to hold back his or her feelings. Jane is immature as a child, but as she goes through school she begins to become a wiser and more mature person. Helen is another intelligent teenager who helps teach Jane to be more controlled. Helen understands why she is being punished and helps Jane understand the act as well. Helen's maturity has a strong influence on Jane's character and guides her to become a more mature person. Although Jane behaved immaturely as a child, it becomes apparent that she is maturing through her pursuit of desirable employment and her social interactions later in her life. life. After being a student and teacher at Lowood, Jane becomes dissatisfied and aspires to experience the world. Jane advertises herself as a housekeeper in the local newspaper and immediately receives a reply, at which point she reflects: “This circumstance [potential job] was satisfactory: a private fear haunted me, that by acting thus for myself... I was in danger of putting myself in the trouble” (105). Jane is worried that this new opportunity will yield a poor outcome and because she is following her instincts she doesn't know if this is the right decision. Jane does not want to put herself in an inadvisable and unfortunate situation, which is a rational and mature thought. In the past, Jane would have acted spontaneously on a desire to leave Lowood in search of her calling, but Jane has matured and now knows it is important to evaluate the potential outcomes of her decisions. After carefully considering the offer she received, Jane decides to leave Lowood to reside in Thornfield, where her new position is located. Although Jane has shown signs of maturity, she has yet to gain complete control over her emotions. While Jane lives in Thornfield, she is introduced to the owner of the house and his employer, Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester asks Jane if she finds him attractive, to which she impulsively responds by saying no. She regrets having said no and tells Rochester "Sir, I was too clear: I beg your pardon. I should have replied that it was not easy to give an off-the-cuff answer to a question about appearances..." (154). Jane, once again, acted impulsively and insulted her employer's appearance. Although she doesn't think that appearance is very important, because she is also unattractive and insults Mr. Rochester with an immature action. He feels remorse for his response but cannot take it back. Mr. Rochester claims he wasn't offended, but this comment certainly didn't resonate with him. If Jane had been mature she would have considered her response more carefully. A wise and mature person should not insult their employer, especially during the first interactions. Jane regrets her action, which is a positive sign because it shows that she is starting to understand the possible negative consequences of her actions.During Jane's final years at Lowood and her welcome to Thornfield, Jane begins to act more maturely, but has not yet been able to fully free herself from her impulsive actions. Jane makes the rational and well thought out decision to leave Lowood, which is mature, but then quickly insults her employer's appearance, which is immature and rude. Jane is clearly learning to distinguish between what is acceptable to say and what is not, demonstrated by her apology to Mr. Rochester after his blunt comment. Jane continues to grow and mature as she spends the next part of her life living in Thornfield. Jane's character growth, during the second half of her time at Thornfield, reaches a new level of maturity as she faces and overcomes emotionally taxing challenges. During Jane's stay in Thornfield, a group of wealthy and haughty people arrive for temporary residence. One night, while Jane is in their company, a game of charades is played which Jane refuses to play. A presumptuous woman, Lady Ingram, makes a snide remark when Jane is invited: “Lady Ingram immediately denies the idea. “No,” I heard her [Jane] say: “she seems too stupid for a game like that.” (212). Lady Ingram verbally attacks Jane when the idea of ​​her participating in the game is mentioned even though Ingram is unaware of Jane's intelligence or character. Lady Ingram makes a snobbish and brazen assumption about Jane that is gravely incorrect, but Jane, a scholar with skills in English, French, and art, does not retaliate. Reflecting on Jane's past, this lack of refutation speaks to Jane's maturation. In the past, Jane was so enraged by Mrs. Reed's comment about her character that she scolded her, but in this case, when Jane is defamed, she does not impulsively act on her emotions. A younger Jane may have argued with Ingram, but Jane has grown into a mature woman and knows that nothing good will come of it. Jane is once again tested emotionally during her residency at Thornfield; this time is more extreme than the last. Jane agrees to marry Mr. Rochester, but on their wedding day Jane is presented with a hidden truth that hinders their marriage. Jane goes against every ounce of emotion in her body when she decides she must leave Mr. Rochester and Thornfield. As he leaves Thornfield he reflects on how Mr. Rochester will feel about his decision: “He [Rochester] would feel abandoned; his love rejected: he would have suffered; perhaps become desperate. I thought so too” (368). Jane realizes that this decision will not only have a negative impact on her but also on Mr. Rochester. Once again, instead of making a decision on a whim, as Jane has done in the past, she thinks about the different ramifications her actions could have. She loves Mr. Rochester with all her heart, but she knows that the morally correct thing to do is to run away, even if it means hurting Rochester. At the end of her stay at Thornfield, Jane manages to contain her emotions to access them. Jane wishes to marry Rochester but, given the circumstances, she must leave because staying will only cause her more pain. Jane's action is an act that only an experienced and mature person can perform. Jane must knowingly hurt herself and another person emotionally to do what is right. Jane has grown immensely as a person during her time at Thornfield. Jane has given in to her emotions more than once during her residency, but ultimately, when she leaves, Jane is able to contain and process her emotions to make a difficult decision that is ultimately correct. During Jane's time at Thornfield she demonstrates that she is able to control her emotions, but as Jane continues to mature she learns when she is.