Hypocrisy in Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte presents a strong religious motif early on in Jane Eyre with the introduction of Mr. Brocklehurst, the landlord and headmaster of the boarding school that Jane is sent to as a child. He is one of the first people that Jane meets in the novel with a religious force that seems to power him through his daily life. He claims to be a religious man, but his actions and motives tell otherwise. Although the poor, orphaned girls at the school are suffering from a lack of an adequate food supply and efficient clothing, Mr. Brocklehurst continues to make money from the school and provides only the necessities to keep the girls alive. Christians are generally seen as charitable people with a strong moral fiber, but Bronte’s portrayal of Mr. Brocklehurst proves that religion is not always equivalent to morality. Because of this, Bronte is able to use Mr. Brocklehurst’s duplicitous personality to shed light on the hypocrisy of the Christian faith.
Mr. Brocklehurst often incites Jane as a deceitful liar. He tells Mrs. Temple and the other teachers in the school that she cannot be trusted, as he learned from her aunt, Mrs. Reed. The irony of this situation is the fact that Mr. Brocklehurst cannot be trusted. He often refers to Jane as a product of the devil, suggesting his Christian faith. Jane has not taken anything from the school or committed a single act that could be viewed as evil. Mr. Brocklehurst, however, has taken a great sum of money from the school. If anyone possesses demonic qualities, it is not Jane, but, instead, Mr. Brocklehurst.
In 19th century England, the Christian faith was seen as the core of morality. Those who had faith in God were automatically believed to be genuine, good-natured people. Charlotte Bronte contradicts this idea with the character of Mr. Brocklehurst, who takes money that could be used for needy schoolgirls for his own benefit. This portrayal shows that Christianity is not the root of morality. With this, Bronte proves that virtue is not synonymous with religion, and those who lack religion can still be moral people.