Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre is one of the most famous and beloved classic books, remaining popular over 150 years after it was first published. Alongside the fairytale romance between Jane and Rochester, the novel charts Jane's journey to maturity, from solitary orphan to strong independent woman. Bronte uses the rough plot outline of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress to structure Jane's quest: Jane travels from place to place, learning about herself and the world along the way. At each place, she "comes into conflict with authority, defeats it by her inner strength, and departs into exile" (Solomon, 1963). In the end, she finds happiness in an equal marriage with Rochester, having become an independent woman both financially and socially. Throughout the novel, Bronte uses the names of the characters to give clues as to their personalities and to show the effect they have on Jane. In this way, the names give the story a deeper meaning, connecting the characters to each other and to other figures from the wider world.
The Eternal Triangle
Firstly, Jane's name shows her low status in society. Her surname "Eyre" is pronounced like "air", a strong reminder that, as a female orphan, she is invisible to society and cannot easily find a place there: she is as "invisible as air" (Gilbert and Gubar, 1979).
The naming of Rochester could be a reference to John Wilmot, 2nd Earl of Rochester, who was well known for his rakish behaviour and debauchery. This hints towards Rochester's debauched lifestyle during his years of wandering in Europe.
Rochester's first wife is named Bertha Antoinetta Mason. The name Bertha means "bright, glorious"; the choice of this name, whether intentionally or not, underlines her connection to fire. Also, in Wide Sargasso Sea, Jean Rhys' prequel to Jane Eyre, Bertha takes the lead role, and like Bronte, Rhys uses her characters' names to make deeper points. In the book, it is revealed that Bertha's real name is Antoinette and Rochester named her Bertha, replacing her Jamaican identity with a European name. This can be seen as a comment on the nature of Colonialism in general, where European culture dominated over and wiped out indigenous cultures in many places, but also the oppression of women in Victorian marriages, where the man held all the rights.
Two Johns
John Reed and St John Rivers, although seemingly opposites, are linked by having very similar names. John Reed is a malicious child who terrorises the child Jane with his continual bullying. St John Rivers is generous and courteous towards Jane, but she recognises that he has "a certain influence" over her "liberty of mind", and he attempts to force her to marry him in order for them to both go to India. The link between the two characters' names suggests that St John is a "saintly" mirror image of John Reed, justifying his bullying behaviour with religious reasons. This connection condemns St John's behaviour by comparing it to John's, and criticises the oppression of women for religious reasons or otherwise.
Watery Relatives
The family names of Jane's cousins, the Reeds and the Riverses, are closely linked: reeds are thin grass-like plants that grow in wetlands such as rivers. This subtly suggests the connection between the families. One important characteristic of a reed is its hollowness: by naming the family "Reed", Bronte underlines the hollow and feeble character of its members. Georgiana and John are spoilt and childish, while Eliza is cold and "intolerably acrid". Mrs Reed, the head of the family, offers Jane hollow kindness out of a sense of duty to her late husband: she gives her a roof over her head and food to eat, but makes it abundantly clear that Jane is not considered one of the family. Hence, the family name "Reed" is very fitting to this group of selfish, cold characters.
Jane's other set of cousins, the Rivers family, are the opposite to the Reeds: welcoming, intelligent and caring. The surname "Rivers" suggests a broad, generous nature, the opposite of the flimsy, thin character of reeds. Also, rivers are often used in the Bible as imagery of plenty and of God's generosity. For example, John 7:38 says that "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water"" (Knowing Jesus, 2022). Therefore, it is fitting that the Riverses are named this way, as they show great generosity and kindness towards Jane.
Models of Womanhood
One of Jane's earliest role models is Miss Temple, the headmistress at Lowood School. Calm, intelligent and kind, she fills Jane with "a controlling sense of awe". Her name suggests that she represents a kind of "temple" of womanhood to Jane - "a shrine of ladylike virtues" (Gilbert and Gubar, 1979). Jane greatly admires Miss Temple, and imbibes something of her character during her time at Lowood. When Miss Temple leaves the school to get married, Jane reverts back to feeling restless and trapped: her time at the "temple" is over. However, Miss Temple's generosity stays with Jane for the rest of her life; when Jane becomes a teacher, her interest and kindness to her pupils must owe a debt to the memory of Miss Temple's kind treatment of her.
Jane's other role model, Helen Burns, has a great spiritual effect on her. Her surname points to her strong Christian faith - she is "burning with spiritual passion" (Gilbert and Gubar, 1979). Helen introduces Jane to true Christianity for the first time, not the misinterpreted and distorted version taught by Mr Brocklehurst.
Jane's cousins, Diana and Mary, also represent models of womanhood. Both take their names from strong female figures. Adrienne Rich notes that the names of Diana and Mary suggest "Diana the huntress and Mary the virgin mother" (Rich, 1979, quoted in Gilbert and Gubar, 1979). Diana, goddess of hunting and the moon, suggests female strength and power, while Mary, the mother of Jesus, suggests a quieter strength and caring nature. Mary was trusted with an enormous responsibility, that of giving birth to and raising the Son of God, and fulfilled it through her faith in God. Thus, both of Jane's cousins are named after strong female figures, who are drawn from both Christian and pagan backgrounds. The names of Diana and Mary, along with their strong and caring personalities, represent female strength and are important role models to Jane.
Overall, Bronte uses the names of the characters to give clues about their nature and personality. The connection between Jane's cousins, the Reeds and Riverses, is emphasised by their names, and is further explored by the parallel naming of John Reed and St John Rivers. Also, Bronte surrounds Jane with female figures whose names point to other strong women from both pagan and Biblical tradition, emphasising the capability of women throughout history.
References
Knowing Jesus, 2022. 61 Bible verses about Rivers. [online] Available at: <https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Rivers>
Gilbert, S. and Gubar, S., 1979. The madwoman in the attic. London: Yale University Press.
Solomon, E., 1963. Jane Eyre: Fire and Water. College English, 25(3), p.215.
P.S: A couple of minor characters:
Blanche Ingram is a shallow, vain woman who hopes to marry Rochester for his fortune. Her first name "Blanche" suggests the verb "to blanche", meaning to make pale or whiten. This reflects her pale and empty character.
Rosamond Oliver is St John's love interest. The name "Rosamond" is linked to the Latin phrase "Rose of the world", reflecting that she is a classic English Rose. As Jane puts it, she has "as sweet features as ever the temperate clime of Albion moulded".