I’m reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, one of those beloved classics I’ve never got to before. This quote from early in the book, as the young Jane curls up at night, really got to me:
“To this crib I always took my doll; human beings must love something, and, in the dearth of worthier objects of affection, I contrived to find a pleasure in loving and cherishing a faded graven image, shabby as a miniature scarecrow.”
This quote really struck home for me. From my childhood soft toys, to the teddy bear my ex and I bought after a miscarriage, to the way I talk to my cat, a lot of my behaviour reflects a need to love something. Not just in the abstract sense, but in the concrete sense of expressing that love and feeling better for it. To me, it’s one of the most basic and important instincts.
Do you have any moments from books like that, brief flashes that shine light on your own life? And are you feeling brave enough to share them? If you are, please share in the comments – I’d be fascinated to read them.
