I told you I am independent, sir, as well as rich: I am my own mistress.
Chapter 37 · Jane Eyre
Context
Jane repeats and expands her assertion of independence when Rochester questions what she means by calling herself independent.
Analysis
The phrase 'my own mistress' is startling in its double meaning: Jane claims both self-ownership (no one else is her master) and sexual autonomy (she is mistress to no one). The pairing of 'independent' with 'rich' makes explicit that financial freedom is what enables her self-mastery. The repetition of 'I am' in two consecutive independent clauses enacts the independence she's describing—each clause stands alone, needs no support.
Essay Tip
Use this to argue that Brontë engineers the plot to give Jane economic power specifically so she can enter marriage without becoming property—the word 'mistress' rewrites the term from sexual subordination to self-sovereignty.