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Fire and ice. That’s the main motif in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre. But why fire and ice? And how does this motif back up Brontë’s themes in Jane Eyre? We’re so glad you asked …

Video Transcription:

Back in the day, Charlotte Bronte would definitely have been called a feminist for thinking that men and women were equal. Today, we’d probably just call her enlightened. We’ll take a look at a motif that expresses Bronte’s enlightenment—next.

One of the nice things about a motif is that it appears over and over—so it’s hard to miss. And one of the things that’s hard to miss in Jane Eyre is the images of fire and ice that appear again and again—especially in reference to what’s going on in Jane’s mind.

Sometimes Jane’s thoughts are like “a ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring.” And sometimes—like in Chapter 26 when Jane’s marriage is called off—her mind feels as though “A Christmas frost had come at mid-summer.”

So what does it all mean? The motif of fire and ice describes the conflict Jane faces as a strong woman in an unenlightened society. Fire is her passion, her spirit, whereas ice represents the forces that try to crush her spirit and numb her passions.

Interestingly enough, it’s fire that brings Jane and Mr. Rochester back together in the end, and don’t forget that fire is the one thing that the almost-blind Mr. Rochester can see.

It’s as though Bronte uses this motif to remind her readers that closed-mindedness and inequality aren’t enough to quench the best of womanhood.