“No sight so sad as that of a naughty child,” he began, “especially a naughty little girl. Do you know where the wicked go after death?”
“They go to hell,” was my ready and orthodox answer.
“And what is hell? Can you tell me that?”
“A pit full of fire.”
“And should you like to fall into that pit, and to be burning there for ever?”
“No, sir.”
“What must you do to avoid it?”
I deliberated a moment; my answer, when it did come, was objectionable: “I must keep in good health, and not die.”
– Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, Chapter 4. the clergyman and supervisor of Lowood Mr. Brocklehurst questions young Jane about hell, where the wicked are said to be sent after death. Jane’s instinctive answer about how to avoid hell is interesting – stay in good health and don’t die! It tells us quite a lot about the survival and rebellious instincts of the child Jane which will serve well throughout her life.