Jane Eyre: The Theme of Deception and Dishonesty"'The marriage cannot go on: I declare the existence of an impediment'" (306). Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is the story of an orphaned girl who is sent to live at Gateshead Hall with Mrs Reed and her three cousins, with whom Jane does not get on. At the age of ten, Mrs. Reed sends Jane to Lowood Institution, a girls' school, where she spends the next eight years of her life. At the age of eighteen, Jane leaves Lowood and accepts the position of governess at Thornfield Hall. Mr. Rochester, the owner of Thornfield Hall, and Jane fall madly in love and plan to marry, but Jane does not know that Mr. Rochester has a terrible secret that could ruin Jane's life. Throughout the novel, the theme of deception and dishonesty causes unhappiness and suffering not only for those who are lied to, but also for those people who perpetuate the falsehoods. At the beginning of Jane Eyre, Mrs. Reed tells the owner of the Lowood Institution, Mr. Brocklehurst, that Jane has "'a bad temper, a deceitful temper; and let all at Lowood know what [she] is, and what [she] has done'" (34). Jane already despises Mrs. Reed for treating her so badly, but now she is enraged. If Mr. Brocklehurst describes Jane as Mrs. Reed tells him to, Jane will never make friends at Lowood because all the children will fear her. Jane reacts by telling her aunt, "'I'm glad you're no relation to me. I'll never call you aunt again as long as I live. I'll never come to see you when I grow up; and if anyone asks me how much I liked you, and how I you treated me, I will say that the mere thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty'" (33). Jane...middle of the paper...ugh in the end Jane and Mr Rochester get married, Jane is an emotionally broken character who has to look deep inside herself to do what's best for her. This happens to people every day. They are hurt by dishonesty and deception. It can ruin their lives unless they commit to being honest with themselves and those around them. Bibliography Fraser, Rebecca. The Brontes. 1st ed. New York: Crown Publishers, 1988. Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. 3rd ed. New York: The Modern Library. Bronte, Charlotte. "Letters of Charlotte Bronte". New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1971.Diedrick, James. Newman on the Gentleman.http://www.stg.brown.edu/projects/hypertext/landow/victorian/vn/victor10.html.Diedrick, James. Jane Eyre and a vindication of women's rights.http://spider.albion.edu/fac/engl/diedrick/jeyre1.htm.