The Black Column

The Black Column

Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Peterborough, Ont: Broadview Press, 1999. Print.

Upon the arrival of Mr. Brocklehurst to inspect the school, the happy (eh not happy but maybe slightly less bad) school turns even worse.  His demeanor and actions make the vile Miss Hannigan from Annie seem like a loving mother.  I mean, this man gets upset that little girls are given a small portion of lunch to make up for the meal that was burnt earlier in the day.  Come on man! This guy would rather let these children starve, but oh wait, he’s doing it so that they reject habits of luxury and self-indulgence, because that makes it better???  I can go on and on about how much I hate this man, who by the way I actually know very little about- my opinion has been formed solely off of this chapter, but I feel like I have a sense of duty to bash this man in my blog post in order to stand up for these poor girls.  

For a little visual reference, here is a picture of a man that portrayed Mr. Brocklehurst in the film adaptation of Jane Eyre...

I know its “No Shave November” but come on buddy, the sideburns make you look like you stuck some sheep wool to the sides of your face.  (P.S. there are additional film adaptations and all of the Mr. Brocklehurst’s are just as ugly)

When sweet little Jane is describing this awful man she doesn’t compare him to something absolutely disgusting such as gum on the bottom of a shoe, or a cockroach, or slimy and smelly rats, she instead compares this man to a “black column”.  In the text it says, “the same black column which had frowned on me so ominously from the hearthrug of Gateshead. I now glanced sideways at this piece of architecture. Yes, I was right: it was Mr. Brocklehurst, buttoned up in a surtout, and looking longer, narrower, and more rigid than ever.” (Brontë)  Yeah I don’t know about you but if I was compared to a column I would definitely take it as an insult, but I think being called a cockroach would be worse.  

Jane Eyre was written in 1847 in London, England by author Charlotte Brontë.  During this time period in England, Victorian architecture was very prominent and the most favorable style.  Characterizing this Victorian architecture was decorative trim, tall, narrow arches, pointed windows, and columns.  It is also important to note that by 1887 (after the publication of Jane Eyre) more vibrant colors started to be used aside from the traditional white, beige, and gray tones.  Hmmm now what color did I seem to not mention... BLACK. This is because black columns were not found in the traditional Victorian style architecture of 19th century England.

This indicates that Jane is characterizing this man as not fitting in and contributing anything beneficial to the school.  In fact, he only hinders their growth and development through the implementation of absurd and strict rules that are meant to help the children develop, but in fact does quite the opposite.  

Furthermore… later on in the chapter Jane comments again on Mr. B (he doesn’t deserve to have his entire name written out) when he is saying, “‘My dear children,’ pursued the black marble clergyman, with pathos…” (Brontë).  Here Jane is comparing him to a black marble clergyman.  This is significant because churches of the 19th century in England were often times constructed with colorful marble lined hallways and floors or with pristine marble figures- not with black marble columns.  Therefore, there is an element of juxtaposition within Jane’s description of Mr. B, he is a man not belonging in a religious place (as clergymen are male priests, ministers, or other religious leaders). This parallels his own role within the school that Jane attends- he is meant to seem as important and making the school run effectively when in reality he is an ugly man that the school would be able to function better without (ouch...that might’ve been too harsh…).  

Overall, Jane denoting the idea of a black marble column upon Mr. Brocklehurst impacts the development of his character as an awful man that does not belong.  I hate this man. If you disagree...please don’t visit my blog posts again.