Jane Eyre the Youth Worker

I never trust novels from the mid-1800s. Our tastes have changed so much that it very hard to enjoy what the original target audience enjoyed. And I must admit that Jane Eyre is not a good book if I were to compare it to other modern books I’ve read, books that surprise you with the most unexpected characters and narratives. But, although it is predictable, outdated and sometimes uselessly descriptive, this novel is amazing!

When I started reading Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre I was very reluctant. I only knew that I remember nothing from Wuthering Heights, written by another one of the Brontës. Then, my mother told me that my grandmother (who I never met) was in love with the Brontës and that she read this novel over and over again. That made me a little curious, but that wouldn’t have been enough to keep me hooked to this story.

I was hoping to discover a bit of my grandmother’s character through this book and I am still trying to make connections between the stories I’ve heard about her and how she could probably relate to some of these characters. Of one thing I can be sure - she had a very good taste in books and she would have probably enjoyed many modern series and movies that follow the same pattern.

Now, the story is a typical telenovela. An orphan girl with a tragic childhood, an evil aunt, some other relatives, a rich bachelor (or not quite), an innocent child, a few neutral characters disguised as housekeepers, a crazy wife, a love story, more love stories. Girl falls in love, doesn’t work out, then it works out, happy ever after. You get the idea. What is interesting, however, is how some of these apparent cliches are actually very well designed, even if a bit exaggerated. The ending is extremely satisfying. I would never write something like that, but I absolutely loved it. It answers any possible questions. I won’t give you more details because you might have to read it sometime and I don’t want to spoil it for you.

Of course, I saved the best for the last. If I were to re-write Jane Eyre today, this would be a perfect youth work novel.

WHAT? WHY? HOW?

Easy.

Jane is a preteen and then a teenager for most of the novel and she goes through that weird stage of discovering and understanding herself. From the very beginning, she is a mirror for everyone’s behaviour just like any child. She blossoms at Lockwood where she is understood and listened to and then she goes on to become the one to understand and listen. That is where her personality is shaped and where she finds a way to heal the wounds left by her aunt. In a similar way, young people grow when they meet a youth worker and then they might become youth workers themselves (like I did).

What is more, there is another overlooked moment when Jane has to teach some poor girls and she not only discovers but actually reveals their amazing personalities. She forms a connection with them by understanding and listening to them. Just like a good youth worker does.

If I am ever going to write an essay about Jane Eyre for university (and I’ll probably have the opportunity), I will not be afraid to say that this is a novel about youth work and teenage, although they are hidden beneath layers of drama and tragedies. There is so much more than meets the eye in these pages and Charlotte Brontë did an excellent job observing behaviours and struggles and emotions. If all telenovelas would be this complex, we would probably live in a better world.