Freedom of choice, the transference of power away from and to the oppressed, and rebellion against societal norms: these are some of the many ingredients of a book that hailed a new approach toward writing, trailblazing a whole subgenre of fictitious works. This book, a book which will stand the test of time, embodies the female struggle in an oppressive society. This book, Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies, will survive as it became a beacon in the new style of young adult dystopian novels with female protagonists. This book, much in the same way that Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre inspired writers like Jean Rhys to write Wide Sargasso Sea and Gilbert and Gubar to pen the first edition of The Madwoman in the Attic, opened the path for Suzanne …show more content…
This name, while not as dehumanizing as Rochester’s other signifiers of choice, diminishes Jane to the level of a child, once again placing Rochester in a position of power over Jane.
The concept of naming as a tool to shape relationships is a time-tested literary tool, which in addition to being employed in Jane Eyre, also features as a major discourse in Uglies. “Uglies’ slang is…ugly. It’s all about giving people nicknames that highlights their ugliness-Skinny, Squint,” the difference between Uglies’ use of naming and Jane Eyre’s use of naming is that in Uglies the young adults impress upon each other these oppressive names rather than a more privileged individual bestowing the names, which lower their own self esteems(Wilkinson 10). This tactic of encouraging self-depreciating names is a practice which internalizes the need in the young citizens to live for the day in which they turn sixteen and can be “reprieved” of their undesirable traits, their skinny frames and squinty eyes. Stylistically, the two books can be compared on the use of character foils to indirectly characterize the main protagonist; character foils, a subtle, indirect characterization formed by comparison of characters, appears in the foil of Jane Eyre and Bertha Rochester and the foil of Tally Youngblood and Dr.Cable. In The Madwoman in the
Character foils are important to any story or play as they compare and contrast character traits as the story unfolds. The use of character foils allows the audience to understand a characters way of thought and the actions that they take. Character foils show the moral behaviour and can help the audience see contradictory factors that help advance the plot. Although characters may seem similar, the use of character foils can show their differences. In William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the use of character foils proves Fortinbras is a stronger political leader over Hamlet, the contrasting view of Laertes as a son in comparison to Hamlet and Horatio being thought of as the better man in contradiction to Hamlet.
To set the stage in “Jane Eyre” our Protagonist, Jane Eyre is deceived by Mr.Rochester, one of the antagonists in order to “protect” his love, Jane. Mr. Rochester’s deception begins
Even though Mrs. Fairfax believes that Rochester will marry Blanche Ingram, Blanche is not the woman of his choice. Blanche’s family believes they are a great match, due to their equal social status. However, Rochester does not have the same plan in mind. Jane is not happy with herself, because she fell in love with a man out of her social reach, but Rochester is not concerned with social status. Both Jane and Blanche Ingram have positive and negative qualities. Rochester prefers Jane based on all of her positive
We first encounter this relationship between Jane and Rochester during their first dramatic meeting. She encounters him when he falls off his horse and she is required to give him assistance. Jane’s first impression of his face is that ‘He had a dark face, with stern features and a heavy brow’. This may portray the dimness in his face awaiting to be enlightened by a woman which, in this case Jane. Further on in this chapter, unaware of who he is, on her return home, Jane is amazed to discover that the gentleman she assisted in the road was her employer, Mr. Edward Rochester. Jane’s future relationship with Rochester is most clearly set out in their first meeting. Although without any money, reserved and socially dependent, Jane is not
The book “The Hunger Games” was written by Suzanne Collins and it’s the first book out of the trilogy she has written. Collins uses a mixture of modern and classical as elements in this story and it allows for any age reader to enjoy it. Some the literary devices she uses in the book are setting, symbolism, and themes. It’s everything you could want in a book because it has a little bit of each genre, like action, romance, comedy, and even mystery. This book will have you sitting at the edge of your seat on minute and then grabbing for a tissue the next. When reading this book, “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins and looking at the setting, symbolism, and theme it’s easy to sense the different tones and emotions going on in the story.
On page 83, Mr. Rochester has a “massive head”, “granite-hewn features” , “great dark eyes” and fine eyes too”. The reader is supposed to think of him as someone who is a predator towards Jane because of his mean looking and dark features and because of Jane’s past experience with men in power. Readers are supposed to be wary of Mister Rochester.
“The character of a man is known from his conversations.” This quote from famed Greek dramatist, Menander, clearly illustrates the reason foils are used in literature. A pair of foils are two characters who compliment each other through contrast; each one helps exaggerate the other's personality. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, has many excellently executed examples of this foil technique. Weather the foils appear only for a mere chapter, like that of Calpurnia and Lula, or is segmented throughout the entire book, like that of Miss Maudie Atkinson and Miss Stephanie Crawford, their contrast resonates throughout the entire experience. In the case of Walter Cunningham Sr. And Bob Ewell, it even has a major impact on the plot.
Jane confirms her secondary status by referring to Rochester as "master," and believing "wealth, caste, custom," separate her from him. She fears he will treat her like an "automaton" because she is "poor, obscure, plain and little," mistakenly believing the lower classes to be heartless and soulless. Claiming the aristocratic privilege of creating his own rules, Rochester redefines Jane 's class status, by defining her as his "equal" and "likeness."
Character foils are used in many books to contrast two characters, but why are they important to understand, and how are they relevant? Character foils highlight the qualities of each character, helping indentify the protagonist and antagonist. It can also give assistance in labeling the personalities of the characters, fitting them into their roles in the story. In Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, the character foil between Don Pedro and Don John in Much Ado About Nothing highlights the qualities between them. This also influences the conflict resulting in the plot, concerning Claudio and Hero.
Foil characters are somewhat similar but are used to highlight the differences between the two being used. Elizabeth and Jane are both very sensible and quite smart. They have learned more from their father instead of their mother because they are not constantly throwing themselves out to men, trying to get their attention. The attitude displayed by the girls
Furthermore, Jane says “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Chapter 27, Bronte.) This statement greatly represents the growth that Jane has undergone. She no longer dreads the solitude that once haunted her because she respects herself enough to realize that she did not deserve to experience such great dismay. Through independence and self-recognition, Jane has discovered the importance of loving oneself. Without the reliance on the thoughts of others, the once extremely troubled girl found bliss through a lack of outside control. In regards to her relationship with Mr. Rochester, Jane understands that she must leave him behind to maintain her own well-being. She does not allow the wealth or proclaimed love from Rochester to skew her decisions and she does not linger to dominate the life of her lover. Instead, she moves forward to continue her endless pursuit of happiness and independence.
Edward Fairfax Rochester is an archetypal Byronic hero. He seems “moody” and unattainable and could often be seen as an antihero, however is capable of feeling and displaying strong emotions, as can be seen throughout Jane Eyre. Although perhaps the reader should view Mr Rochester as the malefactor in the novel due to his ill treatment of Bertha Mason primarily, along with the conflicted emotions he causes Jane and the heartbreak she suffers because of him, he does present a good case owing the fault of
Rochester. At first Jane sees him as rude and disrespectful due to his cold and gruesome remarks, but it is her fight and how Jane stands up for herself that leads to one of the most known relationships in literature. Eventually Rochester asks Jane for her hand in marriage but at the scene of the wedding, we come to learn, that Rochester is already married to an insane woman, living in his attic, named Bertha. With this Rochester asks Jane to run away with her to Europe, this is exactly where Jane is faced with a very hard decision between following her heart as everyone wants to do, or keeping her respect and dignity. We can see the respect Jane now has from Rochester when he says to her, “I was wrong to attempt to deceive you; but I feared a stubbornness that exists in your character” (Bronte 354). This shows that Jane has gained Rochester’s respect and the ‘stubbornness’ in Jane’s character is the best thing for her, for without this trait Jane could never gain respect from others, especially men, in his novel. Knowing that Jane has decided to leave her, Rochester begins to persuade Jane to stay with him. He says, “Oh, Jane, this is bitter! This – this is wicked. It would not be wicked to love me” (Bronte 355). Jane replies, “It would to obey you” (Bronte 355), showing that she will not give into his pleading, regardless of how much she loves him because to obey him would lead to the loss
In Graham’s Magazine, another anonymous reviewer suggested that Rochester’s character was dangerous and immoral, saying, “No woman who had ever truly loved could have mistaken so completely the Rochester type, or could have made her heroine love a man of proud, selfish, ungovernable appetites, which no sophistry can lift out of lust.” Thus, he intimated that any author who would contrive to have her heroine fall in love with such a total rake would be immoral herself and unknowing of what true love is. He went one step further to say, “We accordingly think that if the innocent young ladies of our land lay a premium on profligacy, by marrying dissolute rakes for the honor of reforming them, à la Jane Eyre, their benevolence will be of questionable utility to the world.” In this, he suggested that the depiction of Jane and Rochester’s relationship would cause young women of the time to emulate Jane’s “romantic wickedness.”
Moreover, Jane is dominant, assertive and lives according to her values. Though Jane is nothing more than an impoverished governess, she can retort to her haughty employer Rochester: "Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? - You think wrong!" And there are no deceit between Jane and Mr. Rochester; rather they converse as almost equals even though they are of different classes and Mr. Rochester is over twenty years Jane's superior in age. In many ways, Mr. Rochester speaks to Jane rudely and sharply; he is commanding in nature and often very diminutive toward her although never in a nasty manner. She criticizes him though, that he is no superior for age or experience but rather because she is a paided governess in his charge. When asked if she feels he is handsome, she blurts without even thinking