Jane Eyre’s Mr. Brocklehurst Vs. Gwendolen

Just as Gwendolen exhibits the flaws of Victorian women gender roles, so does Mr. Brocklehurst.

In contrast however, Wilde centers on seemingly positive female ideals of virtuousness. Wilde reveals the flaws in these standardized roles by demonstrating how women secretly go against these ideals, which can only have a detrimental outcome. Gwendolen exemplifies how women are portrayed when they merely pretend to abide by the idealized female role in society instead of attempting to challenge it honestly and publically. Gwendolen and thus stereotypical Victorian women are depicted as inauthentic, superficial, immoral, and most appallingly hypocritical. On the contrary, Bronte focuses on the negative connotations of women’s gender role through the depiction of a male character. For Bronte, Mr. Brocklehurst’s maltreatment of Jane and the girls at Lowood demonstrates the fundamental problem in the Victorian society; men dominate and govern society whilst women are rendered subservient and inferior in relation to men.

Bronte’s main character, Jane Eyre, conforms to this unequal power dynamic throughout most of the novel. Therefore, Jane is portrayed as the direct product of Victorian society. Throughout the novel, the men Jane encounters hold the power and inevitably mold and shape her throughout the novel into their idealized standard of a woman. Mr. Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester, and St. John each project their own image of the perfect woman upon Jane and each of them attempt to shape her to their idealized standards. Jane is left in the end to discover herself whilst in her search to be reunited with the love of her life, Mr. Rochester. Jane’s relationship with Mr. Rochester however focuses far more on romantic notions and brings to ...

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...ajority of Jane Eyre, Jane, the female protagonist, is true to women’s depiction as subservient. Just as the majority of the novel casts a traditional masculine light on the male leads Mr. Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester and St. John, presenting them as strong, independent, authoritative figures. Which leads to the main distinction between the texts. Bronte presents Victorian society’s gender roles as being governed and maintained by the male gender. She ends her novel with a feminist prospect of women’s equality, with the fall of Mr. Rochester. On the other hand, Wilde maintains the very doubleness that encompasses the majority of the play, upholding flaws and hypocrisy in both genders roles. Nevertheless, both works come to the identical conclusion. Both works advocate for change away from Victorian ideals and towards the dismissal of nineteenth century gender roles.