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Jane Eyre

4. What does Mr. Brocklehurst’s analogy between the ill-prepared breakfast and the “sufferings of the primitive Christians…the torments of martyrs…the exhortations of our blessed Lord Himself” reveal about his character? How does this attitude contrast with that of Miss Temple to reveal the author’s social message? 

Mr. Brocklehurst is the kind of religious person I strongly dislike. He uses his wealth (shown by his family's clothing) to push his interpretation of the Bible and religion on others while not applying it to his own life. For whatever reason he feels he can tell other people how to live their lives using the Bible as his source of power. Mr. Brocklehurst's analogy reveals that his character is an influential person using the Bible to justify his methods of treating the girls cruelly. He feels he is carrying on the work of God and Jesus. It reveals that he finds a source of power in the Bible, which he is using on these girls who have to suffer through it. He says his plan is to bring them up patient and self denying, and if that means they miss a meal or are treated harshly he doesn't mind. He has power over Miss Temple so he is able to control her into reinforcing his methods and beliefs.

Mr. Brocklehurst's attitude contrasts with Miss Temple in that he controls her and she has to reinforce his beliefs. She works at Lowood so she must have some faith in what he supports and is doing with the girls. She may enjoy it to a certain extent but the text shows she at least tries to be decent to the girls. In the text we see that she has allowed them more clothes than they are supposed to have, gave them more food than they were supposed to get, and she told Jane not to worry about the dropped slate. All of these nice things she has done Mr. Brocklehurst wouldn't have done and yells at her and girls for doing those things.

Charlotte Bronte's social message revealed in the contrast between Miss Temple and Mr. Brocklehurst is that at that time people in society abused religion and the power they found in the Bible to mistreat people that we're below them in society. Bronte has Miss Temple be a nice character but ultimately obey Mr. Brocklehurst because she is a woman and would have had to obey him if she wanted to keep her job. He is the one in power because men had power and he was able to push his beliefs on people because of his status in society. Her social message is still relevant today. The idea that anyone can interpret the Bible and then push their belief on others is, to  me, ridiculous. Everyone has their different beliefs and interpretations and they aren't right or wrong, it's just wrong to push them on others because they may have different views.

http://www.literature.org/authors/bronte-charlotte/jane-eyre/chapter-07.html