Women in the Victorian era were supposed to be passive, pure, and idle; were not to be well educated; and were expected to marry. Throughout Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre learns the realities of these social expectations and directly and indirectly speaks against them.
In modern society, men and women share more equality, however sexual discrimination played a larger part in the perceived role of women in the Victorian Era as seen in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë , and through Jane’s devout passion and defying the normalities and expectations for women of this era, the concept of feminism is portrayed through Jane caused by the manipulation of the patriarchy through the significant men seen in this book. The concept of gender roles isn’t a genuine truth, but is a product of the dominant patriarchy and social practice that is so alluded to throughout the novel. Now, as the active role of women is increasingly recognized by society, the actual controversy lies in the idea that an uncontrollable factor such as gender can determine the portrayal of a person in that society, and that women aren’t accepted as mutual equals, but victimized to be subservient to men. The bestowed role of women is apparent in all societies, but is especially evident concerning the direct placement of women and constant suppression of character and desires, such as Jane endured throughout her lifetime. As Jane’s restless spirit becomes agitated with her stagnant place, she often seeks solitude in the solemn attic to dwell in silence. There she paces, allowing her ever-expanding thoughts to wander, and now she considers the achievability of satisfaction, and the unattainability of tranquility and contentment. Jane demonstrates her frustration, and how the
In its simplest form, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre tells the story of a young woman, Jane Eyre, who grows up poor, makes the decision to be independent, does so, and, eventually, marries rich. The novel follows her from her childhood to her reunion with the love of her life and she, throughout it, deals with classism and sexism and exhibits her own form of feminism. By the end, it becomes clear that, with this semi-autobiographical novel, Charlotte Bronte was providing a criticism on society’s discrimination toward those of a lower class, a subtle argument against the male-dominated society’s treatment of women, and an even subtler call to action for women to find their own agency outside of the men in their lives. On another end, however,
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
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.
In Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre, Brontë depicts the life of a young Jane, who meets a number of influential people, essential to her development into a civilized governess. Along her journey she struggles to conceal her emotion and passion for life, as it is improper for 19th century Victorian women. Louis James effectively analyzes the moral and religious hearth of the Victorian era through the socio-historic lens, which allows him to anatomize the content of Brontë’s novel and correlate it with history of this era. However, in his Victorian Novel, James fails to acknowledge the emotional significance that the colorful and religious hearth of the 19th century had on Jane Eyre. It is important to look at how the novel would have developed
Femininity runs throughout the work of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre. A variety of figures illustrate behaviors that Jane observes growing up. There are a number of positive role models that portray how to be a woman not just in the 19th century but in modern-day time. On the flip side there are role models that exemplify socially and morally unacceptable traits. Jane is a growing embodiment of both the good and bad mystique. But is there a right way to be a woman? The good of one person reflects on the rest of the population. What more for a woman to act one way and have it represent the rest of her kind? During Jane’s childhood, Mrs. Reed and Ms. Temple establish two distinct platforms of femininity. One platform values the virtues of compassion
The purpose of Bronte's novel is to demonstrate that women could go beyond the oppressive limitations of their environment and find fulfillment. Jane's cries for love are mistaken as evil outburst by those who wish to keep women repressed. Oppression of women was so great that women even in the home were expected to be nonproductive. The ideal or perfect Victorian women were ones who adopted an image of repose or idleness, basically to show the world they could. Nervousness and fainting were expected in women, and certain disagreeable topics or bad news could cause such traits to erupt. By trusting in her passion, by trusting in her own abilities, and by making her own decisions, Jane is able to overcome the agony all around her. Homeless, starving, and misjudged, Jane is
Jane Eyre Paper The novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte tells the story of an abused orphan, Jane, who later matures into a confident, self-reliant governess. Bronte uses conflict, irony, and symbols to display how Jane matures. The most dominant themes of Jane Eyre are social position, feminism, and overcoming difficult
Introduction: Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte explore social class in a number of different ways throughout their novels Pride and the Prejudice and Jane Eyre. They do this through the use of stylistic devices which in turn appeals to their different audiences. Both Jane and Charlotte are notable writers for their remarkable texts. Jane Austen is known for playing a revolutionary role in the generation of English female literature, which was counteracted by this piece- and Charlotte Bronte also developed her feminist thoughts, which have been displayed throughout her novels. By analysing social class in Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre this essay will compare these two women writers’ texts and display how social class is presented
Bronte’s Feminist Ideas 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
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
Derek Chao Ms.Roberts AP Literature November 18 2015 Awesome Essay Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, illustrates a British society that depicts an uneven distribution of wealth among people in the Victorian Era, creating this gap between the rich and poor. Social class in British society was made of the lower, middle, and upper class. Brontë implemented characters like Mr.Brocklehurst and the Reeds to show that characters that were high in class and supported the social hierarchy were not good people and are not usually rewarded. The main character and protagonist, Jane Eyre, has challenged the view that wealth is equivalent to superiority and good character. She has expressed feminine power and independence. Throughout the entire novel, Jane encountered dominant male figures that attempted to force her to abandon her morals and emotions, she challenged and escaped those who tried to suppress her. Women of this era’s patriarchal society were expected to know their place, men were controlling and dominant but this novel proved otherwise. Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre, challenges the class structure of British society through gender, wealth, and education.
“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.