Signs of Autism in Jane Eyre; Bronte Sisters Autistic?

Were the Bronte sisters on the spectrum? Obviously, it is impossible to answer this question with certainty since they are long dead, but it can still be speculated on. It can be argued with valid evidence as a possibility. The novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is, in part, an autobiography, which leaves a lot to think about in regards to the storyline and characters. I strongly encourage readers to consider the possibility that Jane is on the autism spectrum. There are many passages from the novel that could be interpreted as Jane showing signs and symptoms, or having autistic tendencies. Perhaps Bronte was writing about autism before she had the word for it or the language to describe it. Perhaps that is why she wrote this story. Writing is an outlet and a form of expression. Maybe Bronte wrote autistic characters to try to understand herself and or her family members better, or even to give a voice to herself and them as well. This essay will serve as a close reading of passages from the novel through the lens of disability.

Beginning with Jane’s childhood we will be using a helpful quote from outside the text which comes from a research article on the novel. “Rodas describes the characteristics and traits of autism in a wonderfully positive way from a neurodiversity perspective, and relates these to Jane. She refers to an incident in her childhood when her nurse Bessie tells her: “You are such a strange child, Miss Jane […] a little roving, solitary thing […] you’re such a queer, frightened, shy little thing.” Rodas explains that indications of Jane’s autism are “her sense of aloneness at Lowood even after many years of residence; the feeling of peace and wholeness she seems to derive from nature, from gardens, from plants instead of people; her silent impatience with a talkative roommate.” (Rodas) The descriptive words that the author chooses for others to describe the main character with were certainly chosen on purpose. Jane was a character meant to stick out from the rest in the novel. She catches the reader’s attention with her behaviors, decisions, beliefs, and even her language choices. There certainly is something interesting about Jane, how she functions, and how she thinks.

Now, here is another quote we will analyze, from chapter twenty-three in the novel, which could also be interpreted as Jane showing signs of being on the spectrum. “I grieve to leave Thornfield: I love Thornfield:—I love it, because I have lived in it a full and delightful life,—momentarily at least. I have not been trampled on. I have not been petrified. I have not been buried with inferior minds, and excluded from every glimpse of communion with what is bright and energetic and high. I have talked, face to face, with what I reverence, with what I delight in,—with an original, a vigorous, an expanded mind. I have known you, Mr. Rochester; and it strikes me with terror and anguish to feel I absolutely must be torn from you forever. I see the necessity of departure; and it is like looking on the necessity of death.” It can be argued that Jane’s fear of change and her desperation for human connection/fear of being left alone, could also be seen as signs of autism. At the start of the passage Jane is expressing that she feels safe and comfortable at her home in Thornfield, and she is scared to leave and face the unknown. Something interesting Jane mentions is not having to be “buried with inferior minds” and that she enjoys Rochesters company so much because he has “an expanded mind”. Autistic people often like to feel like they are surrounded by people on the same intelligence level as them simply because it makes communication and bonding much easier. Perhaps, that is what Jane was trying to express to Rochester in the above passage.

Another passage worthy of analysis is this; “I tell you I must go!” I retorted, roused to something like passion. “Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am an automaton?—a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong!—I have as much soul as you,—and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh;—it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal,—as we are!” Sidenote, I find it interesting how Jane refers to water as a living thing, that is quite a unique thought for her to have. Also, her mentioning how she feels connected to things at a spiritual level, feels so intense. This quote is packed with so much feeling, and the way she seems overwhelmed trying to find the words to describe her intense emotions is so relatable. 

In order to explain how Jane’s dialogue about “automatrons” in the above quote can be seen as a sign of being on the spectrum, here is another quote from an outside source that does great at explaining everything. “Nonautistic people often have the mistaken belief that autistic persons have little or no feelings. Instead the opposite is likely to be true. “Autistic persons typically experience intense sensations and emotions but may habitually reduce the appearance of feeling or shield the self from a barrage of overwhelming external stimuli (including dialogue and other forms of communication) in order to preserve an integrated sense of identity.” (Rodas). It is sad to see that Rochester, and other people throughout Jane’s life do not truly understand her or how she expresses herself. There was not anyone to help support Jane when she faced anxieties about change, or when she struggled to communicate. She was never taught by anyone how to cope properly with her feelings. Instead she was always dismissed as strange, quiet, and solitary, when maybe she could have blossomed to be more confident with a little help. Perhaps Charlotte Bronte wrote Jane this way because she, or one of her sisters, could possibly have had these behaviors and they needed a character to relate to, and or find expression through. 

There is one more quote that needs to be included from a lovely article that I urge people to read, and think about for a few minutes. “Her lack of social ability plus the unnamable qualities of distinction that make others reject her for no logical reason except for a feeling of her being different to them in some unfathomable way, even as a baby…resulting in such a strong dislike from her aunt and cousins that they treat her like some sort of creature on whom to practice their cruel behaviours. Then her sudden outbursts of animalistic rage, her bluntness, the passive logic of her arguments, her extreme self-sufficiency, the lack of emotion in her delivery of information or even in the midst of tumultuous crisis, the robustness of her stance on right and wrong,-”. (White). All of these thought processes can be found with people on the spectrum. Based on all the evidence, it does seem that either intentionally or unintentionally, consciously or unconsciously, Bronte has written Jane as somewhat autistic. That is very brave of her as an author considering neurodiversity was looked down upon in her time. In all the research, one question kept coming to mind; is it possible that Charlotte and her sisters were on the autism spectrum? Well, they very well could have been, and maybe some of their works can be used as proof, like the semi-autobiographical novel Jane Eyre.  

Author’s Note: This essay is somewhat research and also an analysis through the lens of disability. The goal of this essay is for readers to consider the possibility that the character Jane could possibly be on the autism spectrum, as well as that Bronte could have been too. I based this draft off of one of my blog posts from a few weeks ago. I used some of the same quotes to analyse, but elaborated on them more here in the essay. Something that I think helped me in this essay were the quotes from outside sources. The researchers seem smart and well spoken which I wanted help with. When writing about autism, or any disability, I never want to write something insensitive, untrue, or just wrong. I wanted to do good with this piece. While reading Jane, I noticed some things about her character that I read as possible autistic behavior. I even found her to be very relatable at times because being on the spectrum runs in my family. I wish this essay could’ve been longer, but the stress of wanting to do good made it difficult to add any more length to the paper. I hope when people read this that maybe they can have their minds opened a bit to the neurodiverse. Maybe it will help people read in between the lines and discover what authors like Bronte felt like they couldn’t say, or just didn’t know how to express it. I also hope that this can show people that neurodiversity isn’t something new. I personally feel like that is obvious, but maybe others don’t realize that even in the nineteenth century, people were struggling with autism. Basically, I hope people can gain some insight from this essay. Perhaps some will agree with me, while others might disagree. Either way, I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Works Cited

Rodas, Julia Miele. “On the Spectrum: Rereading Contact and Affection in Jane Eyre”.

 Nineteenth Century Gender Studies Journal. Bronx Community College, City University 

of New York. April 21st, 2009. Web.

White, Helen. “Nineteenth Century Aspie Woman.” Spinning The Light. WordPress. September

  20th, 2019. Web.