Forgiveness is a really hard thing to do when you have been mistreated by someone. But, surprisingly, Jane offers forgiveness to everyone who has hurt her. One of the most memorable times when Jane forgives someone is when she forgives her hateful Aunt Reed.
In the story, Jane travels a hundred miles to Gateshead to see her dying Aunt Reed. After many years without seeing her aunt, Jane is ready to forgive her aunt. When she arrives she says, “It is a happy thing that time quells the longings of vengeance, and hushes the promptings of rage and aversion; I had left this woman in bitterness and hate, and I came back to her now with no other emotion than a sort of ruth for her great sufferings and a strong yearning to forget and forgive all injuries—to be reconciled, and clasp hands in amity.”(Bronte, 267) Even as she arrives she is ready to forgive and forget.
But even as Jane offers her forgiveness, her aunt still denies her. Though her aunt tells her about the letter she kept from Jane about her uncle, and even though her aunt only offends her on her deathbed, Jane still says this, “Love me, then, or hate me, as you will, you have my full and free forgiveness; ask now for God’s and be at peace.”(Bronte, 278)
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003.
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