Gentle and kind to a fault, Helen is Jane's only friend in school. She is about 12 or 13. Helen is deeply religious and peaceful, and turns the other cheek to Lowood’s harsh policies. Although Helen manifests a certain strength and intellectual maturity, her efforts involve self-negation rather than self-assertion, and Helen’s submissive and ascetic nature highlights Jane’s more headstrong character. Like Jane, Helen is an orphan who longs for a home, but Helen believes that she will find this home in Heaven rather than Northern England. And while Helen is not oblivious to the injustices the girls suffer at Lowood, she believes that justice will be found in God’s ultimate judgment—God will reward the good and punish the evil.

LINE CONTEXT:

Line 1: Helen is not judging Jane with her words, but rather gently advising her. Helen has been victim of cruelty from one of the teachers at Lowood, but she believes that following the Biblical mandates of forgiveness and peace the best path. Her nature is soothing, not judgmental, kind, not hateful.

Line 2: At this point, Helen is dying. She is very sick, but she is at peace, believing she is going to heaven. She is assuring Jane of this.