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
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.
...inist heroism by refusing to address him as “Master Reed”. Jane admits to being “habitually obedient to John” as conventional society would have (Brontë 13). John stresses his superiority over Jane both physically and verbally: “Now I’ll teach you to rummage in my bookshelves; for they are mine, all of this house belongs to me” (Brontë 14)! Janes inferior position is highlighted when John throws the book at her. Janes reaction solidifies her as a strong willed girl when she declares him “a murderer—[...] like a slave-driver—[...] like the Roman emperors” (Brontë 15)! She attacks him physically and verbally casting herself as a key heroine in her fearless approach. Jane proves herself exceptional for her time by shattering the conventional role of women, silent and submissive, to a voice raged with passionate defiance against the patriarchal society” (Simpson 12).
In Charles Johnson’s “Oxherding Tale,” the protagonist, Andrew Hawkins, finds himself navigating between two complex worlds: House and Field, and the White World. From the onset, the narrative underscores the recurring theme of relationships between black men and white women. Andrew’s story unfolds as a product of this dynamic, tracing its roots to its inception. When he goes to work to secure freedom for his future wife, Minty, and his enslaved parents, Andrew becomes entangled in a compelling relationship with the master, Flo Hatfield. The narrative explores the intricacies of their connection, particularly its origins in the replacement of the previous house slave, Patrick.
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
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.
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.
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 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
...ighting for acknowledgement in a society dominated by males. She, unlike her aunt, is not afraid to stand up to John, and is not bossed around by him. She is constantly fighting with him. Bronte uses this difference between Jane and the other women characters to create the picture in her reader’s mind, that women who display the behaviors of the classical Victorian female are bad, and that the women who show independence and individuality are good.
...d outbreaks of her violent and unreasonable temper, or the vexations of her absurd, contradictory, exacting orders." She is an example of what might have become of Jane if she hadn't been able to control her anger against life. She illustrates all of Jane's passionate personality traits taken out of balance. In the end, she dies trying to gain freedom from the life she needed to escape.
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.
Contrary to Gilbert’s belief, the central feminist moment in Jane Eyre revolves around Jane’s relationship to Rochester. As the book progresses, we see various stages in Jane’s ability to express herself through her marriage to Rochester beginning with Jane being “’like any other English school-girl: perhaps rather better than some, but not well’” to the end when “My Edward and I, then, are happy” (Brontë 460). Through their marriage, Jane is able to overcome her traditional place in society and fulfill her need for felicity. The statement above is powerful because it now shows that she is on the same level as him, she doesn’t respectfully say Mr. Rochester instead, and Jane says my Edward, as though she now owns him. Before she married Rochester, she would continually pull herself down, and even after their failed marriage ceremony, she held herself to a higher degree than before his proposal when she denied St. John’s marriage proposal.
Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth.