Jane Eyre Volume 1 Passage Explication

“The red-room was a spare chamber, very seldom slept in; I might say never, indeed; unless when a chance influx of visitors at Gateshead Hall rendered it necessary to turn to account all the accommodation it contained: yet it was one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion. A bed supported on massive pillars of mahogany, hung with curtains of deep-red damask, stood out like a tabernacle in the centre; the two large windows, with their blinds always drawn down, were half shrouded in festoons and falls of similar drapery; the carpet was red; the table at the food of the bed was covered with a crimson cloth; the walls were a soft fawn colour, with a blush of pink in it’ the wardrobe, the toilet-table, the chairs were of darkly polished old mahogany. Out of these deep surrounding shades rose high, and glared white, the piled up mattresses and pillows of the bed, spread with a snowy Marseilles counterpane. Scarcely less prominent was an ample, cushioned easy-chair near the head of the bed, also white with a footstool before it and looking, as I thought, like a pale throne.”
(Volume 1, Chapter 2, pages 25-26)

The existence of the “red-room” in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a symbolic representation not only of Jane’s imprisonment within the hostile environment that is Gateshead Hall, but also of her enslavement to her own passions and the passions of others. The author uses extensive color imagery and descriptions of furniture in order to portray these vices, as well as foreshadow the entry of an extremely benevolent force into Jane’s life later on in the novel- her friend Helen.

Jane’s experience of isolation is first hinted in the very first sentence of the passage, as the “red-room” (25) is said to be a “spare” (25) room that was “very seldom slept in.” (25) Sleep is used in the passage to represent a restful, peaceful time that is in stark contrast to the fiery, active chaos that tends to permeate Jane’s life at Gateshead Hall. This mention of a “spare” (25) room that is hardly ever “slept in” (25) depicts a room that has been neglected and devoid of the comforts of life, much like Jane herself has been by her “benefactress,” Miss Reed. Being one of the “largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion,” (25-26), the red-room also is described as to contain furniture and structures such as windows that are described as “massive” (26) and “large.” (26) The author’s repetitious use of these words stands in stark contrast to Jane’s frail frame. Jane, being a little girl at the time, has just previously been overpowered by two house servants under orders from Miss Reed to be placed in the red-room as an undeserved punishment. The room’s windows are described as having blinds that are “always drawn down” (26) in a symbolic effort to further contain and oppress anyone who took up residence in the room. Juxtaposition is then set up between Jane’s defeated body and the foreboding yet imprisoning presence of the red-room, as if she were continuously being overpowered long after she had even been placed in the room.

Color imagery is carefully used in this passage in order to materialize one of Jane’s biggest vices- her passion. Prior to this moment, and long after it in the novel, Jane has demonstrated emotional volatility that has surprised not only the other characters in the book, but the readers themselves. This emphasis on powerful emotion is paralleled by the repetitious description of the color “red” (26) in its many forms. The bed is described as having “deep red” (26) curtains that flow down elegantly from its posts, reflecting on the flowing blood issuing from a wound on Jane’s head after her physical altercation with Miss Reed’s son, John. “Deep red” (26) also denotes the darker, more destructive side of passion because of its association with blood. Even the “red” (26) carpets on the floor of the room reflect on how the foundation of Jane’s personality itself is that of passion and energy. The walls of the room, however, are described as being “a soft fawn color, with a blush of pink in it.” (26) These colors, which are more closely related to love and compassion than passion or aggression, contain the room and the contents wherein. This foreshadows the future relationship that Jane will develop with a girl named Helen from her school, who embodies the Christian values of compassion and tolerance. Helen’s personality works to counteract and contain Jane’s warrior passion and aggression, just as the pink walls of the room contain the passionate red carpets and draperies. Helen’s role in Jane’s life is also foreshadowed by the description of the easy chair, the footstool, and the bed in the red-room, which “rose high, and glared white” (26) in blatant contrast with its crimson surroundings. The author chose to describe these items of furniture as “snowy” (26) and “white” (26) because these pieces of furniture are objects of rest and relaxation. The easy chair, bed, or footstool would all serve as a chance to rest for a weary traveler, just as Helen’s purity, symbolized by the color white, offers Jane rest and relief from her otherwise chaotic and passionate lifestyle.