I’ve been a major fan of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre for years. I like it all—the atmosphere, the bizarre secrets, and the characters—from the sadistic Mrs. Reed to the brooding Mr. Rochester. Most of all, I like the main character, Jane.
Jane Eyre is my literary superhero for several reasons. She’s dealt a fairly miserable hand at the beginning of this novel. As a child, she’s a penniless, abused orphan living with relatives who don’t want or even like her. Circumstances that would make many wallow in self misery drive Jane in a different direction—she fights.
Jane has conviction. In an age when most women were voiceless, Jane makes sure that hers is heard loud and clear. As a child, she rages and stands up for herself. As an adult, she challenges social conventions to get what she wants.
Jane has conviction. In an age when most women were voiceless, Jane makes sure that hers is heard loud and clear. As a child, she rages and stands up for herself. As an adult, she challenges social conventions to get what she wants.
Do you have a literary superhero? Join our adult summer reading program, and tell us about it.
Here’s what some of our patrons are saying about their literary superheroes:
In J.D. Robb’s Naked in Death, “Eve Dallas is a New York detective with a strong will and a determination for justice . . . Eve doesn’t let anyone stand in her way of finding the killer/killers, even if it means facing some very powerful people.”
-JH
Clive Cussler’s The Wrecker features detective Isaac Bell and has “adventure, trains, travel, and mystery.”
– CS
Clayton Harris, the main character in Don Wright’s The Last Plantation, “did not allow society to dictate his actions . . . Harris didn’t give in to [the] rules of society.”
-RR
Anyone can be a superhero, even your favorite fictional character!