Discuss the use of animals in Charlotte Bronte's novel Jane Eyre?

The principal animal in Jane Eye is Pilot, Mr Rochester’s dog. Pilot ‘follows’ his master ‘backwards and forwards’ and is repeatedly subject to Mr Rochester’s direct imperatives of ‘down’ and ‘stay!’ In this relationship then between master and animal, the animal (Pilot) is entirely subordinate to the master. This theme of animals and control runs throughout the novel. For example, when Jane expresses her independence from Mr Rochester, she uses the metaphor of a bird to reiterate her meaning; ‘I am no bird, no net ensnares me, I am a free human being with an independent will’. Likewise, when Jane hits her cousin, she is described as being a ‘mad cat’ which justifies the servants’ reasoning for locking her in the red room. In addition, Mr Rochester describes Jane as having a spirit which is restricted like a ‘restless’ bird restrained behind the ‘bars of a cage’.Interestingly, Bronte’s most explicit use of zoomorphism occurs in relation to the descriptions of Bertha. When Bertha is revealed to Jane, Bertha is likened to a ‘hyena’ which ‘stood tall on its hind-feet’. Moreover, Bertha is unable to communicate through human speech but expresses herself through animalistic actions; for example, she ‘sprang’ and ‘throttled his (Mr Rochester’s) throat’. This animalistic description of Bertha thus associates her with other characters in the novel. Indeed, this description of Bertha resonates with the descriptions of Jane who is, as mentioned, frequently likened to an animal before being restrained or controlled. This description of Bertha consequently raises questions about our perception of her character. Is Bertha, like Jane, a character we should sympathise with as she is being dehumanised and controlled? Who is controlling Bertha? Has Jane (the narrator) dehumanised Bertha in an attempt to control her memory of Mr Rochester’s first wife?