Gender Roles In Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte used many of her literary works, and especially Jane Eyre, as a means to question a gendered system of values and the role and functions women played in a society that was clearly male dominated. The titular character of Jane Eyre is meant to portray the negative consequences being controlled and suppressed by social norms can have on women. The class and age differences between the two characters serve as both an exaggeration and commentary on the extreme binary logic of Victorian gender relations.
In Esther Godfrey’s article “Jane Eyre: Governess to Girl Bride,” she attempts to examine the fact that in Jane Eyre gender identities and performances are increasingly tied to material wealth and social status. She then draws
She looks at the parallels between Jane’s transition from the androgyny associated with her working-class background and her age into parodies of femininity, concluding that Jane has managed to find a sort of legitimized form of female masculinity. Though much of what she says is strongly argued, cracks begin to appear in Godfrey’s logic when she comes to the novel’s conclusion. She sees the sentimental ending to the novel as a manner of reverting gender identities back to the traditional Victorian era, however she misses out on key points. While it is certainly true that the ending is overly sentimental on the surface, when examined closely it becomes clear that Jane’s marriage to Rochester is actually a subversion of traditional gender roles. Because of the fire that drove Rochester from his house, leaving him blind and crippled, Jane is actually taking on a role of increased power through her marriage. She literally becomes his eyes, and though she plays the role of a dutiful and benevolent wife, this still gives her an incredible amount of power over him. She is the creator of his world, and anything that he is allowed to “see” comes from Jane at her own discretion. Therefore, because Jane’s marriage actually led to her gaining power over her husband, it becomes clear that that the loss of feminine power that Godfrey sees in Jane’s marriage is a misinterpretation of the novel’s