Jane Eyre Patriarchy

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.

Jane Eyre's literary success of the time has been cheaply commercialized. In other words, Bronte's novel never got the appreciation it deserved, in the areas it deserved. Many 19th century critics merely assigned literary themes to their reviews to "get it over with". Critics commended Jane Eyre for everything from its themes to its form. However, their surface examinations amount to nothing without careful consideration of the deeper underlying background in Jane's life where their hasty principles originate. The widely discussed free will of Jane's, her strong individuality, and independence are segments of a greater scheme, her life. For example: Jane's childhood serves as the

One of the most famous passages from the novel comes from Jane’s very clearly feminist inner monologue. She states that “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel…they suffer from too rigid a restraint…” (130). Jane, as a forward-thinking and progressive protagonist, exemplifies in every sense the essence of gender equality of her time. Bronte reveals the limitations experienced by the female sex and the effects of those limitations on her protagonist. By doing this, the author uses Jane to fulfill her feminist and pro-equality agenda. Another example of Jane’s inner monologue comes from her irritation with Rochester. When Rochester showers Jane with gifts soon after their engagement, Jane’s “…cheek[s] burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation” (309). She becomes increasingly irritated with Rochester because of the complete lack of respect Rochester has for her feelings due to his joy of becoming engaged. Because Jane is already considered inferior to Rochester because of her lack of wealth and her status as an unmarried woman, being pelted with lavish tokens of affection is less than an ideal situation for her. This imbalance between the two highlights the already sexist society of the Victorian era. After Jane’s engagement to Rochester, she recounts the fact that she “…could not, in those days, see God for His creature: of whom I had made an idol” (316). She becomes blinded by the overpowering love she held for Rochester, to the extent that she put him on a pedestal, seeing him as an “idol”, and not a human being capable of fallacies. Bronte uses this dangerous mental circumstance Jane is in to illuminate the clear disparity between men and women of the time. Jane’s infatuation with Rochester serves as an important device implemented by Bronte to further her argument against sexist Victorian

It instead shows Jane’s inner struggle to do what is “right” versus what she desires. The separation between the voice of herself and her thoughts exhibits her helplessness to change her path from what her mind has already decided. This displays the heavy influence society has on Jane, which is further proven by the personification of Jane’s two strongest rivaling emotions. The heavy influence of a patriarchal dominated society is evident in her “Conscience” being a strong male figure, whereas her “Passion” is a weaker, feminine figure. Similarly, the strongest reasoning for Jane to leave Thornfield is driven by the patriarchal demand for a female to remain “pure” until holy marriage, rather than Jane’s own desire to leave, further solidifying the idea that the voice given to her mind is not just her own internal thoughts, but also the demands and expectations of

The character of Jane Eyre refuses to blend into the traditional female position of subservience expected of the period. Although there had been Bildungsromans before ‘Jane Eyre’, as the first one told entirely by a female narrator, by its very nature, the novel could not help intersecting with every aspect of femininity of the 19th century, and as the novel repeatedly demonstrates, how intrusive and overbearing highly controlled patriarchy can go; “women are supposed to be very calm generally; but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint… precisely as men

At first glance Jane Eyre may seem to be a young woman with semi-bad taste in men, but she is actually much more complex a character than that. Jane is driven by her craving for freedom, her desire to be useful, and her yearning to fit in somewhere. She is rich in character with a stubborn, strong willed, and passionate personality. She is not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, whether it is a family she wants to have, or a marriage that is unfair and without balance. As an adult, Jane is a level headed young woman, but as a child she let her passions get the best of her. She tones down this passion quite a bit as she grows older and gains more experience, and channels it into other areas of her life.

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

Jane is taught at a young age to look down on people not of her caste, and to oppress them the same way that she herself is oppressed as a female orphan. Though Jane is not influenced directly by social status at all times, it is still a constant factor which Brontë makes evident. In Victorian England, a female must either be born or married into her social class, and this is what defines her. The character of Jane served to undercut the popular female stereotypes of fiction: the angel of the house, the invalid, or the whore (Brackett, 2000). Brontë creates Jane as her own force, in which she is neither the angel, invalid or whore, but a young lady who is intelligent and has pride and dignity. In this Victorian society, her unsubmissiveness and independence is her social fault, which Brontë pokes fun at (Brackett, 2000). Male Victorian writers cast women during this time as social, finagling creatures whose goals are to obtain as many friends as possible and throw the most elaborate parties. Brontë opposes this by creating Jane as an opposite of these “defining” characteristics, by making Jane a female who could are less about how many people adore her, a female who would actually enjoy a life with few companions. As mentioned before, Jane’s sense of dignity is evident. As Jane became Rochester’s governess, she is faced with the

The social system of the Victorian era was one that was heavily influenced by the patriarchal right of men. This social construct favored men while forcing women into submission. Sigmund Freud, in his essay entitled “The Relation of the Poet to Day-Dreaming,” articulated that women were considered capable only of having erotic wishes that dominated their “phantasies” and that even their ambitious “phantasies” were rooted in erotic wishes (177). The prevailing thought concerning women during the Victorian era was that—due to their nature—only desired marriage. Those women who were not fortunate enough to marry (due to appearance or social status) had only one remaining position, to become a governess. Charlotte Brontë, through her

St. John, Jane’s other suitor in the novel represents a different kind of religious man than Mr. Brocklehurst but his actions in the text are still patriarchal in nature. St. John is genuine in his belief systems and truly wants to make a difference and save the world, a stark contrast to the misguided hypocrisy that Brocklehurst carries out in the name of religion. St. John wants Jane to accompany him on his mission trip as his wife. When Jane objects telling him “you have hitherto been my adopted brother: I, your adopted sister; let us continue as such: you and I had better not marry” (924) he tells her that “adopted fraternity will not do in this case. If you were my real sister it would be different” (924).

Charlotte Brontё’s Jane Eyre stresses a variety of important premises. Three of the most important underlying themes in the novel are: prejudice, religion, jealousy. The prejudice aspect of the novel is seen most prominently. There are several notable examples, and Jane is witness to this notion throughout the novel. The first time Jane experiences prejudice is at Gateshead.

In Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, the eponymous heroine grows from an oppressed girl into an independent woman. While some of Jane’s success in eventually achieving a fulfilling life can be attributed to luck and other external factors, Jane’s empowerment also depends on her ability to think for herself. Jane knows what she most wants when she faces difficult situations, which helps her to make decisions that are right for her. Jane first exhibits this skill early in the novel, when she expresses her wish to leave the Reed family to go to school. A close reading of this passage shows that as a child, Jane does not find it easy

(Bronte 35). During this conversation with Mrs. Reed Jane expresses hostility towards her aunt for the insolent treatment she endured most of her childhood. She defends herself knowing the consequences could harshly affect her. As a vulnerable eight year old having the ability to stand up for herself, portrays Jane as an empowered female character who shows leadership. With that she’s not only able to take that position of being brave but also staying genuine throughout her

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

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