Jane Eyre: INTJ
Ni: Jane is a natural planner – whenever something happens to her or circumstances change, her instinctive response is to think of how to act at once (Te) and how to provide for the immediate future (Ni) (for example when Mrs Temple marries and she wants to leave Lowood, when it seems that Mr Rochester is going to marry Blanche Ingram, when she finds out that Mr Rochester is already married, or when she recovers from her wanderings). She’s very intuitive and sensitive to presentiments, dread, and she trusts her gut feeling. She’s also inclined to pursue mysteries, however, she can jump to conclusions in trying to solve something - for example when she takes the notion to her head that Grace Poole is responsible for the mysterious attacks and strange sounds at night. She doesn’t think of any other possibilities once she thinks this to be the truth. Jane is interested in the deeper truths of life, she’s curious to explore anything, be it through the means of reading, painting, observing, or talking to someone (Ni-Se). Especially observing is something she’s very good at; reading people with a great amount of intuition (shown, for example, when she’s watching the guests at Thornfield and how they interact with each, how Mr Rochester interacts with Blanche Ingram, or when she studies the characters of her new family). Jane is highly idealistic and entertains very modern ideas for her time – the equality of women to men, of poor people to rich people, and the rights of children. Like many INxxs she has a tendency to end up feeling trapped inside her own head, and she longs for more action in her life.
Te: Jane always wants to put her plans and ideas into action instantly – she doesn’t hesitate or procrastinate, but instead holds herself under a tight discipline and acts as soon as she has made a decision (for example when she decides to leave Lowood, she forces herself to come up with a way of how to find another place, and won’t allow herself to sleep before she does). She has a firm hold on her feelings and only expresses them at times of stress (how actively she holds down her feelings is shown in her first reaction to the news of Mr Rochester probably going to marry Blanche Ingram – she forces herself to draw pictures of herself and an imagined Blanche, to emphasise how unfounded her feelings are.) (Te-Fi). As she says of herself, she is very inquisitive and analytical (“She had a turn for narrative, I for analysis; she liked to inform, I to question;”) – she studies the people around her and silently judges them, avidly asking questions when she’s permitted to (Ni-Te). Jane is both stubborn and proud, refusing to do anything that doesn’t make sense to her or that would embarrass her (shown, for example, when Mr Rochester expects her to talk merely for the sake of talking, or when he tries to draw her out disguised as a gypsy). She also takes great care to only accept what she deems to have earned herself, for example when she refuses to accept 50 pounds from Mr Rochester for her journey, or when she leaves the pearl necklace at Thornfield when she flees. However, she appears more stern and judgemental on the outside than she really is on the inside (“…you are not naturally austere, any more than I am naturally vicious.”) (her function stack being judging, but her first and last function perceiving). She is very direct and doesn’t sugar-coat her words – she is bluntly honest.
Fi: Though under tight check, Jane has very intense emotions on the inside (“I was going to say, impassioned: but perhaps you would have misunderstood the word, and been displeased. I mean that human affections and sympathies have a most powerful hold on you.”). Her passionate nature is shown in her childhood experiences, when she was driven to extremes. Later on, as she says, she learns to control her feelings and to be more patient – she hides her emotions so well, that Mr Rochester thinks it necessary to go to eccentric measures to find out what she feels for him. She tends to express her emotions only under great stress, for example when Mr Rochester tricks her into believing that she has to leave Thornfield because of his impeding marriage to Blanche Ingram, when she’s pressured by Mr Rochester before fleeing from Thornfield, or during her wanderings. She has a strong sense of justice and need for independence (“I am no bird and no net ensnares me.”), which flare up whenever she feels pressured or unjustly treated. She holds fast to personal convictions in times of need, which are absolute truths to her (Ni-Fi). Though blunt and uncompromising in every-day life, Jane tends to become very soft and sensitive when people whom she loves mistreat or betray her (shown, for example, on the occasions when she sees the necessity of leaving Mr Rochester, when she finds out about his secret, or when St John holds a grudge against her for not marrying him).
Se: Usually Jane is very prudent and careful, but she can be impulsive and act without thinking. The best example is when she leaves Thornfield – she doesn’t plan methodically as it is her habit, but acts rashly and without any idea where she could go (and forgetting her belongings in the coach). She’s acting completely out of a present impulse and emotion (Se+Fi). This is also how she acted when she was locked into the red room in her childhood. She has a tendency to end up feeling restless when left much alone and not having much physical work (for example when she first lives at Thornfield before Mr Rochester’s arrival, or afterwards when she lives as school mistress). She also has a playful side, shown, for example, in her enjoyment of bantering with Mr Rochester, or her readiness to try out unknown, new things. She can keep a cool head and act quickly in a strange, new, and scary situation, for example in the night when she is woken by Mr Mason’s screams or when she hears a strange laugh and finds Mr Rochester’s bed on fire (Te+Se).