On that account, another important aspect that the novel brings to our attention is the way in which women were becoming objects of display. Again Blanche’s example epitomizes the upper-class women that Victorian society was encouraging: “Creatures so absorbed in care about their pretty faces, and their white hands, and their small feet”, considered to be their “legitimate appanage and heritage!” (Brontë, 340), that made them give no second thoughts to their role as free, intellectual human beings. These were the expectations of nineteenth-century aristocratic women, and as Brontë clearly points out, Blanche embodies perfectly such qualities that endeavor her to become an object. Her time at Thornfield was never spent with productive activities that would enrich the mind, such as reading or writing, but in idle amusements. Constantly we see how Blanche exhibits her qualities and value through forms of self-display, so as to make herself more attractive to men: “both her words and her air seemed intended to excite not only the admiration, but the amazement of her auditors: she was evidently bent on striking them as something very dashing and daring indeed.” (Brontë, 339) In such manner, we notice how through the upper-class society described in Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë is painting an eloquent image of the …show more content…
Brontë shapes her female character in such a way that she deals with her “hunger, rebellion and anger” (Gilbert and Guber, 1979: 360), without entering into a visible conflict with society. Thus, Jane does not openly challenge the Victorian patriarchal system, because she knows how to encompass the imposed standards without letting them run her
Is Blanche Dubois a victim of her own? In Tennessee Williams's play “A Streetcar Named Desire”, Dubois becomes a liability to herself. Dubois is more of a victim to herself than to a victim of another because she is self-destructive and has trauma issues. Dubois often conceals herself. She never steps out anywhere and she can not hide her real looks.
Women who had no claim to wealth or beauty received the harshest of realities in America’s Victorian era. Author Charlotte Bronte – from America’s Victorian era – examines and follows the life of a girl born into these conditions in her gothic novel Jane Eyre (of which the main character’s name
Throughout Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë uses the character Jane as a tool to comment on the oppression that women were forced to endure at the time. Jane can be seen as representative of the women who suffered from repression during the Victorian period, a time when patriarchy was commonplace. Brontë herself was affected by the time period, because according to Wolfe, she was deprived “experience and intercourse and travel.” (70) Thus Jane offers a unique perspective as a woman who is both keenly aware of her position and yet trapped by it despite repeated attempts to elevate herself and escape the burden placed on by her different suitors. Although superficially it seems that Jane wants to break away from the relationships that further
This extract from Jane Eyre sees Brontë, in one sense, overturning the gender and social constructions of the mid-Nineteenth century. However, overwhelming, she reinforces that Rochester and Jane’s relationship is one of insurpassable inequality. Jane’s Confirming her view of female independence earlier in Chapter 12, ‘It is thoughtless to condemn [women] […] if they seek to do more or learn more,’ (Jane Eyre, p.95) Jane rises above the constraints of her status as a ‘poor, obscure, plain and little,’ woman, through her retort towards Rochester, where she condemns him, who is superior to her societally, for his behaviour towards her.
Throughout the course of time women have been held to different standards and have higher expectations laid upon them than, for example, men have. Many women devote themselves to fighting back, challenging, or breaking out of the box that others try to force them into. Although Charlotte Brontë was not someone who tried to break out of her “required” role she did create the character of Jane to be someone who challenged stereotypes and strove to be more than what society told her she ought to be. She created someone with her own like mind and heart but not alike in her actions. Where Charlotte Brontë would stay back in silence the character of Jane would speak her mind and confront those who tried to oppress her. In the novel, Jane Eyre, Charlotte
After Jane first arrives there, Bronte uses a theme statement to comment on gender inequality in the 19th century: “[N]obody knows how many rebellions […] ferment in the masses of life which people earth. Women are supposed to be very calm generally; but […] they need exercise for their faculties, […]; they suffer from too rigid a restraint […]” (131). In this thematic passage, Bronte subtly incorporates a comment about political oppression within one about gender inequality. This serves as social commentary and a call for action in Victorian England, which she continues to urge in developing Bertha’s character.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre depicts gender through the imbalance and interactions of male to female characters. In attempt to comment on the Victorian Era, Bronte’s depiction of gender throughout the novel comments on social class and its influence of the character’s depiction of gender. This essay will explore these depictions and themes through the different characters within the novel and their respective settings within the novel. Jane Eyre depicts the male gender to be the dominant and superior gender.
Bronte has purposefully rejected the idea of a conventionally beautiful heroine; she told siblings ‘I will show you a heroine as plain and small as myself’. As a reader we have more respect for Jane because of these virtues, she has more emotion and does not appear placid. She questions everything, which is unfortunate at Gateshead as Mrs Reed doesn’t ‘like cavillers or questioners…there is something truly forbidding in a child taking up her elders in that manner.’ Jane is shown to possess a strong and rich inner life, but we notice also how much she internalises and, when attacked, retreats and finds solace in solitude, in the world of art, and in contact with nature.
Bronte’s representation of Jane as a woman who wants to be
Bronte’s feminist ideas radiated throughout her novel Jane Eyre. There were many strong and clear examples of these ideas in Bronte’s protagonist, Jane, her personality, actions, thoughts and beliefs. From the beginning of the book, Jane’s strong personality and her lack of following social expectations were quiet clear. “Women of the Victorian era were not part of a man’s world, as they were considered below them.”(VanTassel-Baska, 4) The class divisions between a man and a woman were very distinctive. Jane however ignored this. When Jane first met Rochester, the whole scene presented a feminist portrait of Jane. A women walking alone in that era should never address a man, but Jane went out of her way to help Rochester stating that “if you are hurt, I can help” (Bronte, 98), Jane even let him place a hand on her shoulder. Jane believed that “women were supposed to be very calm generally, but women felt just as men felt” (Bronte, 116), which showed her perseverance and persistence in being independent and proving that men should be equal to that of women. This was of
Charlotte Bronte created one of the first feminist novels--Jane Eyre--of her time period when she created the unique and feminist female heroine, Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel, Jane becomes stronger as she speaks out against antagonists. She presses to find happiness whether she is single or married and disregards society’s rules. The novel begins as Jane is a small, orphan child living with her aunt and cousins due to the death of her parents and her uncle. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Jane 's aunt--Mrs. Reed--degrades her as she favors her biological children. Her cousin--John Reed--hits her and then Mrs. Reed chooses to punish her instead and sends her to the room in which her uncle
Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre embraces many feminist views in opposition to the Victorian feminine ideal. Charlotte Bronte herself was among the first feminist writers of her time, and wrote this book in order to send the message of feminism to a Victorian-Age Society in which women were looked upon as inferior and repressed by the society in which they lived. This novel embodies the ideology of equality between a man and woman in marriage, as well as in society at large. As a feminist writer, Charlotte Bronte created this novel to support and spread the idea of an independent woman who works for herself, thinks for herself, and acts of her own accord.
Great feminist writers, such as Zora Neale Hurston and Betty Friedan, have been openly outspoken against misogyny in their societies. Charlotte Bronte, a prisoner of the strict and proper Victorian society, speaks out against gender inequality in a subtle manner, as her environment limits her voice. Bronte illuminates the misogynistic and sexist attitudes of the Victorian era in Jane Eyre through the relationships between the protagonist, Jane, and the male characters in the book, through the treatment of madwoman Bertha Mason, and through the inner monologue of Jane herself.
" I would always be happy than dignified” are the first words the audience are shown that can cause the reader to wonder whether it will be satisfying or if they would be able to comprehend the author’s message. Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre deals with a young orphan girl who lives a very repugnant life; the transition from her childhood to adulthood makes the reader effectively understand the character’s struggles and accomplishments. When reading this novel, a reader’s imagination can travel back to the Victorian age in England, where everything was differentiated between the men and women of this time era. This can aid readers to get a prominent picture of the life of the main character, Jane. Jane Eyre portrays a variety of themes and symbolism in which focus the central message of this book.
The first point to be discussed with feminism in this literature, Brontë portrays Jane Eyre to be a very subtle Feminist. Jane's approach to feminism is not rebellious or outlandish at all. She lets her character speak for itself, .due to her harsh living environments she had to take that approach considering in the nineteenth-century, the quality of life as a women was entirely based on how beautiful women were and who they were married to. Along with a wealthy economic status, Jane however, had none of these things going for her. For example she was an orphan in this particular family named the Reeds, they are a very wealthy family and took her into an extremely toxic household which was very different to her past living environments, were later on corrupted her in the future to believe that all women should not be treated equal to but less than when compared to men. From the disrespect she received from Mrs Reed, and the bullying from her son John she was always able to stand up for herself no matter how bad or unfairly she was being treated. There were many instances were Jane was being treated unjustly. Ms. Reed would allow her children and even the maid of the house be disrespectful to her. Everyday Jane was being being compared to things like “little toad” (bronte 41). Conveying the message to the reader that just because Jane is not attractive nor wealthy that she does not deserve to be given the respect someone with those