Social Class - Jane Eyre/Pride and Prejudice
Examine the use of the theme of social class in ‘Jane Eyre’ and how this is illuminated by your reading of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ by Jane Austen.
The novel ‘Jane Eyre’ highlights the idea of social class and the position of women in society. It tells the story of how protagonist Jane progresses through different social classes in life, beginning as the low position of an orphan and ending in the higher position of being both wealthy and married. Charlotte Bronte’s own social background was that of being relatively middle class as she was the daughter of a clergyman, which may have impacted on Jane’s attitude towards the ranks of society: it is shown at many points in the novel that social classes are unfair and prejudiced. Austen presents a similar view in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, though eventually her novel’s outcome shows that love is more powerful than rank, whereas Jane’s happy ending is not so simply achieved. The opening chapters of ‘Jane Eyre’ introduce the importance of class and its position in Victorian society. Jane explains to the reader how she was ‘”humbled by the consciousness of [her] physical inferiority”, demonstrating how even as a child Jane was made aware of her low rank. By saying ‘physical inferiority’ Bronte implies that if she were more handsome, her social standing would have been more openly accepted – a point that is later voiced by the servants at Gateshead Hall. This is an example of how a person’s appearance was valued more highly than their intelligence or kindness, both of which young Jane possesses, but which are ignored due to her lack of handsomeness. This opinion is mirrored by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth Bennet is describing the ladies of the Darcy family: she describes them as “very fine ladies” for they were “rather handsome” and “educated” with a considerable “fortune”. This demonstrates how it is the material, superficial attributes that make a ‘fine lady’ – there is no mention of kindness, charity,
The novel ‘Jane Eyre’ highlights the idea of social class and the position of women in society. It tells the story of how protagonist Jane progresses through different social classes in life, beginning as the low position of an orphan and ending in the higher position of being both wealthy and married. Charlotte Bronte’s own social background was that of being relatively middle class as she was the daughter of a clergyman, which may have impacted on Jane’s attitude towards the ranks of society: it is shown at many points in the novel that social classes are unfair and prejudiced. Austen presents a similar view in ‘Pride and Prejudice’, though eventually her novel’s outcome shows that love is more powerful than rank, whereas Jane’s happy ending is not so simply achieved. The opening chapters of ‘Jane Eyre’ introduce the importance of class and its position in Victorian society. Jane explains to the reader how she was ‘”humbled by the consciousness of [her] physical inferiority”, demonstrating how even as a child Jane was made aware of her low rank. By saying ‘physical inferiority’ Bronte implies that if she were more handsome, her social standing would have been more openly accepted – a point that is later voiced by the servants at Gateshead Hall. This is an example of how a person’s appearance was valued more highly than their intelligence or kindness, both of which young Jane possesses, but which are ignored due to her lack of handsomeness. This opinion is mirrored by Jane Austen in Pride and Prejudice when Elizabeth Bennet is describing the ladies of the Darcy family: she describes them as “very fine ladies” for they were “rather handsome” and “educated” with a considerable “fortune”. This demonstrates how it is the material, superficial attributes that make a ‘fine lady’ – there is no mention of kindness, charity,