¶ … Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, and Thomas Hardy demonstrate that conventionality is not morality, and self-righteousness is not religion. The dichotomy between religion and righteousness is a central theme of Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre. The protagonist encounters three basic types of Christian religious practice: the hypocritical, represented by Mr. Brocklehurst; the ascetic, represented by Helen Burns, and the egotistical, represented by St. John. Part of Jane's personal and spiritual development occurs by her ability to understand and reject each of these religious extremes. Jane Eyre concludes that per personal relationship to God has nothing to do with the self-righteous behavior of either Brocklehurst or St. John; nor does her personal relationship with God mirror that of the self-abnegating Helen Burns. Throughout Jane Eyre, Bronte makes references to the nature of Jane's personal spiritual growth. From her first encounter with Mr. Brocklehurst in Chapter 4, Jane shows and independent spirit and a disdain for the dogma of Evangelical Christianity. When Jane tells Mr. Brocklehurst that she feels the psalms are boring, he erupts into a self-righteous and critical diatribe. He tells Jane, "That proves you have a wicked heart." Of course, it is soon revealed that the oppressive Mr. Brocklehurst possesses a truly wicked heart, especially as he preaches poverty while padding his own pockets. Mr. Brocklehurst is convinced that Jane is an evil woman, and accuses her of deceitfulness. Actually, it is Mr. Brocklehurst who exhibits deceitfulness, as he withholds funding for the school, instead funneling money into his already wealthy family. Jane Eyre, who from the start of the novel must rebel against many levels of authority, is unwilling to accept Mr. Brocklehurst's hypocritical and self-righteous views about religion, and Christianity in particular. While Jane discounts Mr. Brocklehurst's perception...
Instead, she uses his example to form her own outlook and relationship with God. As Jane matures and develops romantic relationships with Rochester and St. John, she must apply her personal principles of spirituality and morality.
Jane's moral code is conventional, but it is not rigid. She does not approve of Rochester's lustful past or his marriage to Bertha, but she does not completely cut him out of her life. Jane Eyre is able to transcend conventional female roles as well, by acknowledging her simultaneous needs for love, companionship, marriage, and independence. In the Victorian era in which Jane Eyre was written, women conformed to certain standards of behavior. Jane does not shun conventional morality, but she manages to question the oppression of both her gender and her social class. As she does so, Jane exhibits a mature sense of morality and spirituality. Jane must also contend with the religious views of both Helen Burns and St. John. In Helen Burns she sees the pitfalls of a strict morality, which she ultimately rejects in favor of a balance between earthly passions and spirituality. Her rejection of St. John also shows her preference for independent thought and behavior, as she witnesses his self-righteousness. The novel Jane Eyre supports both parts of the statement, "Conventionality is not morality; self-righteousness is not religion."
Charles Dickens's novel Great Expectations explores morality through its main characters, especially the narrator and protagonist, Pip. Pip struggles with overcoming the restrictions of his low social class, especially through his relationship with Miss Havisham and her daughter Estrella. Their unconventional lifestyle and approach to love and romance are direct affronts to the wealthy classes, although it takes a while for Pip to understand that wealth does…
