Spirituality on Jane Eyre, the Scarlet Letter and Sula

Spirituality is a central component of the human experience. It pertains to one's relationship with the Higher Being or God. It is being in touch with the inner self as opposed to being religious which is concerned on external ceremonies.

The story Jane Eyre, The Scarlet Letter and Sula all have lessons about different degrees of spirituality woven into them. All three stories depict spirituality but present it differently.

Jane Eyre, the leading character of the novel, is a spiritual person. But the spiritual aspect of the story is best exemplified by Helen, an orphan Jane befriended at Lowood school. Jane's friendship with Helen enables us to see the contrast between her and her friend's state of spirituality. She described Helen as refined and puts emphasis on her spiritual nature. She belives that the beauty of Helen;s eyes is not due to its physical attributes but more on the radiance in them “her soul sat on her lips, and language flowed . . . [with] pure, full, fervid eloquence.” 


Helen was not afraid of how people's opinion of her. All that matters to her is her relationship with God. On deathbed, Helen confesses that she doesn't have loved ones since her father remarried. That is why she is not afraid of death. She is actually looking forward to it so she could meet the “mighty Universal Parent”. In Chapter Nine, we see a glimpse of Helen's deep spirituality. She does not belong to the earthly world that gives her no love and slim chances for a better future. Helen's resilience enables her face death with dignity. At the same time the courage Jane showed her enables her to live life with enthusiasm. Jane, on the other hand, could not comprehend Helen's insights. For her, heaven is earth and she could not put her faith entirely in God.

The Scarlet letter is probably the antithesis to spirituality. Actually, it is a lesson of spirituality that can be gleaned from a negative situation. In Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we see a New World community practicing their strong Puritan beliefs. Puritans patterned their laws and ways of life after the bible. The unfortunate circumstance that befell on the story's main character, Hester Prynne, was not spared from its religious and spiritual connotations. 

Hester Prynne as the story goes, committed adultery and is made to wear a Scarlet Letter “A” on the chest of her garments. We see the entire story laced with Puritan teachings. As a matter of fact it was central to the story's theme. In the Scarlet Letter, we see a kind of spirituality that is closely linked to religious practices. And people were quite unforgiving despite their claims to be spiritual. It was Hester actually that seemed to radiate spirituality as she accepted her punishment with her head held high. She won the townsfolk's respect later through her goodness and willingness to help.

Sula revolves around character of the same name. Sula is probably the least spiritual among the characters in all three stories. Sula lives in the moment. She offers no excuses. No apologies for who she is. In short, she lives life as the opportunity presents. Morrison depicts Sula as a person that “had no center, no speck around which to grow”. Her life is an open book that borders on danger.

She has her faults- plenty of them. She watches her mother burn. She leaves her grandmother to a nursing home. She accidentally kills Chicken Little. And she sleeps with Nel's, her bestfriend, husband. But one thing Sula does not do is being untrue to herself. Morrison describes her as “She was completely free of ambition, with no affection for money, property or things, no greed, no desire to command attention or compliments-no ego.” 

Sula is not concerned with the life hereafter. She is more of the "here and now" person. Her independent spirit allows her to be free of the shackles of tradition. For instance, she rejects the idea that the woman is meant to be married, raise children, go into labor and be in pain. The women of the Bottom could not understand Sula and dislike her intensively. They actually unconsciously hate themselves because Sula made it plain to them how dreadful their lives have become by following conventions.

Sula's spirituality may not be as obvious as the others. But by being herself she has achieved almost the same feat. Morrison likens Sula's birthmark to a rose. In so doing, he recognizes the fact that by being herself, she has achieved the most important virtue a spiritually evolved person has.