In the novel Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, Jane constantly struggles with breaking free from the confines of the typical life of a victorian woman. The novel explores her childhood as she grew up being told she was a burden on her extended family when they took her into their home after she was orphaned, to her adulthood in which she fights her own morals and society’s high standards of what a desirable woman should be. She battles the ideals of her world being a ‘man’s world’ and struggles with finding herself as an independant woman. It is debated that Jane Eyre is not a feminist text because of her what seems like, constant conformity to men, yet through the novel she breaks through many of society's standards for women.
Jane finds
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However, Jane does not merely melt under Rochester’s gaze and pressures ultimately becoming something of his. No, She makes him work and prove himself worthy, which is not considered a normality in the courting process. Victorian women are expected to remain polite, quiet, and reserved. Never stepping out of turn or speaking out. "I am resolved my husband shall not be a rival, but a foil to me. I will suffer no competitor near the throne; I shall exact an undivided homage: his devotions shall not be shared between me and the shape he sees in his mirror" (Brontë 175). Janes hard headedness is proven, furthermore she tries to break free and have her own opinion voiced in all aspects of her relationships. One of Jane’s fears is getting married to a man whom she does not love resulting in losing her sense of self. Jane switches skillfully between male and female roles in her courtship with Rochester. She constantly catches opportunity and manipulates them to protect herself along with advancing herself. Jane and her relationship with Rochester is not proven nor considered normal in her time, themes of self-empowerment recur constantly throughout the novel. In Robert …show more content…
"If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked, while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be without friends" (Brontë 63). By examining Jane Eyre’s religious themes it certainly furthers our understanding of the novel’s gender politics, that is, we may see more clearly what is at stake for Jane in her struggle for fighting against male control. Cynthia Carlton-Ford explains in her essay that “Intimacy without Immolation.” She states: “In each of the two stories, Jane has a different need: the fairytale heroine wants love, home, and acceptance; the feminist wants self respect independent” (Carlton-Ford 377). A big idea that Carlton-Ford explores in her writing is how Jane achieves intimacy yet still maintaining independence. This further proves Jane’s passion for balance in her life. The want of being treated like a woman, yet with male responsibilities and respect. Like how Jane had to learn to balance fire and ice, she had to learn to sacrifice for the
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre may be superficially read as simply a sweet romance in which Jane ends up with the man of her dreams after overcoming many obstacles and challenges. But doing so misses the much deeper—richer—messages of Bronte's lasting masterpiece. A more thoughtful reading reveals this novel, especially its heroine Jane, challenging centuries-old gender roles which assume male supremacy, characterizing men as the dominant, more privileged gender, while women are oppressed into inferior and submissive roles. Of course this Victorian novel portrays the expected gender roles of both men and women in 19th century England, but Jane rises out of the patriarchy challenging the social roles assigned her with a personality marked by sass and self-assurance . Ms. Bronte, through Jane, ultimately demonstrates that women can live their lives on equal terms with—or independent of—men.
Jane Eyre is about a girl named Jane who struggles to find who she really is and with it what she really wants. “As a model for women readers in the Victorian period and throughout the twentieth century to follow, Jane Eyre encouraged them to make their own choices in living their lives, to develop respect for themselves, and to become individuals” (Markley). One of the reasons why this book gained merit was because of its striking presence within its time period. During the “Victorian Age” woman did not have much say in society, so this novel broke boundaries to societal norms that restricted woman from things they have today. “Brontë is able to enact this tension through her characters and thus show dramatically the journey of a woman striving for balance within her nature.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
Jane almost gives in, because to her Rochester in the first person to truly love her. Jane however, knows that if she were to stay she would be Rochester’s mistress instead of his wife. Jane knows that not only would she love her self-respect, but she would most likely lose Rochester’s to. Thus, Jane decides to assert her worth and her ability to love herself regardless of how others treat
Bronte wrote Jane Eyre to emphasize her beliefs behind the purpose of women, and how society lacked to understand them as who they were created to be. The issue of lack of opportunity for women to engage in intellectual preparation and continuation is prevalent within the character of Jane. Expectation of women’s role was a social norm, with a lack of diversity or individuality. Bronte challenges this issue through the character of Jane, whom experiences a tug-of-war sensation between being herself, who she wants to be and should be, and what society wants her to be, and pushes her to be. Bronte was trying to explain that women have the same capability as men to be productive individuals of society, but they are held back from establishing their potential. The most unique understanding of Bronte’s challenge to society is the understanding that the characteristics and personality of Jane as a female is shamed and criticized, however these features are identical to those of a successful and representable man in
This brought into question Jane’s grand need for independence. Jane’s equality in a relationship is derived from her desire for independence. Jane reveals her need for independence in her relationship with Mr. Rochester when she told him she would always call him master but she would not be inferior to him. Haiyan Gao asserts in her article “Reflection On feminism in Jane Eyre,” “Jane loves Rochester with all her heart and Rochester’s status and wealth make him so high above for Jane to approach, yet she never feels herself inferior to Rochester though she is a humble family teacher.” It is also notable that Jane does not pursue a relationship with Mr. Rochester with the intention of gaining money.
Although most see Jane as impassioned, we see her strive to meet a balance with passion and reason. A complete balance is not reached in Jane Eyre, but the issue it brings forth applies to us today. In the ideal world we could reach a sense of balance between them, but many will rather have a `warm slush' mixture. Still, as Jane did, we will have the ability to choose the right one. In the end, the opposing forces show us that maybe striving for one or the other won't bring happiness as it did to Jane.
Throughout the Victorian Era, the literary movement focused on addressing societal ills of the era. Many of the female authors were focused on confronting common gender roles of Victorian Women in order to show their triviality. The Brontë sisters were adamant advocates of feminist notions. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë exemplifies the revolution of feminist writing in the mid nineteenth century. Although “Plain Jane’s Progress” asserts that the confrontation between Jane and Bertha is the most important element of feminism, Jane’s relationship with Rochester is actually the most relevant element of feminism in Jane Eyre because it shows her development as she breaks through the bonds of her gender role.
Though it would seem like Jane's reason overtakes her passion, her longing for affection and freedom ultimately prevails, as she goes back to Mr. Rochester. It is human nature to yearn for passion, and reason, no matter how strong, can not surpass that.
Bronte’s Jane Eyre is brimming with feminist ideology rebuking Victorian-Era gender-roll ethics and ideals. As a creative, independent woman with a strong personality and will growing up during this period of female repression, Bronte wrote Jane Eyre as a feminist message to society. She criticizes the average, servile, ignorant Victorian woman, and praises a more assertive, independent, and strong one. She does this through her protagonist Jane, who embodies all of Bronte’s ideal feminine characteristics. She is a strong woman, both mentally and physically, who seeks independence and is in search of individuality, honesty, and above all equality both in marriage and in society in a world that does not acknowledge women as individuals.
Despite Rochester’s stern manner and unhandsome appearance, Jane still finds herself falling in love with him. During her first encounter with Rochester Jane describes him
Similar to many of the great feministic novels of its time, Jane Eyre purely emerges as a story focused on the quest for love. The novel’s protagonist, Jane, searches not only for the romantic side of love, but ultimately for a sense of self-worth and independence. Set in the overlapping times of the Victorian and Gothic periods, the novel touches upon both women’s supposed rights, and their inner struggle for liberty. Orphaned at an early age, Jane was born into a modest lifestyle, without any major parent roles to guide her through life’s obstacles. Instead, she spent much of her adolescent years locked in imaginary chains, serving those around her but never enjoying the many decadences life has to offer. It is not until Jane becomes a governess that many minute privileges become available to her and offer Jane a glance at what life could have been. It is on her quest for redemption and discovery that she truly is liberated. Throughout Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre, the story’s protagonist Jane, struggles to achieve the balance of both autonomy and love, without sacrificing herself in the process.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre represents the role of women in the Victorian era by giving the reader an insight into the lives of women from all social classes. Jane Eyre therefore represents figures of the Victorian time yet the character of Jane Eyre, herself, can be seen as very unconventional for the Victorian society.
The development of Charlotte Bronte's character, Jane Eyre, becomes vital to her novel Jane Eyre, and the other characters in which she is involved. She is an intelligent, plain featured, honest young girl whose reaction to her situations brings more depth to her personality. She is forced to deal with oppression, discrimination, and at times poverty, which disrupt her strong will, dignity, and desire for freedom. At the beginning, Jane possesses a passion for pride and the idea of freedom and these characteristics, along with her integrity, are tested continuously throughout the novel by the many personalities with whom she encounters. Living in a male dominant world Jane is expected to remain obedient and docile and her passion sometimes keeps her from being able to do this. She is a rarity among obeying female characters and we see this throughout the book.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is set in the mid nineteenth century, during the Victorian era where class and gender roles are clearly defined in the patriarchal society. The general ideology of the era expresses the idea that if gender categories were not maintained as binary oppositions, catastrophic chaos would likely ensue (Gill, 109). Throughout the novel, Jane is faced with the issue of oppression. The typical characteristics of an ideal female in Victorian society would include submissiveness, simple dress, low ambition, longing for a male love interest and passiveness. Bronte clearly shows her stance on this Victorian ideology as Jane often challenges those social institutions and changes her place in society, although she often settles for the status quo for certain periods of time. Jane plays the typical role of a Victorian woman through much of her life, but through subtle shifts in power Bronte challenges these Victorian norms by way of Jane’s education, unlikely rise in social status from teacher to governess and her relationship with a seemingly unattainable man.