Character sketch of mr brocklehurst in novel Jane Eyre?

The epithet 'institutional

oppressor' may well have been penned to describe the character of

the Reverend Brocklehurst. From his first meeting with Jane Eyre at

Gateshead to his dreaded appearances at Lowood School, it is clear

that Brocklehurst is a figure to be feared not just for his harsh,

punitive style but mainly for his hypocrisy. He describes the

system at Lowood School thus: 'plain fare, simple attire,

unsophisticated accommodations, hardy and active habits: such is

the order of the day in the house and its inhabitants.'

This 'harsh and prim' man standing

erect, clad comfortably in a sable cape is a hypocrite of the first

degree. The reader is left in no doubt of this when his wife and

daughters visit Lowood, dressed in the finest clothes of velvet,

silk and ermine. Jane, shivering in her thin frock points out, with

understatement that they 'should have come a little sooner to have

heard his lecture on dress'. The lecture had recommended that the

pupils at Lowood be taught to 'clothe themselves with

shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly

apparel'.

It is deeply ironic that in the

moments preceeding Mr Brockelhurst's proclaimation that Jane Eyre

is 'a liar', Jane fears the exposure of these false claims mainly

because she dreads being despised 'for a hypocrite' by Miss Temple.

Miss Temple, who, as her name suggests, espouses the virtures of

true faith, hope and charity, is the teacher who offers Jane solace

in her hour of need. She allows Jane the opportunity to explain

herself rather than frightening her with stories of burning in

hell, as told by Brocklehurst.