How are Women Presented in "Jane Eyre"

In the novel Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Bronte, women are presented in a wide range of different ways. As Jane is the main character in the story I will be concentrating on how she is presented and particularly, the control men and some women have over her throughout the novel. Right at the very start of the story it almost instantly becomes apparent that Jane is in a place where she is incredibly inferior and has no control over the situation herself, in the second paragraph Jane tells us she is ‘humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John and Georgiana Reed’ this sentence clearly states she is inferior and therefore automatically presents Jane as being different from her cousins, and accepted by them, immediately we begin to feel sympathetic towards Jane and are interested as to why she is inferior to her cousins. In the next paragraph Jane then informs us that her cousins and aunt were all sitting around the fire, however Mrs Reed had ‘dispensed (Jane) from joining the group’, this not only shows us again how disliked Jane is, but also how harsh and cold her Aunt is almost instantaneously.

Another way in which control over Jane is shown in the novel is via Bessie, the Reed’s maid. Although Bessie is only a servant to the family, and therefore has less authority than the Reed children and should be inferior to Jane, it is obvious she is also superior. When Jane is wanted in the breakfast room Bessie wastes no time in obeying Mrs Reeds orders and cleaning Jane up before presenting her. They don’t even converse with one and other, Jane tells us, ‘She (Bessie) hauled me to the wash-stand, inflicted a merciless, but happily brief scrub on my face and hands with soap, water and a coarse towel’ th...

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...d under the control and restraint of most men, this is a theme apparent throughout the entire novel, and men are continually trying to control Jane. However she manages to break away from this predicament, and expose herself as an incredibly able, independent woman and at such a young age. When Jane is only 18 she takes it upon herself to find a new job and does not conquer or ask for advice off anybody, when thinking to herself one evening at Lowood, Jane says ‘But Servitude! That must be matter of fact. Any one may serve. I have served here eight years; now all I want is to serve elsewhere. Can I not get so much of my own will!’ This is a very important line in the novel, Charlotte has included it specifically so people begin to realise just how independent Jane can be. This is the first time in the novel when Jane is presented as an incredibly strong young woman.