Examples Of Patriarchy In Jane Eyre

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One of the recurring motifs of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is the idea of tyranny and slavery, most often perpetrated by men. Indeed, Jane’s entire life seems to be framed by a succession of male tyrants, from John Reed to Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester and St John. Despite Jane’s attempts to rebel and find her own independence and freedom, she always seems to end up enslaved, in one way or the other, by a man. By putting this motif at the forefront of the novel, Bronte makes a powerful statement about abusive patriarchy and ends the novel with what I will argue is an optimistic flipping of this dynamic. After her Uncle Reed’s death, the first tyrant in Jane’s life becomes his son John Reed. While her aunt’s lack of love and consideration does …show more content…

Teachers, you must watch her: keep your eyes on her movements, weigh well her words, scrutinise her actions, punish her body to save her soul – if, indeed, such salvation be possible, for (my tongue falters while I tell it) this girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut – this girl is – a liar!’ …show more content…

As a man, he feels like it is both his right and his duty to tell a group of women - not only children but also adults, authority figures - what to do. His speech is full of imperatives: “avoid”, “exclude”, “shut her out”, “watch”, “keep”, “weigh”, “scrutinise”, “punish”; never ‘you should’ but “you must”. Brocklehurst also permits himself to impose an identity on women, bidding Jane a liar and expecting everyone else to simply accept his word as fact. Thus, his status as rich clergyman provides him with a sense of righteousness that allows him to expect obedience from the women around him. Although the other men play an important part in Jane’s story, Mr. Rochester remains the main figure of patriarchal power in the novel. His first official meeting with Jane sets the tone for their relationship, securing the strange, double power dynamic between man and woman, employer and

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