Defiance In Jane Eyre

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Defiance
Both Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and the Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver explore the ideas of defying social norms for women in societies where this is uncommon, unique and sets a precedent. The novels contain female characters who grow and become independent as their story progresses, as well as encourage other women around them to grow in a similar way.
In the book Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, the main character Jane experiences extreme character development throughout the story due to hardships she endures. This allows her to grow into an intelligent woman who provides for herself. This growth can first be seen in her childhood at her aunt's estate and the school for girl orphans, Lowood. Jane is brought up in a household …show more content…

Jane saves herself and returns with dignity after being deceived by Rochester, and Orleanna saves herself from a life with Nathan. Kingsolver forces the reader to feel pity for this woman who compares her marriage to the life of the caged bird Methuselah. Orleanna’s marriage to Nathan Price broke her, and like the bird she was caged by it. She believes that her marriage causes her to be “lodged in the heart of darkness, so thoroughly bent to the shape of marriage, I could hardly see any other way to stand. Like Methuselah, I cowered beside my cage, and though my soul hankered after the mountain, I found, like Methuselah, I had no wings” (Kingsolver 201). Orleanna’s trauma allows her to remove herself and her remaining daughters from an abusive household. Like Jane the less than comfortable conditions of her environment force Orleanna to learn how to evade, adapt, and to confront internal and external obstacles to her survival.
Similar to Bronte’s narrative for Jane, Kingsolver makes Orleanna’s narrative a trusting and reliable voice. Orleanna continues, and fills in the gaps between the other narrator’s stories and their understandings, forcing the reader to understand the important role she has of keeping her family intact. Like Jane she understands the supporting role women are expected to play in a man's world, and like Jane she rejects these values. In the 60’s and 70’s it was uncommon for women to demand more authority in their own homes, Orleanna however, not only demanded it after the events of the story, but took control over

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