Hypocrites, Idealists, or Both?

Lowood: where orphaned girls go to build their self-esteem by being considered heathens for having curly hair and having their isolation encouraged.  Because teenage girls have too darn much self-confidence, don't they?

"Such is the imperfect nature of man! such spots are there on the disc of the clearest planet; and eyes like Miss Scatcherd's can only see those minute defects, and are blind to the full brightness of the orb," (Bronte).

The teachers at Lowood, under the authority of Mr. Brocklehurst, focus so much on the imperfections of the students that they are blind to the value that each girl possesses. Bronte is trying to communicate that though cruel punishment for the eradication of imperfection may be justified by religion, it takes away the spirit of the individual.  There is so much emphasis placed on punishing mistakes (if you can consider having naturally curly hair a "mistake") that there is no room for the rewarding of good deeds or individual accomplishments.  

The Lowood teachers and Mr. Brocklehurst are striving to mold these girls into righteous, complacent, perfect followers of Christ; however, they go about this molding in a vicious manner. Bronte is commenting on the injustice of rules imposed in the name of Christianity and the hypocrisy that follows suit.  Mr. Brocklehurst embodies a characteristic typically associated with teenage girls. He is an adult, yet he calls for the isolation of Jane and publicly humiliates her.  Isn't that what we see in Mean Girls?  Mr. Brocklehurst imposes these measures to, "punish her body to save her soul: if, indeed, such salvation be possible" (Bronte).  Is standing on a stool and be deprived of food and human interaction really going to save her soul? Again, the passage focuses on the justification of cruel and humiliating punishment with Christianity.  

Bronte's most significant display of Lowood's hypocrisy comes when Mr. Brocklehurst's wife and daughters enter the room.  The girls were being scrutinized for having curly (first for conforming to society then for conforming to nature) or "extravagantly" braided hair.  One would think that Mr. Brocklehurst would have a family of Plain Janes, dressed modestly and donning simple hair styles, just as he expects of the girls at Lowood. Plot twist: his wife and daughters come strutting in with artificial curls and engulfed in silk, velvet, and furs.  If that's not situational irony I don't know what is.  Bronte uses this irony to showcase the contrast between standards religious practitioners impose on others and what they practice themselves.  

Bronte is also commenting on the difference in standards and expectations of conformity for different classes. The Brocklehursts are obviously wealthy, as demonstrated by their superfluous outfits, but the girls in Lowood have a significantly lower socioeconomic status.  Mr. Brocklehurst's wife and daughters are allowed to wear what they want, and their entrance is met with grace.  Mr. Brocklehurst imposes strict rules of dress on the girls at Lowood, and Julia Severn is condemned for the natural texture of her hair. Bronte's stark contrast between Brocklehurst's lecture about standards for the Lowood girls and those for his family exploit the hypocrisy of the time. 

Jane's isolation reveals how great of an influence the upper class has over the lower classes. Because she is an orphan, it is assumed that she is somehow at fault; therefore, she must be punished.  Moral values in the society are a result of Christianity and are taken to such an extent as to justify the isolation of a young girl for the sake of her soul.  Jane's alienation stands as a prime example of the society's assumption that cruel punishment is acceptable in the name of preserving moral values.

P.S. Helen Burns is my grandmother.