Jane Eyre Research Paper

A Woman’s World

Today in the twenty first century, like past centuries, there are many social, political, and economic inequalities regarding women. Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre, set in the Victorian Era is a novel that can be deeply analyzed through the views of feminism. Modern debatable women's rights issues such as equal pay, violence against women, marriage, and motherhood can be discussed in this Victorian novel. Jane Eyre has significant statements that point to women's rights issues in the Victorian society. Jane can not be called a feminist in the modern sense, because she is not the women who goes and demand her rights in the streets, but her actions and conversations suggests that she does not fall into the Victorian ideology for

When Mr. Rochester was disguised as an old fortuneteller, Jane says to him, “Oh, I have not much choice! They generally run on the same theme – courtship; and promise to end in the same catastrophe – marriage” (101). The fact that Jane has grown independent while living in restrictions and expectations of women created by society and its ideologies show her to be a rebellious feminist against societal norms. Jane’s manners were not at all acceptable for a low-class young woman like herself, she was expected to obey orders from those that are of higher ranks, and to know her place and social rank in society. She never considered Mr. Rochester superior to her even though she was a governess, but she believed that she was equal to anyone of any social ranks. She claims her equality when she says to Mr. Rochester, "Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! I

Still females are being treated different from their opposite sex. By men taking over the economic responsibilities they degrade the importance of women's roles in the society, “If men are obsolete, then women will soon be extinct — unless we rush down that ominous Brave New World path” (Paglia). It is dangerous for women today as it was before, to leave the important task of supplying money to the men and allowing themselves to be control by the money holders of the society. A big dilemma in the workforce is that women are being paid less than men for the same jobs, “women make up about half our workforce. But they still make 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. That is wrong, and in 2014, it’s an embarrassment” (Obama). The gender wage gap is a reminder to the discrimination of women and the notion that they are worth less that men. Its frightening to know that women are being targeted for inequality in every aspect of life; the workforce, at home, in public places, and even in schools. Women have always since the beginning of male dominance have had much less opportunities, just as Jane was having difficulties with finding an occupation when she had left thornfield, there were not many options and ways to make money for women so she end up begging for a shelter. Today we see young girls