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theme feminism in Jane Eyre
themes and theory in jane Eyre
theme feminism in Jane Eyre
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From an early age Jane is aware she is at a disadvantage, yet she learns how to break free from her entrapment by following her heart. Jane appears as not only the main character in the text, but also a female narrator. Being a female narrator suggests a strong independent woman, but Jane does not seem quite that.
When we first meet Jane she is a young and orphaned girl with little self-confidence and hope of feelings a sense of belonging and self worth. It is unfair that Jane already feels lonely and desperate in such a cruel world as it is. Jane is open with her thoughts during her narration, “…humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed” (Bronte 7). Jane already feels as though she cannot participate in everyday activities because she acknowledges that she is a weaker person. By Jane believing she is weak she is succumbing to her own entrapment. The novel opens with Jane feeling inadequate about going on a walk with her cousins and the novel ends with Jane embarking on a journey of her very own, this is not a coincidence.
Jane seems to learn quickly that she is the only one who can help her break free from her entrapment. The first place Jane must learn how to leave is Gateshead. She is not happy at Gateshead because is constantly put down by her cousins and even the servants. Helen tries to teach Jane to forgive her enemies in order for Jane to be able move on and gain confidence in herself:
If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would have it all their own way: they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at w...
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...een injured it is her being a compassionate wife, not a server. She is doing it by choice now and out of love so it makes it more acceptable, “Certainly Charlotte Bronte was never again to indulge in quite such an optimistic imagining” (Gilbert & Gubar 371).
Jane is no longer entrapped at the end of Jane Eyre because she has learned how to be herself and be comfortable with who she is. She learns how to use her freewill to make life choices that will make her happy. Bronte illustrates the idea that good things will happen if people use their own free will and follow their heart. In the end Jane married for love and had a happy ending.
Works Cited
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Radford: Wilder Publications, 2008. Print.
Gilbert, Sandra M., and Susan Gubar. The Madwoman in the Attic. Second ed. N.p.: Yale University Press, 2000. Print.
continue to fluctuate as she matures. Jane Eyre begins her life in the wrong place at the wrong
At the beginning of the novel while Jane is living under her aunt, Mrs. Reed, she is treated disrespectfully and cruelly. She accuses Jane of being deceitful and a troublesome girl in front of Mr. Brocklehurst, the master of Lowood School. Jane is so hurt by this accusation that she cannot stop herself from defending her well being, and she stands up to her aunt. She knows she is being treated disrespectful and has much more self-worth than ...
In the novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses Jane Eyre as her base to find out how a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with her responsibilities. . Mistreated abused and deprived of a normal childhood, Jane Eyre creates an enemy early in her childhood with her Aunt Mrs. Reed. Just as Mrs. Reeds life is coming to an end, she writes to Jane asking her for forgiveness, and one last visit from her.
In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Jane has gone through experiences and some which let her down in a few ways. Jane also has people who impact her which hinder her future. She has been through so much and sometimes things and good sometimes they’re bad. Jane’s life has really changed and she experiences many things
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
The first place Jane stays is Gateshead Hall. While at Gateshead, Jane is treated unfairly and is punished for things she did not do. After the death of Jane’s parents, her uncle, Mr. Reed brought Jane into his house. On her uncle’s deathbed Mrs. Reed promises to treat Jane like one of her own children. Jane’s aunt, Mrs. Reed, does not like Jane and has a very hard time doing this. She feels Jane was forced upon her family after the death of her parents. Against her husband’s request, Mrs. Reed does not treat Jane like a human being and is constantly criticizing and punishing her. In one example Jane was keeping to herself, reading a book when her cousin John Reed decided to annoy her. John then grabbed the book and threw it at her knocking her down and cutting her on the head, which bled and was very painful. Mrs. Reed then punished Jane by sending her into the red room, the room her uncle died in, for the entire night. While in the red room Jane became terrified and thought she saw or heard the flapping of wings. The treatment Jane received caused her to become bitter and to truly dislike Mrs. Reed.
The story begins with a young Jane Eyre who is essentially neither loved by anyone nor independent in nature. At this point in the story, the reader discovers that Jane is an orphan and is being supported by the Reed family. This discovery is made through the portrayal of John Reed when he is taunting Jane about her social status. John claims that since it is his family who supports Jane, it is their choice to dictate the circumstances under which she lives. In this case, Jane is not allowed to play with the younger Reed children or read a book that belongs to the Reeds. The fact that6 Jane is an orphan living under someone else's roof displays that she has not yet gained her independence.
Jane’s quest to find a sense of belonging follows her from the beginning, to the end of the narrative. Ever since Jane was a child, she was taught that she would never be accepted into society. From the start, she was never considered a member of the Reed family. They belittled her and treated her as if she were a servant, making sure she knew that she was not a part of their family. “They will
Jane grows up in Gateshead with her aunt and cousins, since she is an orphan. The dark and gloomy setting of Gateshead is where Jane encounters her first major challenge thrown at her. Jane is out numbered by her family, therefore she is mistreated by everyone, but she does not exactly understand why.
The three events that mark Jane as an evolving dynamic character are when she is locked in the red room, self reflecting on her time at Gateshead, her friendship with Helen Burns at LoWood, her relationship with Mr. Rochester, and her last moments with a sick Mrs. Reed. Brought up as an orphan by her widowed aunt, Mrs. Reed, Jane is accustomed to her aunts vindictive comments and selfish tendencies. Left out of family gatherings, shoved and hit by her cousin, John Reed, and teased by her other cousins, Georgina and Eliza Reed, the reader almost cringes at the unfairness of it all. But even at the young age of ten, Jane knows the consequences of her actions if she were to speak out against any of them. At one point she wonders why she endures in silence for the pleasure of others. Why she is oppressed. "Always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, forever condemned" (Bronte, 12). Jane’s life at Gateshead is not far from miserable. Not only is she bullied by her cousins and nagged by her aunt, but help from even Bessie, her nurse and sort of friend, seems out of her reach. In the red room scene Jane is drug by Ms. Ab...
At the start of Jane Eyre, Jane is living with her widowed aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her family after being orphaned. Jane is bitterly unhappy there because she is constantly tormented by her cousins, John, Eliza, and Georgiana. After reading the entire book you realize that Jane was perfectly capable of dealing with that issue on her own, but what made it unbearable was that Mrs. Reed always sided with her children, and never admitted to herself that her offspring could ever do such things as they did to Jane. Therefore, Jane was always punished for what the other three children did, and was branded a liar by Mrs. Reed. This point in the book marks the beginning of Jane's primary conflict in the novel. She feels unloved and unaccepted by the world, as her own family betrays her.
Brontë suggests that Jane has no family and nobody who loves her. Jane’s lack of love in her life makes her stronger and tougher. She learns not to always have to depend on anybody, but then again, it is upsetting that she has nobody to reach out to in a time of need. Brontë reveals Jane’s lack of love through Mrs. Fairfax and her questions about Jane’s family background.
In Gateshead Jane must learn to respect her aunt Mrs. Reed, and not to question her authority. Jane resents her harsh treatment by her aunt and cousins John so much but she knows that she has to control her temper. Jane knows she must control her temper in order to not get send to the Red Room again. She must also learn to control her imagination, which may take the form of superstition, as when she is locked in the Red Room. "All of John Reed's violent tyrannies, all his sisters' proud indifference, all his...
At the beginning of the book, Jane was living with her aunt Mrs. Reed and her children. Although Jane is treated cruelly and is abused constantly, she still displays passion and spirit by fighting back at John and finally standing up to Mrs Reed. Even Bessie ‘knew it was always in her’. Mrs. Reed accuses Jane of lying and being a troublesome person when Mr. Brocklehurst of Lowood School visited Gateshead. Jane is hurt, as she knows she was not deceitful so she defends herself as she defended herself to John Reed when he abused her, as she said “Wicked and cruel boy! You are like a murderer – you are like a slave driver – you are like the Roman emperors!” to John Reed instead of staying silent and taking in the abuse, which would damage her self-confidence and self-worth. With the anger she had gotten from being treated cruelly, she was able to gain ...
While at Lowood, a state - run orphanage and educational facility, Jane’s first friend, Helen Burns, teaches her the importance of friendship along with other skills that will help Jane grow and emotionally mature in the future. She serves as a role model for Jane. Helen’s intelligence, commitment to her studies, and social graces all lead Jane to discover desirable attributes in Helen. Helen is treated quite poorly, however, “her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane believes to be) unwarranted punishment makes the greatest impression on the younger girl” (Dunnington). Brontë uses this character as a way to exemplify the type of love that Jane deserves. This relationship allows Jane to understand the importance of having a true friend. Given Jane’s history at Gateshead, finding someone like Helen is monumental in her development as a person. Helen gives through honest friendship, a love that is