ronment for Abraham,much like Lowood Institution is a hostile environment for Jane. The living conditions that Jane has to endure during her earlyyears at Lowood are deplorable. The cheap quality of the clothes, the small quantity of food served, and the physical andemotional abuse Jane receives would be enough to cause anyone to lose his or her faith in God. Mr. Brocklehurst will testJane's faith in God when he has Jane stand on a stool in the middle of the schoolroom, and proclaims: "Teachers, you mustwatch her: keep your eyes on her movements, weigh well her words, scrutinise her actions, punish her body to save her soul:if, indeed such salvation be possible, the girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who saysits prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut--this girl is--a lair!" (Bront 58). Abraham did not lose his faith in God,nor did Jane lose her faith in God: "I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer ..." (Bront 74). Bront also uses the scripture to foreshadow another event that occured while Jane was away at Lowood Institution. Mrs.Reed received a letter from Jane's Uncle John stating that he wished to make Jane his heir. Mrs. Reed tells him that Jane isdead, thus causing Jane to be disinherited. Although Mrs. Reed is not Jane's mother, Mrs. Reed had made a promise to herdying husband to "raise and maintain" Jane as one of her own children (Bront 13). Her broken promise is foreshadowed withthe January 19th lesson in The Book of Common Prayer. That day was the date of Jane's departure from Gateshead Halland the beginning of her journey to Lowood Institution. The lesson of evening prayer for January 19th is taken from GenesisXXVII to verse 30, which tells the story of a mother scheming to disinherit her son Esau (Bolt 3). November 5th is another calendar date mentioned, but the next day, November 6th is the day of importance. On November6th Jane learns ...
