Jane, to me, falls victim of many circumstances out of her control. Relating to this feeling, as we are all trying to do, is really not that difficult. Foremost, the idea of being mistreated so harshly by ones family is unfathomable to me, but I can relate on how my grandfather was treated by his own. To this day my 94 year old grandfather who lives in a tiny village in India refuses to speak to his two brothers and their families who live literally two doors away. The specifics of the falling out are insignificant, but rather the importance lies with how humans cope with such feelings. For him the only answer was to push people away as soon as he was capable of doing so ¿ and doing so forever. For Jane, the problems do not lie solely within the walls of her ¿home,¿ but rather extend by the stories Mrs. Reed spreads about her being a ¿liar.¿ From the start Jane is told that she is below her family and in fact she should be happy to be raised so close to them. She must remember, ¿They will have a great deal of money and you will have none: it is your place to be humble, and try to make yourself agreeable to them.¿ (7) She is treated terribly, and therefore cannot stray from the opinion that her aunt is ¿a hard hearted, bad woman.¿ (52) If simply given the description of how she is raised and treated by her aunt, I would imagine Jane Eyre to be a fragile, weak, and dependent girl, not near the strong persona that Charlotte Bronte makes her. Jane, despite her aunt, still progresses into one who can see that ¿life had its gleams of sunshine.¿ (33) Much of how we create ourselves is based on attitude and if you allow yourself to be affected by others. Obviously Jane goes through a great deal of hardship, but the simple matter that she can see the positive speaks volumes about her character. The introduction of Miss Temple into her life plays a great role, which I can relate to greatly. Positive role models can be a huge factor, especially when someone feels surrounded by negative images of themselves. Jane is dealing with Mr. Brocklehurst¿s speech to her peers which is a terrible blow to her self image, but Miss Temple allows her to speak for herself and therefore gain back some confidence. The greatest way to build confidence is not by how other judge you, but how you judge yourself. During high school I experienced a great deal of self doubt, mostly when I got caught up in how others saw me. You work so hard to live up to someone else¿s image of you, that you forget who you want to be for yourself. When I stopped to realize who I had become was who I wanted to be, my self confidence rose immensely. Perception of yourself is often unclear until you take the time to overlook others irrational views. Jane, to me, represents a woman with options and intelligence which if used properly and effectively will take her anywhere.