"This room was chill, because it seldom had a fire; it was silent, because remote from the nursery and kitchens; solemn, because it was known to be so seldom entered" (Bronte 13).
Jane Eyre:
Mrs. Reed (Aunt)
Eliza, John, Georgiana Reed (cousins)
Bessie (housekeeper/nanny)
Harry Potter:
Vernon and Petunia Dursley (uncle and aunt)
Dudley Dursley (cousin)
Mrs. Fig (neighbor)
Harry Potter, the fictional wizard character of J. K. Rowling, has an almost identical childhood of Jane's. She grows up in the care of her Aunt alongside her three cousins after her parents die. As you most know, Harry's parents were killed by Lord Voldemort around the same age. They both have nasty cousins who try their hardest at bringing them down physically and emotionally, Dudley Dursley for Harry, and John Reed for Jane. Also both have someone that is looking out for them, Mrs. Fig and Bessie. Bessie treats Jane the nicest out of everyone in the household as well as Mrs. Fig does when Harry is sent over, because he is not allowed to join everyone else. Though there are many small similarities, a subtle but very crucial comparison between the two stories, is the small rooms that each are locked in when they are to be punished. Jane is locked inside the "red room" of her deceased uncle, which for a ten year old can be quite traumatic. It is barely entered by anyone in the house except for the occasional servant or maid. Jane's cousin provokes her to attack by throwing a book at her head. Juxtapose that to the reptile incident in the first Harry Potter book, where Harry is locked inside his "cupboard under the stairs" (Rowling) because he accidentally removes the glass from the snake cage and traps Dudley inside. Both of these incidents become turning point for each characters, it starts the process for each to leave their family's residence and travel to school, Lowood and Hogwarts. Their lives are never the same after these occurrences, Jane becomes knowledgable about her situation and takes the first opportunity to get out.
Mrs. Reed (Aunt)
Eliza, John, Georgiana Reed (cousins)
Bessie (housekeeper/nanny)
Harry Potter:
Vernon and Petunia Dursley (uncle and aunt)
Dudley Dursley (cousin)
Mrs. Fig (neighbor)
Harry Potter, the fictional wizard character of J. K. Rowling, has an almost identical childhood of Jane's. She grows up in the care of her Aunt alongside her three cousins after her parents die. As you most know, Harry's parents were killed by Lord Voldemort around the same age. They both have nasty cousins who try their hardest at bringing them down physically and emotionally, Dudley Dursley for Harry, and John Reed for Jane. Also both have someone that is looking out for them, Mrs. Fig and Bessie. Bessie treats Jane the nicest out of everyone in the household as well as Mrs. Fig does when Harry is sent over, because he is not allowed to join everyone else. Though there are many small similarities, a subtle but very crucial comparison between the two stories, is the small rooms that each are locked in when they are to be punished. Jane is locked inside the "red room" of her deceased uncle, which for a ten year old can be quite traumatic. It is barely entered by anyone in the house except for the occasional servant or maid. Jane's cousin provokes her to attack by throwing a book at her head. Juxtapose that to the reptile incident in the first Harry Potter book, where Harry is locked inside his "cupboard under the stairs" (Rowling) because he accidentally removes the glass from the snake cage and traps Dudley inside. Both of these incidents become turning point for each characters, it starts the process for each to leave their family's residence and travel to school, Lowood and Hogwarts. Their lives are never the same after these occurrences, Jane becomes knowledgable about her situation and takes the first opportunity to get out.