When Brocklehurst, the hypocritical clergyman, asks her what she must do to escape hell, she replies that she must 'keep in good health and not die,' and indeed that is a big part of her journey toward maturity and freedom. Again, the heroine is a spitfire who lashes out at her aunt, with good reason. But there is also some female kindness in this section in the figure of Bessie. Jane finds herself tossed from Gateshead, but glad to be rid of the Reeds. Now she must deal with the realities of a 'clergy daughters' school,' a place where these daughters are sent to be educated but too often find horror.
Color here seems to be gray.
The male figure is again Brocklehurst, who may be Bront 's working out of her anger at her father and all religious hypocrisy in her time, especially a Church that she felt neglected orphans. Bront is not necessarily advocating Helen's behavior, for her heroine is much her opposite, but there does seem to be authorial love and compassion for this tender, brilliant girl set up possibly as a protest against the treatment of children, especially girls, in her own time. But also the last name seems to indicate someone to, if not 'worship,' certainly look up to. It is Miss Temple who loves Helen and tries to protect her while also insisting she work up to her potential. When Helen dies, the blow is not only to Jane but also to Miss Temple.