When one thinks of the classic villain, one imagines a dark, nefarious man who will do everything in his power to destroy the protagonist in the most odious fashion, regardless of who gets in his way. He is selfish, neurotic, and downright detestable. In regards to Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, a character that completely encapsulates this concept is Heathcliff. However, there is a character in the novel that rivals and surpasses his chaotic ability and is much more worthy of scorn. Although she does not display the typical, masculine archetype of a villain and does not exactly work against the protagonist, Catherine Earnshaw is evermore heinous and corrupt than her male counterpart. Catherine’s superiority complex, narcissism, manipulativeness,…
In the novel "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte, the author engages the reader with imagery and melancholic details. Utilizing imagery helps the reader understand how lonely and difficult Jane's life can be. Although she is an orphan, books are her escape from reality, or at least an activity to spend time.…
“Lanval”, written by Marie-de-France, is one of the most entertaining piece of literature I have read from the medieval era. The story is based on a knight named Lanval who was rejected by the people surrounding him because he had every quality a knight during that time should have had. Even his king, Arthur, despises him and doesn’t appreciate him when Lanval has shown nothing but loyalty to him. Nevertheless, Lanval sets out on a quest where he met a beautiful woman that ends up being his lover. Throughout the story, Lanval is portrayed trying to protect his beloved and keep his love sacred; if he does not, his lover have told him that she is going to disappear. Personally, I loved the story very much and although it was not similar, it reminded me of a book I read titled “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte.…
With age comes change. This is especially true for Jane in Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is a dynamic character that changes from a mistreated, spirited little girl to an mature, independent woman with her own values.…
In the novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte wants the readers to be able to have insight about what it was like growing up as a female during this era. In my analysis of the book, I found that the novel did a great job portraying what it is was like for women to grow up in the era that the book takes place in. Women is this period of time were treated with disrespect, and were forced to be a typically housemaid and were not allowed to have real jobs. When Jane Eyre was growing up, she was often shunned by her aunt and cousins and was taken into rooms to be locked in with no one else. In my opinion, this shows how poorly women, young girls in particular, were treated. In addition to women being treated incompetently, they also had far less personal…
Gender is a social status, a legal designation, and a personal identity and unlike sex, it is not determined biologically but rather it is determined by social constructs. In the novel Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, binary gender is explored. This novel questions the processes and practices that construct gender identities and gender social statuses. The characters in Jane Eyre clash with rigid feminine and masculine roles that are typically stereotyped but does not ultimately question the status quo. During the Victorian era, your gender determined what you were and were not able to do as well as how you went about achieving what you wanted to do. Jane, being the rebellious character that she is, criticizes the social roles of women…
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre tells the story of Jane’s growth and development as she searches for a meaningful existence in society. Author Faith McKay said, “No matter what your family happens to be like…it affects who you are. It matters.” Jane is an orphan, forced to battle a cruel guardian, a patriarchal society, and a rigid social order. (Anderson, “Identity and Independence in Jane Eyre”) Jane has concrete beliefs in what women deserve, as well as obtainable goals for how she imagines her place in society as a woman (Lewkowicz, “The Experience of Womanhood in Jane Eyre”) and with self-growth, Jane Eyre was able to define herself as well as equip herself with wisdom and…
Jane Eyre, as the eponymous character, has become closer and better known to us than to any familial member or friend. Because of this we understand the way she writes, and subsequently how she views her own new environment. Her vivid descriptions and powerful imagery remind us of where her imagination (more spirited than that of any other child) originated in the time spent engaged in Bewick’s ‘History of British Birds’, her only form of escapism from the dreary conditions at Gateshead Hall. So the descriptive element reminds the reader of the sharp contrast between her current peaceful, contented life and that of her childhood.…
Upon first reading "The Yellow Wallpaper," the reader may see the relationship between the narrator and her husband John as caring, but with examination one will find that the narrator is repeatedly belittled and demeaned by her husband. On first arriving at the vacation home John chooses the old attic nursery against his wife 's wishes and laughs at her when she complains about the wallpaper (Kennedy et al. 424,425). In Charlotte Bronte 's novel }{plain ul Jane Eyre}{plain , Mr. Rodchester uses his attic to keep his insane wife hidden from the rest of the world. John 's actions can easily be interpreted with the same malice.…
Charlotte Brontë uses Jane Eyre and Helen Burns as foils to each other in her novel, Jane Eyre. To the audience, the two characters appear to be complete opposites due to the stark differences in the philosophy they have on life and in their actions. Despite not having much in common, Jane and Helen become good friends and Jane even learns some very important life lessons from her friendship with Helen. Furthermore, Helen Burns acts as the representation of an ideal Christian child, which has the potential to receive a wide variety of responses from readers of different centuries. Charlotte Brontë used the qualities of Helen Burns that could be considered an ideal Christian child as a foil to Jane Eyre, thus highlighting the meaning of their…
Her cottage is an important symbol to consider. She lived on the outskirts of society. This was put in place by the magistrate and was intended to break her down, but it did exactly the opposite. She was able to create her own sphere of life outside of the Puritan rigor that enveloped…
By unfolding the story through secondary sources, Emily Bronte creates curiosity in the reader’s mind, causing them to wonder as to the events which occurred before Lockwood’s arrival at Thrushcross Grange. Lockwood’s narrative causes readers to enter the story when the majority of events have already taken place.…
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre illustrates the significance of self-respect, confidence, and integrity in overcoming several predicaments. Bronte portrays this through Jane, who possesses both a sense of self-worth and dignity, which are continually tested and depicted throughout the novel. These attributes are illustrated when she refuses St. John’s hand in marriage, leaves Rochester after discovering his secret that he is married, and when she bravely stands up to Mrs. Reed.…
There are many times when she limits her views and outwardly disappears to clarify plot points or describe the thoughts and feelings of the characters. While her judgments range from the flagrant to the very subtle, I chose to focus on the more outrageous moments because that is what I found to be both the most confusing and interesting aspects of her character. From the first sentence of the novel, “One may as well begin with Helen’s letters to her sisters,” it seemed obvious that the narrator was calling into question her role as storyteller (1). This passive construction of this statement made me ask, “Why not begin somewhere else?” and I immediately realized that the narrator is aware of her strong viewpoints that she wants the reader to call them into question. At the end of the novel, when it is decided that Howards End will be left to Helen’s son, we see that the narrator’s social views have fully diminished as the future will be controlled by a new type of person who represents a mixture of the social classes and genders. Forster uses Helen’s son to show that the hyper-capitalist, masculine principles of the Wilcoxes and the narrator will not survive the future of…
• Wuthering Heights literally means stormy heights. Emily’s life had many hardships or “storms” throughout her life, such as, her brother’s alcoholism and some of her family dying from tuberculosis.…