Charlotte Bronte portrays the story of a young woman named Jane Eyre in the book Jane Eyre. The title character has a very tough life with many struggles to overcome. In her childhood, she was mistreated and abused by her aunt and cousins, at Gateshead Manor, after her uncle died, and she also lived an impoverished life in a school called Lowood Institution, a type of charity school for girls. After she is grown, she leaves Lowood to become a governess at a place called Thornfield Hall. She falls in love with her employer, but finds out that she cannot marry him.
Jane's parents died when she was young. She can't even remember them. She lived with her uncle and his family; but when her uncle died, her aunt did not want to care for her. She was little better than a servant. One day her cousin, John Reed, starts teasing her that she is an orphan and that she is only able to live with the Reed's because of his mother's charity. He then threw a book at her head, and Jane erupted. "The volume was flung, it hit me, and I fell, striking my head against the door and cutting it. The cut bled, the pain was sharp: my terror had passed its climax; other feelings succeeded."" (Chapter 1) They got into a fight, which Jane was blamed and punished for. " Take her away to the red-room, and lock her in there. Four hands were immediately laid upon me, and I was borne upstairs."" (Chapter 1) In this first part of the book, Jane shows herself to be strong-minded. Even though all is blamed on her, she tries to help herself, albeit she knows there is no hope.
Soon after this incident, Jane is sent to a charity school for girls, called Lowood Institution. At this school there are many deprivations. They have little food, poor sewing utensils, and they have to live very humble lives. The cruel master of Lowood, Mr. Brocklehurst, would not allow the girls at the school to have any luxuries. They couldn't be in any sense fashionable, such as having curly hair.