In Jane Eyre, what do the colors symbolize? The Red Room.

In the very first chapter Jane is unfairly convicted of attacking her cousin John Reed, and her punishment entails that she be locked in the red-room. The red-room, being the place where Jane's uncle Mr. Reed passed away, is a room that even the adults in the house avoid at all costs, as it is said to be haunted. Jane, only ten years old at the time, is locked in the ominous room without so much as a candle to comfort her. Jane relates the awful events that ultimately to her permanent removal from Gateshead Hall:


The red-room was a square chamber, very seldom slept in, I might say never, indeed, unless when a chance influx of visitors at Gateshead Hall rendered it necessary to turn to account all the accommodation it contained: yet it was one of the largest and stateliest chambers in the mansion. A bed supported on massive pillars of mahogany, hung with curtains of deep red damask, stood out like a tabernacle in the centre; the two large windows, with their blinds always drawn down, were half shrouded in festoons and falls of similar drapery; the carpet was red; the table at the foot of the bed was covered with a crimson cloth; the walls were a soft fawn colour with a blush of pink in it; the wardrobe, the toilet-table, the chairs were of darkly polished old mahogany. Out of these deep surrounding shades rose high, and glared white, the piled-up mattresses and pillows of
the bed, spread with a snowy Marseilles counterpane. Scarcely less prominent was an ample cushioned easy-chair near the head of the bed, also white, with a footstool before it; and looking, as I thought, like a pale throne.
Jane Eyre the red room

What does the color red symbolize?

The first color we notice in Jane Eyre is the color red. We are exposed to the this color when Jane Eyre is sent to the dreaded red-room after Jane defends herself from the physical abuse that young Master John bestows upon her.

So is there any other passages in the novel where the color red occurs? Outside of the robin feeding incident where Jane is "red-faced,"and the case of musical instruments at the inn, the color red is not mentioned ever again during the course of the novel. The robin feeding incident gives us a clue about why the color is never mentioned again, yet we can still say that the color red is still present in the novel. The robin is sitting on the branches of a leafless cherry tree. Bronte does not mention the color of the robin, and the leafless cherry tree is could hardly be considered red, but both are associated with the color red in the mind's eye of most readers. Here we see Jane acting emotionally, quite out of control, determined to make sure that the hungry robin gets fed before she turns her attention to the adult in the room. This adds weight to the possibility that red represents uncontrolled emotions. The counter-balance to this are the musical instruments seen in the inn in their red case, silent but still a symbol of emotions. The playing of music, though it often looks out of control, is a matter of control and skill. After the robin and the instruments, Bronte expects us to know when something is red, something that most adults should be able to do. It is only in the early stages of Jane's life that we must be reminded of when something is red.
Read more what does the color red symbolize?

The red room in Jane Eyre can represent a lot of things but it is used more as a way of preparing the reader for themes of the book.

The red room shows Jane Eyre as a Gothic Novel as it has many gothic descriptions such as the old furniture in the room , the ghosts and the fact Mr Reed died in that room. The room is also used as a symbol of Jane's confinement at Gateshead, she is trapped there and longs to leave. The red room is also often associated with hell, the colour red, she can't get out, associated with death, ghosts, it's a punishment etc. One of the most important uses of the red room is how it links Jane with Bertha from later on it the book and causes the reader to sympathize with Bertha as maybe it was not her fault she was locked up.
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