I am no bird; and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will.
Charlotte Brontë Jane Eyre, Chapter XXIII (1847)
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When and why it was written
- When
- From Jane Eyre, published in 1847.
- Why
- Jane says it to Rochester when she believes he is about to marry someone else.
What it means
Jane claims her freedom at the moment she has least power. Her independence is not a mood; it is a decision.
The line has been read by generations as a declaration of self-respect.
Our reading of the passage cited above, not a quotation from a commentary.
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Jane Eyre, 1847
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