Discussed the low status of women in the Victorian era, where marriage became the primary means of female mobility. Charlotte Bronte portrayed Jane Eyre as an independent, free and equal woman in her novel Jane Eyre, breaking the stereotype of women and making the novel a protest novel. Charlotte is also known as a pioneer of feminism. The mainstream research in academia focuses on themes such as female images, marriage, and religion, but there is insufficient attention paid to the narrative of death in novels. Charlotte was shrouded in the shadow of death throughout her life, and her childhood close contact with the Grim Reaper is reflected in Jane Eyre, with death becoming an important theme. Since the 21st century, the non-human turn has received attention, and non-human narratives have emerged. Charlotte incorporates supernatural elements into her novel, imbuing the text with non-human narrative features. This article will focus on the death narrative and non-human narrative in Jane Eyre, analyze the thematic connotations, and reveal Charlotte's artistic creation ideas.

Death narrative as an implicit process

In Jane Eyre, the narrative of death runs parallel to Jane's theme of growth as an implicit process throughout the book. The word 'death' appears 58 times in the novel, parallel to Jane's theme of independent female growth. The implicit process is the narrative undercurrent behind the development of the plot, which has various interactive relationships with the plot development. The theme of death mainly focuses on the five stages of Jane's growth: symbolic death of spirit and body in the Red House, Helen's early death, Mrs. Reed's death, Mr. Love's death, and Bertha's suicide. Jane's parents passed away shortly after her birth, leaving her an orphan. At Gateshead House, Jane was subjected to insults and abuse, especially her cousin John Reed. Jane was imprisoned in the Red House for resisting John and experienced physical and mental abuse. The experience of the Red House foreshadowed the deaths of Helen and Bertha, and Jane's self growth must overcome the contradiction between the spiritual and physical poles. At Lowood School, Jane experienced her second mental torment, with Helen's death metaphorically referring to the death of Victorian era social rules. Jane's self growth was inseparable from the strangulation of her image as an "angel at home". At Thornfield House, Mrs. Reed's death made Jane aware of her uncle's love for Mr., and she let go of her hatred and yearned for reconciliation. Mr. Ai's death gave Jane wealth and family affection, showcasing her noble personality charm. Bertha's suicide cleared the way for Jane to return to Rochester and meant killing the 'devil in the flesh'. The death narrative has become an undeniable narrative undercurrent that runs through the explicit plot of Jane's self growth. Charlotte uses the death narrative to resist the patriarchal society and disintegrate the Victorian patriarchal society.

2. Non human narrative that drives explicit plot

Explored the role of Charlotte Bronte's non-human narrative in driving explicit plot development in Jane Eyre. According to structuralist narratology, non-human narratives are divided into story level and discourse level, and Jane Eyre mainly showcases non-human narratives in the story level. Charlotte drives the development of the plot and Jane Eyre's self growth through three non-human narrative types - ghost and ghost imagination narrative, fairy narrative, and supernatural voice narrative. In the Red House, Jane's imagination of ghosts and spirits caused her to become mentally unstable and eventually escape imprisonment. Fairy narrative helps Jane find a job and escape the constraints of a patriarchal society. The supernatural voice narrative freed Jane from the control of St. John and brought her back to Rochester, avoiding self alienation. These non-human narratives not only drive the plot forward, but also reflect Jane's dilemma of pursuing independence, freedom, and equality in Victorian society, reflecting the author's skepticism towards women's social mobility. Charlotte uses these innovative narrative strategies to showcase Jane's process of growing into an independent woman, while also resisting the oppression of Victorian patriarchal society.

3 Conclusion

Charlotte Bronte explores the challenges of women's self growth and social mobility through death and non-human narratives in Jane Eyre. The death narrative metaphorically depicts Jane's process of breaking free from the constraints of patriarchal society, spiritual revival, and physical liberation, parallel to the narrative of female growth. Non human narratives such as ghosts, spirits, fairies, and supernatural voices help Jane escape the captivity and alienation of a patriarchal society, reflecting the author's hidden concerns about women's pursuit of freedom and equality. These narrative strategies reveal the prerequisites for Victorian women's self growth and social mobility, while also reflecting Charlotte's disintegration and helplessness towards reality in the field of art.