Jane’s paintings and dreams play an important part in the novel by revealing to the reader the character of Jane, what occupies her subconscious and her spirituality. Jane’s paintings indicate her well-developed artistic skills which receive admiration from their viewers even the tough critics such as Mr Rochester and Mr Rivers. It is a skill which she is better at than her accomplished cousins Diana and Mary, thus it sets her apart. The dreams and paintings give Jane depth allowing the reader to fully comprehend different aspects of her and to what extent certain situations in her life affect her.
The watercolour pictures which she shows Mr Rochester in their first meeting are peculiar to the modern reader but they make an impression on Mr Rochester who commented on their distinction from people of her age. In all three pictures the main subjects were women. This should come as no surprise throughout Jane’s whole life it has been women who had been the greatest influence, first Mrs Reed, Helen Burns and Miss Temple. These women are surreal, tinted at the edges showing how unsure she is of herself and the part she is to play in the big world she had not experienced. The portraits which she did of her and Miss Ingram show how she saw herself as honestly as possible in relation to women in the upper class. It was a way of keeping her passions in check. Through these portraits she was able to discipline herself with matters concerning Mr Rochester. She does more portraits of the people she sees around her such as Miss Rosamond Oliver, Mr Rivers and Mr Rochester. These are interpretations of how she personally sees them. Thus the portraits are a way of reflecting on her life and the people in them.
Some of her paintings were a result of her dreams she was experiencing. Her water colour drawings were interpretations of her dreams. These things are those which she sees with a “spiritual eye”. She is in tune with the spiritual side of herself so much so that she can paint what she sees. Her dreams also precede bad things that are to happen to Jane. Jane had been dreaming about an infant the night Mr Mason’s attack by Bertha. These dreams continued for the next week. This worried Jane as she had once overheard Bessie telling someone that dreams of infants were signs of trouble. It had already been confirmed by Mr Mason’s stabbing on the night she was having a dream about an infant. She also hears the news about John Reeds death and Mrs Reeds’ illness. Her dreams play a role in showing her worries and how in tune she is with the supernatural in her life. This serves to show that though her ideas about the position of women may be unconventional, it does not mean she is a heathen.
Two of her other dreams were of Mr Rochester leaving her whilst Jane was carrying a child with her. These were an indication of their separation of the future and her fears of having happiness, she felt she did not deserve, snatched away from her. She woke up to seeing Bertha tearing up her veil indicating her marriage will not go through. When it becomes apparent that Mr Rochester is married, Jane dreams of a female figure. This women in her dream tells her to resist Mr Rochester which testify to Jane's emotional turmoil over the situation and she does what the dream told her to do. This shows her reliance on her intuition rather than her passions. After she has settled in Moor House she dreams of Mr Rochester and of being with him in many romantic situations, this shows how she still was in love with him. This shows the amount of passion Jane Eyre has even though she is very morally grounded.
It is through these pictures which Jane shares with her audience that the reader can see how conflict within Jane is played out, especially when it comes to matters concerning Mr Rochester. The superstition of the Gothic era and her spirituality play an important part in the way Jane views with the world and how she deals with situations. Her dreams give her depth and her paintings are an outlet for what she sees both in her dreams and in real life. Jane’s excellence in drawing distinguishes her and her maturity in her spirituality helps her navigate her through her life thus both the dreams and painting serve as effective characterisation and narrative tools.
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