Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is filled with poverty and a very specific example of disease. The novel explores what happens in the poorer parts of society and comments on the conditions being held up. Urbanization led to deadly air and diseases spreading like wildfire. Although Jane was brought to Lowood to learn and become a functioning member of society she was actually being put in harm's way due to less than efficient health standards.
Disease does not show up often in Jane Eyre but when it does it causes an uproar. Due to the industrialization and urbanization of England the air and health standards were unlivable. Not only was the air making people sick due to all of the pollution and fumes coming from factories, but the standard of
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health in this period was extremely low. The poor were more susceptible to the diseases of this time period because they had no doctors or medical care at all. For example, in Jane Eyre Charlotte portrays Mr.
Brocklehurst as a harsh and uncaring man, "should any little accidental disappointment of the appetite occur… the incident ought not to be neutralized by replacing with something more delicate to comfort lost…take the opportunity of referring to the primitive Christians" (pg. 63). The food was less than satisfactory and if something were to be wrong with it then the girls would have to eat it anyway. Malnourishment was common for these girls and their diets were very unhealthy. Charlotte is commenting on the conditions of the time period and how some would simply just ignore the lack of cleanliness because it was beneficial for them. Brocklehurst was making money from his school and spending very little on the girls. He didn't care about the conditions because he resided in a nice house a few miles away where he hid, "Mr. Brocklehurst and his family never came near Lowood now: household matters were not scrutinized into" (pg. 77). Many people would turn their eyes away from the poor and sick until it became such a devastating factor that they could no longer ignore it, "when the typhus fever had fulfilled its mission of devastation at Lowood, it gradually disappeared from thence" (pg. 83). There were
young innocent people dying from diseases being brought on by those benefiting from the urbanization. Once the true conditions of the poor and orphaned were recognized the wealthy took it upon themselves to fund the schools and create better living conditions for the poor and sick in them, "several wealthy and benevolent individuals in the county subscribed largely for the erection of a more convenient building in a better situation" (pg. 83). There was no notice of the devastating diseases spreading throughout the country until one incident brought it to the public's attention and change was initiated. Up until then, no one cared about what was going on in those poor schools. Charlotte is using Brocklehurst's irresponsible nature and lack of sympathy for the girls to prove just how bad the conditions were for those of a poorer class. The conditions were made livable when public opinion was raised. Without the wealthy benefactors providing for the school then those sick children would have never gotten help. With the money raised they were provided doctors and a new building with better living conditions. The poor had no way to help themselves. They were left to die in a place that was supposed to be providing them with an education and possibly a chance at a future.
Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, was published in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Company, in London. This year is exactly ten years into Queen Victoria’s sixty-four year reign of the British Empire. The Victorian Era was renowned for its patriarchal Society and definition by class. These two things provide vital background to the novel, as Jane suffers from both. Jane Eyre relates in some ways to Brontë’s own life, as its original title suggest, “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography”. Charlotte Brontë would have suffered from too, as a relatively poor woman. She would have been treated lowly within the community. In fact, the book itself was published under a pseudonym of Currer Bell, the initials taken from Brontë’s own name, due to the fact that a book published by a woman was seen as inferior, as they were deemed intellectually substandard to men. Emily Brontë, Charlotte’s sister, was also forced to publish her most famous novel, Wuthering Heights, under the nom de plume of Ellis Bell, again taking the initials of her name to form her own alias. The novel is a political touchstone to illustrate the period in which it was written, and also acts as a critique of the Victorian patriarchal society.
Through the course of the novel, Jane Eyre is dependent on first her Aunt Reed, then Mr. Brocklehurst, and, subsequently, Mr. Rochester. As John Reed, her cousin, taunts her, she is “a dependent… [has] no money’” (Bronte 4), highlighting the complete control her Aunt Reed has of her life at this point. Her Aunt Reed chooses to send her to the frightful Lowood School and leads her Uncle John Eyre to believe her “’dead of typhus fever at Lowood.”’ (Bronte 217) While at Lowood, she is dependent on the dreadful Mr. Brocklehurst, a “personification of the Victorian superego,” (Gilbert and Gubar 343) who is the “absolute ruler of this little world.” (Rich 466) He uses “religion, charity, and morality to keep the poor in their place,” (Rich 466) rendering the students psychologically dependent on him. Finally, as a governess at Thornfield Hall, Jane Eyre is dependent on Mr. Rochester as his employee, required to acquiesce to his whims and to ask his...
The novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, depicts the coming of age of a woman who encounters great hardships, obstacles, and heartbreak. During the Victorian era women were subordinate to men and often times lacked the same opportunities and privileges that society and the family structure gave to men. Although society and the family structure of the Victorian era treated men and women differently, men were also oppressed, experienced suffering, and had to overcome poverty, but due to the masculinity that men were forced to portray during the era often times the hardships of men have been overlooked when analyzing the men in Jane Eyre. The characters John Reed, St. John Rivers, and Edward Rochester suffer various forms of lack and poverty that contributes to their oppressive and suffering nature precipitated by societal and family structure as well as being impoverished by their circumstances throughout the story even though they come across as having wealth and power.
Charlotte Bronte uses weather in ‘Jane Eyre’ to symbolise future events and allow the reader to gain in depth understanding of Jane’s thoughts and feelings. The connotations towards changes in weather are repeatedly used throughout the novel to convey Jane’s emotions and future life events. Pathetic fallacy and personification is first used at the beginning of the novel to portray Jane’s feelings as a young child, ‘cold winter had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating’ (3) Aunt Reed’s harsh behaviour towards Jane has not yet been narrated by Bronte however the use of pathetic fallacy suggests that Jane is not happy. The use of personification ‘brought’ suggests that more troubles for Jane are to arrive. ‘Jane Eyre’ is
The novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, has a plot that is filled with an extraordinary amount of problems. Or so it seems as you are reading it. However, it comes to your attention after you have finished it, that there is a common thread running throughout the book. There are many little difficulties that the main character, the indomitable Jane Eyre, must deal with, but once you reach the end of the book you begin to realize that all of Jane's problems are based around one thing. Jane searches throughout the book for love and acceptance, and is forced to endure many hardships before finding them. First, she must cope with the betrayal of the people who are supposed to be her family - her aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her children, Eliza, Georgiana, and John. Then there is the issue of Jane's time at Lowood School, and how Jane goes out on her own after her best friend leaves. She takes a position at Thornfield Hall as a tutor, and makes some new friendships and even a romance. Yet her newfound happiness is taken away from her and she once again must start over. Then finally, after enduring so much, during the course of the book, Jane finally finds a true family and love, in rather unexpected places.
Jane Eyre is isolated at the beginning of the book. She's stuck with a family that hates her, and as she’s a powerless ten-year-old there is not much to be done about it. However, eventually she leaves and goes to school, where she finds herself in a similar situation.
posts, this was felt to be a women's job as it is the mother who would
Although written during both the Victorian and Gothic time period, Jane Eyre draws upon many revolutionary influences that ultimately enabled it to become one of the most successful books of all time. Jane Eyre is merely a hybrid of a Victorian and Gothic novel, infusing a share of dark allusions with overzealous romanticism. The primitive cultures of the Victorian period reflect high ethical standards, an extreme respect for family life, and devotional qualities to God, all in which the novel portrays. Yet, to merely label Jane Eyre as a Victorian novel would be misleading. While the characteristics of a Gothic no...
Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre, is set in a Victorian England, where social class is a huge factor in life. Brontë is very critical of Victorian England’s strict hierarchy. the main character, Jane, is a governess. Her social position is very complicated in which she has to be sophisticated, educated, intelligent, and soft spoken but she is then talked down to as she is of a lower class. The job of a governess is to teach children, whether it be art, writing or reading english literature. Victorian society is very corrupt and in the novel Brontë truly captures and illustrates the challenges that Jane has to face as a governess. The novel also emphasizes the social gap between individuals and how big it really is. In Victorian society, the rich get the most out of life and life for the poor gets harder. No individual should judge or belittle another due to the very minor factor of social status, but it seems to be very important in Jane’s society. The message that Brontë expresses in the novel is that social class is a meaningless catalyst in the progression of relationships, creating giant gaps between individuals.
Pain, misery and disappointment are all a significant part of this world’s concepts of both life and love. A prime example of this is displayed in Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, where the protagonist, Jane, suffers through a particularly difficult life; her love is constantly stripped from her the moment she is relishing it most. With Bronte’s introduction of Bertha Rochester, Jane’s never-ending cycle of disappointment and loss of love.
In 1847, Charlotte Bronte, although a woman, published her semi autobiographical Jane Eyre. She wrote her novels in Thornton, Yorkshire, England. This novel later became a classic literature novel. ( Bronte) She wrote in the 1800’s and her novel reflects the time period, which she wrote in with the various techniques and themes. In the novel Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses literary devices such as, imagery and themes like religion and feminism to demonstrate the time period in which she wrote.
In the beginning of Jane Eyre, Jane struggles against Bessie, the nurse at Gateshead Hall, and says, I resisted all the way: a new thing for me…"(Chapter 2). This sentence foreshadows what will be an important theme of the rest of the book, that of female independence or rebelliousness. Jane is here resisting her unfair punishment, but throughout the novel she expresses her opinions on the state of women. Tied to this theme is another of class and the resistance of the terms of one's class. Spiritual and supernatural themes can also be traced throughout the novel.
How does Bront portray Jane as an unconventional female character in the novel Jane Eyre? Jane Eyre was published in 1847, during the reign of Queen Victoria. The novel was written by Charlotte Bront, but published under the pseudonym Currer Bell. Pseudonyms were used frequently by women at this point in time, as they were believed to be inferior to men. The The work of female authors was not as well respected as those of male writers.
The novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë is about a female character battling society's conservative view on women's rights and roles in civilization. Jane Eyre was written during the Victorian Era when women were seen less than equals to men, but more as property and an asset. At the end of the era was when feminist ideas and the women's suffrage movement began to gain momentum. In the novel, Jane encounters three male characters, Mr.Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester and Mr. St. John Rivers, who try to restrict her from expressing her thoughts and emotions. In Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre, Victorian ideology influences today's society by making women seem inadequate to men. Brontë wants to convey that rather than conforming to other's opinions, women should seek freedom and break free of the barrier that society has created for them.
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.