Jane Eyre Review (I've Finally Finished it!!!!!!!!)

Is it any wonder this book as been shelved among the timeless classics? The two times I'd tried to read this book before I couldn't do it and now I don't know why. How many books can you read that leave you in an incredibly wonderful mood that lasts longer then just the few minutes after you've finished? How rare is it to find an author who can really evoke and stir raw, real, and pure emotion from you? How often do you find a book that is so true to what love is, what life is, and the mercy of God?

This is so much more then just a story. I don't even know what to call it. But this book . . . all while I was reading it, I couldn't help but think, "That is what love is! That is what love should be like!" Too much nowadays we read books and see movies that portray love as something that is - yes, good and wonderful, but for some reason also can't be achieved without first experiencing the physical half. Those stories lose so much! Jane Eyre is a pure, good novel that shows you what love really is. Never have I felt a story more then while reading this book. Love doesn't have to be physical or passionate in order to be real. It needs to be pure and true and good. Love perhaps is something we sometimes take for granted. Jane is someone who understands a life without love, but also she knows what a life with true love is. Not modern "TV love" so to speak, but real love. She knows and understands . . . so much.

Through all her trials, she remains with her unfailing faith. She had more right then many to falter, to murmur, to wonder what God wanted of her. Although she suffered so much, she always turned to God for relief and always did she somehow gain it. Not immediately or as you would expect, but it was given. This book portrays perfectly that rewards aren't given right away, but through diligence, perseverance, and patience, we will one day see the grace of God. Even Mr. Rochester who had just as much right to complain as Jane, learned and appreciated just as "his little fairy" did.

Also in this book is the sweetest, kindest, most angelic character ever written. I've read Jane's friendship with Helen Burns three times now and also have I (here comes a spoiler for those of you who have never read the book or seen the movie) read of her death. Each and every time, her unfailing gratitude and love amazed me. For someone who has always been treated ill by others, who was cast off by her father, and was robbed of the chance to live a full life, she never once complained. On the contrary, she was grateful. And she taught Jane so much. Jane wouldn't have been the amazing person she grew to be if it hadn't have been for Helen.

Now I'm beginning to ramble. Sorry. Suffice it to say, I've never read a book as wonderful, amazing, stirring, or romantic as this. As much as I love Jane Austen books, I'd still name Bronte's the greater romance. This is a book that I think everyone should read, even the men. It may just seem like some lame, boring classic that English teacher's may force you to read, but it's not. It is so much more then that. As strange as it may sound, not reading this, you really don't know what you'd be missing. This is an adventure all it's own.

Spiders

Don't you hate it when you walk into the bathroom and there's this huge spider just sitting on the floor staring at you? That's the worst. I went in to take a shower last night and a gianormous, hairy spider was just hanging out next to the counter. What's worse is this spider was smart. I was putting my pants back on so I could run to get a shoe when it scuttled into a crevice in a corner so I couldn't reach it. So I figured I should just take a shower and hope it came out by the time I was done. I put my clothes on the towel rack thing just in case.

I kept checking on it while I was showering to make sure it didn't decide to climb it and at one point it was very near the tub. However, when I climbed out of the shower, I couldn't find it anymore. It just sort of vanished. I was very careful where I stepped after that, which was lucky because by the time I was dressed again, I just happened to look at the carpet and there's Mr. Hugeo just sitting on the bathroom rug in which he blended in perfectly with. It freaked me out so bad. I think he was aware that I had found him, because I turned to get a towel and when I turned back he was scuttling away faster then I'd ever see him go. So I sort of kept one eye on that area while I finished up my nightly routine.

At one point, he did slowly crawl out from under the shower curtain and stood next to the rug. This was probably the most disturbing part of the night. This spider was so big that from my normal standing point I could see it's pincers just sort of wiggling around at it's mouth. Gross! At that point I just opened the door and ran to get my shoe. Now, understand I never kill big spiders. Ever. I always go and get Tyrel and make him kill them. I just can't do it. I don't like hearing the crunch. It's gross! I can kill baby one's just fine, but big one's . . . *shudder*. However, it was about 11:30 if not later at this point so Tyrel had been in bed for at least three hours. So it was down to me to kill it. Great . . .

I got back to the bathroom and Mr. Hugeo hadn't moved at all (except for maybe to wiggle his pincers some more and stretch his legs). With the shoe in my hand I started dreading what I was about to do. I mean, he was huge! Can you imagine what sort of mess he would make after being squashed? But I couldn't just let him live and wander the house because that'd be way worse. So I turned on the sink really high and flushed the toilet so I wouldn't be able to hear him die and then I threw my shoe at him.

And guess what? I missed. I swear the shoe landed on him, but I did close my eyes when it landed. Anyway, he went skittering away to a different edge of the rug where I threw my shoe at him again. Shocker, I missed again. This time he went under the rug. So I figured, "Yes, I've got him trapped now." So I was taking a break because for some reason this was really freaking me out when I just happen to look down and see Mr. Hugeo scurrying out from under the rug about half an inch from my foot and heading for it. I this was the freakiest moment of the night.

I jumped back and yelped really loud which must've freaked him out or something because he headed straight for under the counter where again, I couldn't reach him. I tried to coax him out by opening the bottom drawer, moving the rug, hitting the counter with my shoe, but he just sat there. At one point I thought I saw another spider walking towards him, but I'm pretty sure I imagined that. So, with him hanging out comfortably under the counter, and me unable to get to him, there wasn't much else I could do. I left my shoe on the counter top as a sort of warning to whoever used the bathroom first in the morning. And I figured they'd need something to kill Mr. Hugeo if they found him.

Man, I had to dispel for another twenty minutes to get spiders out of my head. I don't know why that particular experience scared me so bad, but man, it was so freaky! The whole time I was in my room I felt like there were spiders crawling on me or toward me. I felt like I was in the "Arachniphobia" movie. It was awful. I even had to say my prayer on my bed 'cause I was so scared that Mr. Hugeo would come in for a visit. *shudder* It was bad.

In the morning when Mom got me up for prayer, Kin was in her bathroom which meant she was going in for a shower and she asked me why my shoe was on the counter. So I told her about the spider which she was really not very happy about and then I went back to bed.

When I got back up about an hour ago I snuck in the bathroom very carefully to get my toothbrush and looked around. My shoe was now sitting on the rug where I assume (or just really really hope) Mr. Hugeo lies dead underneath. I was too scared to move it though. What if he was still alive and he went shooting out when I picked up my shoe? Or what if he was dead and there were bits of him splattered everywhere? Leck! I hate big spiders!