Masculinity In Victorian England

“Jane’s relationship with Rochester in the early part of the novel is based not on love but control, manipulation and secrecy. She does well to escape”

These include usual depictions of females being dependent on a husband, whom was usually the financial and social superior to the wife. Instead, Jane returns to her unlikely fiancé, Rochester, in a final quest for true love. At this stage, Jane and Rochester were finally equal. Having reunited, Jane regards herself an “independent…as well as rich” woman who is her “own mistress” (p.596). This proves Jane’s defiant belief to unite with whoever she wishes despite class expectations; the marriage between two of the same social class are assumed of this time.

The theme for this week is gender roles in Victorian Britain before and after 1860. The roles of a male and female starting from a child to an adult varied between the two. Men were generally independent while women were dependent, which affected their progression in society. It wasn’t until the end of the nineteenth century were women able to have more of an education and the right to divorce However, during the Victorian period men dominated the workforce and politics. Though the working class, middle class, and upper class experience different levels of accepting norms.

Writing about gender during the Victorian era should prove an easy task, especially compared to the complexity of gender today, where the binaries of male and female have been replaced with a gender spectrum. Before beginning a discussion of gender, I must distinguish the difference between sex and gender. Sex is based on a combination of physical anatomy, genes, and hormones, whereas gender is based on societal roles, behaviors, activities and attributes. These societal attributes change with time as do the ideal representatives of masculine and feminine.

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.

women were supposedly restricted to an idealized private or domestic sphere, while men were free to move between this and the public and economic spheres” (p. 1). Victorian ideology of gender rested on the

Gender roles are determined by the behavior, attitude, physical strength and the mental being of one. The Victorian era was a crucial time period for gender roles. Men and women’s roles became more strictly defined than at any point in history. Victorian women were known as having the “simple” tasks and not having much “duty”. During this time period, it was all about the “women and the world” and “women and the house.”

“Jane Eyre” is a book centred around female duality. In a time when females were still expected to fulfill their “womanly duties,” Charlotte Bronte wrote a novel dealing with a woman’s view on morality & sexuality, passion & sensibility, and conformity & insanity, among other themes. This motif of duality plays a strong part in the dynamism that makes up the book, and is not limited to the themes, but is also used to relate many of the characters to the titular Jane. In “The Mystery at Thornfield,” Valerie Beattie makes claims that the character Bertha Mason’s insanity is a representation of rebellion toward the limitations of Victorian women. Not only is

Today I will be writing a research paper about the differences and similarities of the different types of social classes during the Victorian era in England. Also, I will be going into a little bit of detail about some key problems that developed during this time because of classism. There will be a total of three main social classes I’m going to talk about and those classes are the nobility upper class, middle class, and the working class. Before I forget I will also be talking a bit about politics, child labor, and where women rank in the social class ladder. I am going to start my body paragraph with talking about the social classes starting with the upper class.

The Victorian era was not the greatest time for women. The pressure to be a prim and proper lady was stronger than ever. Queen Victoria herself even set ridiculous standards for how a women should act. She was a firm believer in the domestic spheres. The domestic spheres is a social theory that each gender has a specific role to play in society and neither can crossover to the other sphere.

Lastly and most powerfully, the loss of Rochester’s vision and hand wholly and completely subverts the concept that the woman in a relationship is always dependent upon the man. Rochester’s physical dependence upon Jane illustrates this, as she must guide him places, read to him, and do what he is incapable of doing with one hand. These physical infirmities function to humble Rochester, further establishing not only his supreme trust in her, but also that she is his equal because of that

The fight for an equal social ranking throughout all of her life, is a large theme of this novel though not very prominent to the reader. Jane’s sole reason for leaving Mr. Rochester after finding out about his previous crazed wife and marriage for wealth, is all due to the idea that she did not wish to become a mistress; who is generally thought of as below the original wife, or husband. Levy illustrates the main conflict that Jane is facing, “‘In the deep shade, at the farther end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight tell: it grovelled, seemingly on all fours; it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal: but it was covered with clothing, and a

In the Victorian era, the status of women in society was extremely oppressive and, by modern standards, atrocious. Women had few rights, in or outside of the home. Married women in this period relied on men almost completely as they had few rights or independence. With this mindset in focus,

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

One may contend that Jane appreciates everlasting consideration she showers on him, and that she cherishes being an orderly to him with none of her own diversions. One may announce that she cherishes him enough to be this subservient, yet truly she is only a fanatic to this reliance, for she consistently comes back to the way of reliance. Jane's worry and care of Mr. Rochester may appear to be opposing, and may even look like autonomy, however look further and reveal the fact behind her care of him and see that her activities are surely reliance, as Jane is unequipped for working without Mr. Rochester's adoration, and would stop into nothingness. One would accept that given her childhood, with her purported family demonstrating no love, or, honestly enthusiasm for her life, Jane would come to fight for herself. Jane ruins this theory, indeed, her inclination is such to be reliant on anybody accessible, regardless of whether the connection being felt is shared or not. Jane has demonstrated to us various circumstances, that she is unequipped for being alone. She can demonstrate her self to be knowledge, through her written work, however this mind does not have a voice. Jane does not gangs the certainty to go to bat for herself, rendering herself sub-par and deficient. In spite of the fact that Jane's dependant air to some degree abridges, regardless she will dependably turn to her freedom lacking ways.