Charlotte Bronte Critiques Victorian Culture in Jane Eyre Essay

Readers learn early in the story that Jane Eyre does not fit contemporary society's idea of a proper woman.  As a child, Jane stands up to her aunt, Mrs. Reed, on more than one recorded occasion when Jane feels she has been treated unjustly (Brontë 28, 37).  At one point, Jane bluntly tells her aunt, "I declare, I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed [Jane's cousin]" (37).  This was at best improper behavior for a child in Victorian society, and it was most definitely seen as improper by Mrs. Reed who grows to hate Jane, calling her "tiresome, ill-conditioned" and "scheming" (26).  But her aunt's reprimands and hatred do not deter Jane from speaking up in the face of injustice.

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,

The class of Jane also reflects how people who are considered lower are treated worse than the rich. Those who tend to be rich see themselves as much better and deserving of greater things. A character in the story named John Reed would always treat the protagonist, Jane Eyre, like she was garbage because of the fact that she was orphaned and had no wealth to her name. “You have no business to take our books; you are a dependant, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen's children like us”. John had a part in his family’s wealth and saw himself as above attempting to assure everyone knew how important he was. Meanwhile, Jane being of lower class is much more humble and appreciative of the good things in life. Learning to live happily and patiently as a humble citizen making sure to never be snobby like her relatives. Jane makes sure to see the beauty inside of people rather than superficial, beautiful appearances. “The refreshing meal, the brilliant fire, the presence and kindness of her beloved instructress, or, perhaps, more than all these, something in her own unique mind, had roused her powers within her. They woke, they kindled: first, they glowed in the bright tint of her cheek, which till this hour I had never seen but pale and bloodless; then they

Even though Jane faces limits to opportunities in her life because she strictly belongs to neither the upper nor poor class, her thinking isn’t limited and she is able to grow as an individual unlike the characters who have been assigned to a specific class. Through Jane’s point of view, Charlotte Brontë expresses her view that the class system is harmful Jane and thus to the society in which she lives in her novel Jane Eyre.

A flower stands high in an empty field. It moves with every gust of wind and grows with every sunny day. At a single moment any one of the seven billion people on this Earth could have plucked it from the soil, yet for now, it remains in an upright position. Much like this flower, throughout life people are continuously influenced by those around them. Every person is changed constantly by the people around them, and their future is always altered because of this. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronté, Jane Eyre is impacted greatly by characters such as Mrs. Reed, Helen Burns, and Mrs. Temple. These characters, just like the flower at mercy its environment, had left a great impact on Jane.

In the early chapters of the novel Jane Eyre, our heroine resides at Gateshead and Lowood school; her character immediately inspires pity from the readers. She is an outcast within her own family, the Reeds, and is considered less than a servant. John Reed bullies her to the extent that she fears him, introducing weakness as one of her character flaws. Jane is somewhat jealous of her cousins’ lack of punishment and condemnation, although she believes they were “not fit to associate with [her]” (Bronte, 35). She feels wrongly accused, leading to a growing bitterness towards those who have treated her so harshly.

the Jane still only at the age of ten has to stand up against 'the sea

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë depicts the rigid social structure and clear division between the upper and lower classes of Victorian society, in which wealth and status determined one’s beliefs, career, and treatment from those surrounding them. Those of the upper class did not typically converse or involve themselves with those viewed as beneath them; however, Jane Eyre fights the separation between the classes to which she has fallen victim at both Gateshead and Lowood school. Her refusal to conform to the hierarchy eventually leads to the meddling between the Victorian-era elite and peasant class, as seen through Jane Eyre’s romantic relationship with Edward Rochester, an upperclassman and

Charlotte Brontë’s coming of age novel, Jane Eyre, deals with the struggles of womanhood and finding strength in the toughest of times. Jane Eyre is a young woman who, throughout the novel, becomes stronger and more independent. In Essaka Joshua’s critical essay, “‘Almost my hope of heaven’: idolatry and messianic symbolism in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre,’” he analyzes the idolization of character’s as gods; however, in Judith Leggatt and Christopher Parkes essay, “From the red room to Rochester's haircut: mind control in Jane Eyre,” they analyze the idea of mind control in Jane Eyre.

Social status has a way of dictating life to many people, like Jane Eyre, whose very existence was shaped from a demanding social hierarchy. Social norms are unwritten rules about how to behave, what is expected of us and what limits society has placed upon us. Each culture and even era has its own set of social norms. We are all judged by these rules and they are emphasized by the attitudes of our peers towards us and our families. The book Jane Eyre is written in a Victorian era.

Regardless of who the person of upper class is Jane is sweet and stays in her place like any good Victorian Era woman would. However, once she realizes that her aunt is sending her away and she does not need the protection of her aunt’s [Mrs. Reed’s] roof she lets it go. She insults her aunt and her cousins, plainly stating “I hate you.” Jane says, “I am glad you are no relation of mine….if anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty” (Brontë 36). Jane has been treated terribly by her aunt and she will always remember. Jane feels like now that she is leaving that she can finally have a voice and say how he really feels. However the sweet Jane comes back out when she first meets Mr. Rochester. Before she knew he was her master, she notices his clothes which define his status. They meet and he falls off his horse. She immediately treats him with respect and asks is she can help him. “If you are hurt, and want help, sir, I can fetch some one, either from Thornfield Hall or from Hay….I cannot think of leaving you, sir, at so late an hour, in this solitary lane, till I see you are fit to mount your horse” (Brontë

Jane Eyre was born an orphan and raised under the hands of a heartless Aunt. Aunt Reed stressed to Jane that she was privileged to live so well without any

Jane’s approach could be considered romantic and embodies conventional feminist concepts; she remains headstrong and stubborn in the face of injustice. The representation of Jane as a strong, independent woman upholds the belief that woman can achieve their goals. Jane does precisely this; she marries Rochester, becomes a part of a family as well as gains financial independence. The way in which Bronte represents Jane is emphasized through her narrative stance. The reader is presented with a firm and rebellious character, her diction is simple and assertive. She addresses the reader directly and is able to identify and challenge the problems she faces with determination. Furthermore Jane is able to identify and comment on how she feels woman are subjugated by their society; she denounces that “woman are supposed to be very calm generally: but woman feel just as men feel […]” (Bronte

"red room" she is told by Miss Abbot: "No; you are less than a servant

The Gothic Features of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte A Gothic novel is a type of literature, which became very popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In this time, society was governed by strict moral codes. The "Gothics" would escape into a world of dark, supernatural and wild passions. The word 'Gothic' meant barbarous and wild and many writers liked to involve these elements in their novels.