The Holy Helen Burns

Passage: "'I am so happy, Jane; and when you hear that I am dead, you must be sure and not grieve: there is nothing to grieve about.  We all must die one day, and the illness which is removing me is not painful; it is gentle and gradual: my mind is at rest.  I have no one to regret me much: I have only a father; and he is lately married, and will not miss me.  By dying young, I shall escape great sufferings.  I had not qualities or talents to make my way very well in the world: I should have been continually at fault.'"

"'But where are you gong to, Helen ? Can you see ? Do you know ?

"'I believe; I have faith: I am going to God.'"

"'Where is God ? What is God ?'"

"'My Maker and yours; who will never destroy what he created.  I rely implicitly on his power, and confide wholly in his goodness: I count the hours till that eventful one arrives which shall restore me to him, reveal him to me.'"

The Holy Helen Burns

Through this passage, a lot is revealed about both Helen Burns and Jane Eyre as individuals.  Jane and Helen are discussing Helen's inevitable demise together, but it is evident that the two have different ideas about what happens to people after they die.  Based on the conversation, it is clear that Helen is a deeply religious, passive, and fatalistic person.  Conversely, Jane is skeptical about religion, aggressive, and does not accept anything as fate.

In the initial section, Helen is talking to Jane about how she feels about dying.  She says she is 'happy' and that her 'mind is at rest'.  By saying these things she is insinuating that she is content with the unavoidable reality that she is dying and that she is not scared about what will happen once she dies. She says that she was not born with an aptitude for any skill and, therefore, her would have been difficult and tiresome.  By saying that she had been born with no real purpose, she is claiming that the reason she is dying early is because it is fate; she is not supposed to live longer.  Helen then claims that once she dies she is going to God.  She says that she 'believes' and has 'faith'.  By making these assertions, she is  saying that she does not know where she going, but she is okay with not knowing because she trusts God.  She describes God as being 'my maker and yours' in reference to herself and Jane.  She says 'I rely implicitly on his power, and confide wholly in his goodness'.  These statements indicate that she has accepted God as the controller of fate and that she trusts his judgement.  She is not scared of God because she truly believes that no harm with come to her once she is with God because he 'will never destroy what he created'.  According to her, God has created her and, therefore, when she dies, he will do nothing but love her and protect her.

In response to Helen's proclamation of her acceptance of her fate, Jane has many questions.  She asks Helen where she is going and if she can see it.  She asks 'where' and 'what' is God.  Due to the fact that she asks all of these questions, she makes it clear that she is very skeptical.  Unlike Helen, she cannot just accept that God has a plan for her after she dies.  She cannot see God for herself and, therefore, does not feel comfortable with placing her fate solely in his hands.  To her is is preposterous that Helen would so willingly accept her fate without knowing exactly where she was going and what was going to happen to her.  By asking Helen all of there interrogative questions, she show her natural aggression.  She demands answers to her questions and when she does not have answers she is not satisfied.  In this way, she and Helen are very much different.

Based on the fact that the two girls are so different, it makes sense that they are friends and this passage is a perfect example of their clashing personalities.  They each bring something different to the table which enables them to learn from each other.  Helen's ability to accept things as fate is foreign to Jane which makes Jane think about and question the world around her.  Helen accepts the world as it is and Jane must have an explanation for it all.