Jane Eyre Quote Analysis

As Mrs. Reed lies dying and still refuses Jane's affection, Jane tells her aunt that she fully forgives her and urges her to seek God's forgiveness before death.

The parallelism of 'Love me, then, or hate me' gives Mrs. Reed equal permission for both responses, a rhetorical gesture that refuses to beg for affection and asserts Jane's indifference to her aunt's final judgment. The phrase 'full and free forgiveness' uses alliteration to make the offer sound complete and unconditional, while the shift to imperative—'ask now for God's'—positions Jane as moral authority, inverting the adult/child hierarchy of their past. She grants earthly forgiveness but points Mrs. Reed toward divine judgment, a move both merciful and subtly condemnatory.

Use this to argue that Jane's forgiveness is an assertion of power, not submission—by forgiving unilaterally and then directing Mrs. Reed to God, she claims moral superiority and positions herself as the one who bestows grace, completing her reversal of their former roles.