Images of Fire and Heat in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte The essence of any truly magnificent piece of literature is not what can be seen in words. It's what you can see behind the words. It is through the symbolism and imagery found in literary works that a reader can truly connect with the writer. Charlotte Bronte embodies the spirit of the "unread but understood" in her Victorian work Jane Eyre. Numerous essays and theories have been presented examining the complex symbolism and imagery used by Bronte in Jane Eyre. Much of the imagery he uses focuses on passion, fantasy and the supernatural. In this essay I will examine Bronte's use of fire and heat imagery relating to the love relationship between Mr. Rochester and Jane. For starters, images of fire permeate the relationship between Mr. Rochester and Jane Eyre from beginning to end. Because the passionate love that Rochester and Jane first had was sinful, it was accompanied by images of fire and burning. This may perhaps be a picture of hell. For example, when Rochester was trying to convince Jane to stay with him even though he was married, he described what he expected her reaction to be: "I was prepared for the warm rain of tears...but I'm wrong...your heart cried blood." This image of hot rain and weeping blood lends itself to an image of punishment. Likewise, when Jane showed signs of tiredness, he carried her in his arms to his room, holding her close. As a result of his "sinful" touch, Jane's senses were dulled, "everything was blurred to my glassy vision." Yet when he placed her in front of the fireplace to warm herself, she felt revived: "I felt the reviving warmth of a fire." Here the fire purified Jane from her torpor. This awakened his conscience to what Rochester... in the middle of the paper... ns, "was a fair judgment on him for keeping his first marriage a secret and for wanting to take another wife while he had one still to live." ." Thus, Jane and Rochester were reunited and each of them proved to be reborn, Jane having gone through her final period of personal and spiritual growth, and Rochester having faced his vices and rescinded his sinful nature. In conclusion, the concept of fire used by Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre purifies, foreshadows, strengthens and awakens both Jane Eyre and Mr. Rochester tempered the passionate nature of her novel by continually revealing that heated sinful emotions only lead to ruin Rochester were subjected to emotional and spiritual purgatory for their immorality only after achieving spiritual rebirth, 1991