In the words of countless librarians, adults, parents, guardians, peers, and teachers: don’t judge a book by its cover. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte truly takes these overused words to heart, in terms of its characters. For example, Jane Eyre is introduced as a plain, self-described “ugly” governess, but her deeper beautiful personality weaves her intricate, meaningful tale. In a Victorian society where physical beauty is highly valued, this novel criticizes that obsession by creating unattractive well-rounded characters, as well as attractive narrow characters. As well as demonstrating a radical way of thinking, for the time, the novel also teaches us important lessons on valuing others. Using the characters’ relationships between their personalities…show more content… “Most true is it that 'beauty is in the eye of the gazer.' My master’s colourless, olive face, square, massive brow, broad and jetty eyebrows, deep eyes, strong features, firm, grim mouth, ... were not beautiful, according to rule; but they were more than beautiful to me; they were full of an interest, an influence that quite mastered me, — that took my feelings from my own power and fettered them in his. I had not intended to love him; the reader knows I had wrought hard to extirpate from my soul the germs of love there detected; and now, at the first renewed view of him, they spontaneously arrived, green and strong! He made me love him without looking at me.” Rochester, with his “massive brow”, “jetty eyebrows”, deep set eyes, and “colourless, olive” skin would certainly not be considered attractive in the Victorian Era, but he is also almost excitingly masculine. He has strong, powerful features: features that influence Jane, that strongly take power over her. Using harsh opinions on his appearance, but still acknowledging the goodness she sees in him, Jane helps Rochester seem more real. Jane doesn’t base all her opinions on Rochester on his appearance; she describes how his features make her feel, rather than stating “he is ugly, and that is bad, and that is all I am going to think of him.” Another example is found when Rochester is ordering