Canterbury Tales & Jane Eyre: Question #3

"One afternoon (I had then been three weeks at Lowood), as I was sitting with a slate in my hand, puzzling over a sum in long division, my eyes, raised in abstraction to the window, caught sight of a figure just passing: I recognised almost instinctively that gaunt outline; and when, two minutes after, all the school, teachers included, rose en masse, it was not necessary for me to look up in order to ascertain whose entrance they thus greeted. A long stride measured the schoolroom, and presently beside Miss Temple, who herself had risen, stood the same black column which had frowned on me so ominously from the hearthrug of Gateshead. I now glanced sideways at this piece of architecture. Yes, I was right: it was Mr. Brocklehurst, buttoned up in a surtout, and looking longer, narrower, and more rigid than ever." -Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre 

In the selected chapter from Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, Bronte employs a stylistic use of imagery to introduce the character of Mr. Brocklehurst. This imagery takes on a rather architectural lens: describing physical characteristics that neglect to acknowledge the the character's status as a human being. Taking away Mr. Brocklebury's  mortality  underscores his nonconformity with human nature early on. In the passage above, Jane first predicts the arrival of Mr. Brocklehurst after seeing a "gaunt outline" pass the window of her classroom. Diction in this case, such as "gaunt", establishes a grim foundation for Mr. Brocklehurst from the get-go; his presence is essentially bleak in nature. As a result, the development of his character is retarded to a low level of empathy for others, unlike what is expected of humanity. 

Once Jane's prediction is proved accurate, she then compares Mr. Brocklehurst's appearance to that of a "black column". A dark color, black suggests that Mr. Brocklebury is both a powerful and serious individual. Furthermore, a column is straight by definition and can therefore appeal to logic; Mr. Brocklebury is motivated by reason rather than emotional dilemmas.  In her final remarks regarding Mr. Brocklehurst's appearance, Jane states that he looked "longer, narrower, and more rigid than ever." "Than ever" implies that Mr. Brocklehurst's character on this particular occasion will be extreme in its respective nature and thus more cold. Such character is unlikely to change on account of his "rigid" disposition. In brief, Bronte's embrace of the architectural imagery approach serves to dehumanize Mr. Brocklehurst and therefore explain his inhumane temperament.