Gender Roles In Jane Eyre

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Throughout the Victorian Era, the literary movement focused on addressing societal ills of the era. Many of the female authors were focused on confronting common gender roles of Victorian Women in order to show their triviality. The Brontë sisters were adamant advocates of feminist notions. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë exemplifies the revolution of feminist writing in the mid nineteenth century. Although “Plain Jane’s Progress” asserts that the confrontation between Jane and Bertha is the most important element of feminism, Jane’s relationship with Rochester is actually the most relevant element of feminism in Jane Eyre because it shows her development as she breaks through the bonds of her gender role. Charlotte Brontë establishes the common …show more content…

Contrary to Gilbert’s belief, the central feminist moment in Jane Eyre revolves around Jane’s relationship to Rochester. As the book progresses, we see various stages in Jane’s ability to express herself through her marriage to Rochester beginning with Jane being “’like any other English school-girl: perhaps rather better than some, but not well’” to the end when “My Edward and I, then, are happy” (Brontë 460). Through their marriage, Jane is able to overcome her traditional place in society and fulfill her need for felicity. The statement above is powerful because it now shows that she is on the same level as him, she doesn’t respectfully say Mr. Rochester instead, and Jane says my Edward, as though she now owns him. Before she married Rochester, she would continually pull herself down, and even after their failed marriage ceremony, she held herself to a higher degree than before his proposal when she denied St. John’s marriage proposal. Brontë describes Jane and Rochester’s meeting as a fairytale with Rochester as the ironic prince, and Jane as the strong princess who helps Rochester (Gilbert 790). The ironic fairytale, gender roles show that women are just as capable as men and goes further to address men as being capable of needing help. By reversing the roles, Brontë establishes Jane as a strong, independent woman who does not conform to Victorian societal

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