Lucie Kacerova D00250655
Adaptation of the ending of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
In this essay, we will take a look at the adaptation of the ending. Specifically, I will compare
the ending in the novel Jane Eyre and the adaptation from 2011 directed by Cary Fukunaga.
The main focus is going to be on how writers can allow themselves to take a longer description
that leads to an ending and conclusion. Versus how the director and scriptwriter deal with such
a challenge without taking away the author's message and intentions? In relation to this, we
will also consider the changes that were made. And specifically what and why was made
differently. The approach must be completely different. As the audience expects a conclusion,
but not such that will take an eternity and is not open with hanging uncertainty. It also needs to
be satisfying, which both, the novel and the film, are trying to reach in different ways, and
whether it is or it is not successful I will compare in the essay.
“Jane Eyre is a classic novel that explores a variety of themes - love, independence, morality,
and social class through a strong independent female protagonist. The novel is written in a
realist style, with vivid descriptions of nature, a focus on character development, and
psychological insight. It was published in 1847 during a period of significant social and
political change in England.” (Brontë, 2010, v-vii). It is aimed primarily at middle-class
women, who were expected to adhere to strict social norms and moral codes. The novel was
intended to challenge these norms. While some aspects of the novel may be challenging to
adapt, like the complex psychological and emotional dynamics between the characters, the
internal dialogues or make the visual replicas of nature and buildings believable. But its realist
style and focus on plot development make it well-suited for adaptation and easily approachable
for the director. The ending of the novel is somewhere in between, the conclusion of the novel
is clear which is good for easy filming. On the other side, we have really long dialogues and
sequences of scenes that are really long and are making their way to the ending really slowly.
This book could be described as a slow burn in modern terms, where you have the whole love
relationship and story unfolding and developing at a slow pace.
The 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre directed by Cary Fukunaga takes a faithful approach to
the novel. With a focus on the novel's realist style and characters. However, the film makes
some adjustments to the story and its themes to make it more suitable for screen and the
audience. One of the key changes made in the film is the decision to emphasize the Gothic
elements of the novel, particularly the Thornfield Hall is darker and more mysterious to play
on feelings and gives a more outstanding role for the main couple. The dark feature and sort of
depressed vibe are emphasized more and less throughout the whole movie. At the end,
Thornfield burnt down, which we could potentially see as a metaphor for destroying the place
where everything and bad was hidden. “Towards the ending, we can notice that the light shifted
to the warm tones and the music is gentle.” (Fukunaga, 2011). The biggest change that is based
for my research is that the film leaves out the final dialogues and process of reunion. It may be
probably to emphasize the love connection or not bother viewers with this long finish. And that
will be my main focus in the essay, which will take a whole exploration of the book and movie,
that do build up to the final conclusion. The film provides a visually striking and emotionally
engaging cinematic experience. The casting of Mia Wasikowska as Jane and Michael
Fassbender as Rochester captures the characters' emotional depth and chemistry, but they are
also more pleasant to look at than the actual characters in the novel.
The ending in the movie is very short and not explained in detail. We can see the story is getting
to the conclusion at the point when Jane decides to return to Thornfield. “Arriving at the burn-
down ruin and finding Miss Fairfax who substituted old John and Mary from the book she is
1
Adaptation of the ending of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
In this essay, we will take a look at the adaptation of the ending. Specifically, I will compare
the ending in the novel Jane Eyre and the adaptation from 2011 directed by Cary Fukunaga.
The main focus is going to be on how writers can allow themselves to take a longer description
that leads to an ending and conclusion. Versus how the director and scriptwriter deal with such
a challenge without taking away the author's message and intentions? In relation to this, we
will also consider the changes that were made. And specifically what and why was made
differently. The approach must be completely different. As the audience expects a conclusion,
but not such that will take an eternity and is not open with hanging uncertainty. It also needs to
be satisfying, which both, the novel and the film, are trying to reach in different ways, and
whether it is or it is not successful I will compare in the essay.
“Jane Eyre is a classic novel that explores a variety of themes - love, independence, morality,
and social class through a strong independent female protagonist. The novel is written in a
realist style, with vivid descriptions of nature, a focus on character development, and
psychological insight. It was published in 1847 during a period of significant social and
political change in England.” (Brontë, 2010, v-vii). It is aimed primarily at middle-class
women, who were expected to adhere to strict social norms and moral codes. The novel was
intended to challenge these norms. While some aspects of the novel may be challenging to
adapt, like the complex psychological and emotional dynamics between the characters, the
internal dialogues or make the visual replicas of nature and buildings believable. But its realist
style and focus on plot development make it well-suited for adaptation and easily approachable
for the director. The ending of the novel is somewhere in between, the conclusion of the novel
is clear which is good for easy filming. On the other side, we have really long dialogues and
sequences of scenes that are really long and are making their way to the ending really slowly.
This book could be described as a slow burn in modern terms, where you have the whole love
relationship and story unfolding and developing at a slow pace.
The 2011 film adaptation of Jane Eyre directed by Cary Fukunaga takes a faithful approach to
the novel. With a focus on the novel's realist style and characters. However, the film makes
some adjustments to the story and its themes to make it more suitable for screen and the
audience. One of the key changes made in the film is the decision to emphasize the Gothic
elements of the novel, particularly the Thornfield Hall is darker and more mysterious to play
on feelings and gives a more outstanding role for the main couple. The dark feature and sort of
depressed vibe are emphasized more and less throughout the whole movie. At the end,
Thornfield burnt down, which we could potentially see as a metaphor for destroying the place
where everything and bad was hidden. “Towards the ending, we can notice that the light shifted
to the warm tones and the music is gentle.” (Fukunaga, 2011). The biggest change that is based
for my research is that the film leaves out the final dialogues and process of reunion. It may be
probably to emphasize the love connection or not bother viewers with this long finish. And that
will be my main focus in the essay, which will take a whole exploration of the book and movie,
that do build up to the final conclusion. The film provides a visually striking and emotionally
engaging cinematic experience. The casting of Mia Wasikowska as Jane and Michael
Fassbender as Rochester captures the characters' emotional depth and chemistry, but they are
also more pleasant to look at than the actual characters in the novel.
The ending in the movie is very short and not explained in detail. We can see the story is getting
to the conclusion at the point when Jane decides to return to Thornfield. “Arriving at the burn-
down ruin and finding Miss Fairfax who substituted old John and Mary from the book she is
1
