Mr. Brocklehurst- Rigid, Pretentious and Hypocritical. 

From the very first appearance Mr. Brocklehurst makes in the novel starting from his encounter with Jane he begins to appear as a rigid, religious show piece, which aims to represent religion only on the surface. He has no regard for other views on religion that becomes apparent in his dismissal of Jane's interest in reading the book of revelations or the Exodus and not the psalms. His insistence on learning religious hymns, further signifies how Mr. Brocklehurst himself is more bent on the more appealing or rather charming aspects of religion, as opposed to its proper preaching.

Mr.Brocklehurst is seemingly more interested in keeping a nursery as opposed to running a school that actually aims to inculcate true Christian morality in its students. He refers to Jane as a 'chosen plant' of the nursery in whom 'humility' must be 'cultivated'. Now I agree that religion may require fostering of certain values in the people, but Mr. Brocklehursts use of such language only shows how he is more rigid in what he does, something quite similar to how a gardener would follow strict methodology in growing plants, in order to make them appear as they are meant to be.

Mr. Brockehursts Christianity till this point in the novel is only mildly questionable. However, once he returns to Lowood when Jane starts her schooling there, it is then that his religiosity actually appears more of an outward show to promote the school as a Christian breeding ground and not an actual strive to create well rounded, moral Christians.  Personally, being a curly haired girl I took offence to the whole scene where he makes a big deal of how Julia's hair is curly. He mentions how it is his 'mission to mortify in the girls the lusts of the flesh' and that they are 'not to conform to nature' even though her hair curl naturally. This again exhibits how he aims to create ornamental Christian girls that must appear and look simple even if it means going out of the way to create that look of simplicity. Whatever happened to the time wasted in creating and unnatural look, something Mr. Brocklehurst apparently seems to be against when he attacks the fact that girls waste time in making 'plaits that vanity itself might have woven'. Here I was instantly reminded of how earlier on he had mentioned that he found it to be a 'pleasing proof of his success' when his daughter  found the girls at Lowood to be 'quiet and plain'. This only confirmed that I was not reading in between the lines, but Mr. Brocklehurst himself was openly declaring his aim of representing girls in a way that exhibit a certain Christian character.

This obsession with the external appearance of a Christian is only confirmed when the whole dietary issue of the girls is raised. We learn that he is partially responsible for the girls falling sick for he believes in a very strict meal plan for the girls, even If it means that they are to eat 'burnt porridge' over the very much available alternate of 'bread and cheese'. This he argues is to 'render the girls hardy, patient and self denying'. This only confirms his taking the idea of the proper Christian too far. He is adamant to hold on to his strict schedules even if it means risking the lives of girls.      

These consecutive incidents only confirm his rigidity, pretentiousness and hypocrisy in how he treats religion. For him religion seemingly plays the role of keeping his image afloat of someone who is very responsible in running a school that acts as the foundation for Christian upbringing.