Bronte demonstrates her stance on feminism by creating characters that defy the stereotypical ideal woman during the Victorian era. Jane’s characterization opposed many desired virtues of the Victorian era because the ideal woman at the time was docile and selflessly devoted to her family as demonstrated in Patmore’s poem which reads, “ Man must be pleased, but him to please/ Is woman’s pleasure.” (Document E) As opposed to the character of Jane Eyre portrayed as a strong, stubborn woman who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and has control of her own choices. Since she has no familial male figures present in her life, Jane has the opportunity to make autonomous decisions on what she wants, contradicting the standard rule of male ownership of…
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…
In the novel Jane Eyre written by Charlotte Brontë, Jane gradually matures until she is an independent woman. To achieve this state of autonomy, she must first make some life-changing decisions which mark major turning points in the story. Her first step to establishing herself as a self-sufficient woman occurs when she decides to leave Lowood, as she states, “I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer…” (page 72). Jane indicates in this plea that she undoubtedly desires freedom, since she had been living at the Lowood School for eight years. She therefore decides to find a job, which would liberate her from the school, satisfying her yearning for freedom. Jane’s actions of applying for a job by herself illustrate…
Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre was produced in the Victorian era, when social elitism was in its prime and there was great segregation between the upper and lower estates. The former was composed of the clergy and nobility and was defined by wealth, privileges and lavish lifestyles. The middle class, conversely, were the most frustrated by the exclusiveness of the upper estate. Possessing skill, intelligence and assertiveness, they believed that rank and power should derive from talent and merit, rather than from noble birth. Through the demonisation and infliction of a tragic downfall upon “Master Reed”, Brontë condemns the life of pleasure and honour, the lifelong inactivity so heavily indulged by those born into the aristocracy. By characterising Mr Brocklehurst as excessively and hypocritically pious, Brontë highlights the upper clergyman’s propensity to masquerade as a great nobleman, rather than to exercise the competence and benevolence integral to his role. Finally, Brontë implements a love of “servitude” and disdain for a “still … doom”, as well as the ambiguous social position of a governess in her protagonist, Jane Eyre, rendering her an agent for the middle class’ philosophy on worthiness of privilege. Ultimately, Brontë’s Jane Eyre calls for the reformation of the Victorian social structure as the extremities involved in social elitism ignore the inherent needs of man.…
Every topic in life can be portrayed as a controversial issue. There always have been two sides to every discussion and there always will be two sides. In the novel Jane Eyre, feminism is portrayed as the main controversial issue. In the early 19th century, women lived in a world that measures the likelihood of their success by the degree of their “marriageability”, which would have included their family connections, economic status and beauty. Women were also subject to the generally accepted standards and roles that society had placed upon them, which did not necessarily provide them with liberty, dignity or independence. This novel explores how Jane defies these cultural standards by her unwillingness to be defined by “marriageability”, unwillingness to submit herself to a man’s emotional power and her desire for independence while keeping her dignity.…
While reading this book, the reader may pity Jane. Charlotte Bronte creates a consistent thread until the end of the book. Jane struggles with the same problem throughout the work, which is betrayal. She deals with it a place that was supposed to be her home, school and the work place.…
Jane Eyre is an early insight into how proto-feminists were regarded in the 19th century, where a women’s role was stereotypically to be seen and not heard. Charlotte Bronte uses the character Jane Eyre as a platform to express the imbalance of equality between the two genders and uses a series of male characters to depict how an independent, disadvantaged female is regarded in such a male dominated society. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou uses a similar platform of a disadvantaged female in the early 20th century to reflect how discrimination and extreme poverty affect the attitudes of males not only in relation to Maya Angelou, but to other black people in…
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.…
Terry Eagleton states the "Jane 's relationship with Rochester is marked by ambiguities of equality, servitude, and independence". By examining pertinent incidents in the text, the validity of this statement will be shown, and moreover, these ambiguities will be shown to be of Jane 's own doing. It will be shown that she is the one who constantly thinks herself to be inferior, and even when she is said to be Rochester 's equal, she thinks of some way in which she is inadequate, in order to sabotage her own happiness.…
Religion is a very trivial concept to the majority of the population in modern society. The average citizen has little to no knowledge of the Bible and its contents. Only the very devout figures are familiar with the sacred writings. In the Victorian era, however, the Christian Holy book had a much greater importance. Back then in Great Britain, it was very common for citizens to know much about, and identify with The Holy Bible. “Victorian England was a deeply religious country. A great number of people were habitual church-goers, at least once and probably twice, every Sunday” (Roth). Even children and socially low inhabitants of the time knew this religious book well. Charlotte Bronte, having been born and raised in this religious time period, was also familiar with the Bible. The author uses her knowledge of this blessed manuscript to enhance her writings. By using well-known Christian-based tales, Bronte was able to make the book easier for her audience to identify with, as well as add to its overall development and detail. Bronte utilized several biblical references to develop characters in the novel Jane Eyre such as “Rebekah at the Well,” “The Twelve Apostles,” and “Noah’s Ark.”…
“Civilized” is often used to denote, in propaganda most notably, a high standard of moral regard. For instance, if two countries are fighting one may use propaganda to sway their citizens they are fighting as a civilized nation, one on the righteous side of the battle, while the other side is uncivilized and barbaric. However, defining civilization based on specific moral values is too subjective and arbitrary. Civilization is a concept of man-made societal standards in the most refined culture; man-made because civilization is defined by wide cultural and socioeconomic differences between peoples/nations. Therefore, a civilized person abides by societal standards.…
One of the main things noticed when reading the novel, Jane Eyre, is how Jane puts men and woman on the same level; she sees them as equals. “Women are supposed to be calm generally: but women feel just as men feel…” (Bronte 111). Throughout the novel, Jane always strives for equality and was even willing to give up marriage to keep it so. As Jane builds a relationship with Mr. Rochester, she begins to fall for him and vice versa. But even when Mr. Rochester asks for her to become his dearly beloved, Jane refuses until she is certain that \he intends to marry her because his “equal is here, and [his] likeness”…
Because Jane Eyre is her own person and has opinions independent from societal thought in spite of the oppression she endures, she can be seen almost as a feminist heroine. She has the autonomy and authority of her being essential to the character of a feminist, and therefore is more inadvertent than intended. Well, Jane is a pretty independent woman in herself. She is employed as a governess, one of the few professions a woman could be during the time she was independent and respected herself.…