Patriarchal societies have been accepted as the norm in many cultures since the beginning of time. Escaping the restrictions of such a society has been a pursuit of women for just as long. Men have tried to control the women in their lives because of some divine right they feel has been given them by God. This theme is seen throughout Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Both Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Bennett overcome the efforts of men in their lives to control them.
Elizabeth Bennett grows up in a family with all sisters. Mr. and Mrs. Bennett feel the need to provide for their daughters through good marriages because their meager fortunes will be passed down to a distant male cousin of Mr. Bennett’s. When Elizabeth refers to her friend, Charlotte’s opinion of Jane Bennett’s lack of flirtation with Mr. Bingley, she indicates she would not use coercion to trap a husband:
“Your plan is a good one,…where nothing is in question but the desire of being well married, and if I were determined to get a rich husband, or any husband, I dare say I should adopt it.” (Austen 14)
Elizabeth also responds to Charlotte’s feelings that it is better to not know a lot about the person you marry before the marriage with:
“You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound.
You know it is not sound, and that you would never act
This way yourself.” (Austen 15)
This is the first indication that Elizabeth would not be prepared to enter into a marriage arranged for her by her parents.
She is the second eldest, and is considered marriageable, although on first sight, Darcy states:
“She is tolerable, but not handsome enough to tempt me; …” (Austen 7)
This is severely off-putting to Elizabeth who then tells her m...
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... a missionary. She does agree to go with him but refuses to marry him since she still longs for Rochester.
Eventually Jane thinks she is hearing Rochester call to her so she decides to return to him. She finds Thornfield burned to the ground and hears Rochester’s wife was killed in the fire. She then goes to find Rochester to fulfill her own dream of marrying him.
Both Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Bennett showed strength of character in the extremely patriarchal society of the Victorian era. They both followed their own hearts instead of bowing to pressures from the men in their lives to go against their own consciences and free will. They are a good role model for women and men of any age.
Works cited
1. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Dover, 1995. Print.
2. Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2002. Print.
The relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy, in Jane Austen’s novel “Pride and Prejudice” explores marriage and love. It shows how their class expectations and marriage play a major role in deciding how their relationship will end. When they meet each other at the first ball, Darcy says “She [Elizabeth] is tolerable, I suppose, but not handsome enough to tempt me; I am in no humor at present to give consequence to young ladies who are slighted by other men. You [Bingley] had better...
Elizabeth's strength of character is emphasized by its contrast with the weak, naive acceptance of Jane's, the instability and excess of Mrs. Bennet's and the blind, weak-willed following of Kitty's. Her strength is also shown in her rejections of the proposals of Mr. Collins and Darcy. Unlike her mother, she does not base her choice of lovers on the financial security they will give her, and has the strength to reject them. This is especially evident in her rejection of Darcy's initial proposal, when she displays a passionate strength in her anger due to her belief that he has willfully prevented Jane and Bingley's marriage and wronged Wickham by refusing to grant him the property that the old Mr. Darcy bequeathed him. In both cases, the suitor is self-assured that his suit will be accepted, and as a result Elizabeth's rejections are amplified by the size of the blows that their egos receive. In Rosings, she does not let Lady Catherine tyrannize her as "the mere satellites of money and rank, she thought she could witness without trepidation." The Lucases and Collinses are submissive to Lady Catherine, with Maria being "frightened almost out of her senses", and it is probable that society as a whole behaves likewise, as Elizabeth suspects she is "the first creature who had ever dared to trifle with such dignified impertinence". She is again presented as a rebel against ideas of class when Lady Catherine pays a visit to her to ensure that ...
continue to fluctuate as she matures. Jane Eyre begins her life in the wrong place at the wrong
Jane Eyre’s continuous search for love, a sense of belonging, and family are all thoroughly displayed by Charlotte Brontë. Jane starts off as a despised orphan who is captivated by the thought of love, believing that it will help her achieve happiness. Throughout the novel, Jane attempts to find different substitutes to fill the void in her life.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
Elizabeth is a romantic, and wants to find a man worthy of her love. On the other hand, Charlotte believes “happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” Elizabeth laughs at her friend, and replies, “You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself” (24). However, Charlotte soon enters into a marriage that offers her a good home and security, but a repulsive husband. With these two characters, Austen illustrates the two kinds of marriages most common in the novel: Charlotte’s is an example of a secure, if not pleasant, marriage arrangement. Elizabeth eventually marries Darcy out of genuine love for him, not for want of money or prospects. Unfortunately, others still see the marriage between Darcy and Elizabeth as
During the 1800s, society believed there to be a defined difference in character among men and women. Women were viewed simply as passive wives and mothers, while men were viewed as individuals with many different roles and opportunities. For women, education was not expected past a certain point, and those who pushed the limits were looked down on for their ambition. Marriage was an absolute necessity, and a career that surpassed any duties as housewife was practically unheard of. Jane Austen, a female author of the time, lived and wrote within this particular period. Many of her novels centered around women, such as Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice, who were able to live independent lives while bravely defying the rules of society. The roles expected of women in the nineteenth century can be portrayed clearly by Jane Austen's female characters of Pride and Prejudice.
...conclusion, Jane and Bertha were both at once point connected to Mr. Rochester weather it be mentally and physically or on purpose by someone else. Jane grew up in a unhappy way but didn't let what had happened in the past completely take over her life. Bertha had troubles from the beginning and end up unhappy and insane causing her to end all of it. Both women have gone through challenging things from having mental diseases to finding out that the man that they love has a skeleton in the closet. But in the end Jane finally found the happiness that she needed in her life.
She does not need even a pleasing manner from her husband, as is evident from her choice in Mr. Collins. She does not believe that love is necessary for marriage and thinks that a woman should take the first opportunity offered to her in marriage, and, possibly it could lead to love. This is evident from her comments to Lizzie in reference to Jane and Mr. Bingley.
As a retaliation Elizabeth stuns Darcy by refusing his proposal very harshly stating "I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed on to marry." This shows the extent of her prejudice against Darcy as she says that even from the beginning she disliked him. She condemns him for his arrogant manner in which he proposed his actions to separate Jane and Bingley and his actions of unfairness on Wickham. He accepts these accusations without apology, even with contempt. However, he flinches when she accuses him of not behaving like a gentleman and when Elizabeth finishes her denunciation of him, Darcy angrily departs.
and Mrs. Bennet, Charlotte and Mr. Collins, Lydia and Mr. Wickham, Jane and Mr. Bingley, and Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy. Through these couples she explores the motivations of marriage as monetary advantage, social standing, physical attraction, and lastly love. She reveals her feelings that marriages for love are those that will be the strongest. This is seen clearly in Mr. Bennet 's remarks to Elizabeth in chapter 59. “ I know your disposition, Lizzy. I know that you could be neither happy nor respectable, unless you truly esteemed your husband; unless you looked up to him as a superior. Your lively talents would place you in the greatest danger in an unequal marriage. You could scarcely escape discredit and misery. My child, let me not have the grief of seeing you unable to respect your partner in life. You know not what you are about. '
Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is well noted for its ability to question social norms. Most importantly, Austen explores the institution of marriage, as it was in her time, a time where many married for security rather than love. Her characters Elizabeth and Charlotte are renowned even more for their outspoken nature and different views on marriage. Though both Elizabeth and Charlotte yearn for a happy marriage, Charlotte has a more pragmatic and mundane approach while Elizabeth is more romantic and daring with her actions. Through the romantic involvements of both Elizabeth and Charlotte, Austen shows that happiness in marriage is not entirely a matter of chance, but is instead contingent on an accurate evaluation of self and others
married. However, “for pragmatic reasons, the author’s conclusions favor marriage as the ultimate solution, but her pairings predict happiness” (“Austen, Jane”). Als...
difficult towards Jane. As the days pass, Jane does feel the intensity of love build between her and Mr. Rochester. They eventually make their way to the church to be married, when the dark and terrible secret is revealed. Lurking in the attic of Thornfield Hall, is Mr. Rochester's insane, maniac wife Bertha. She is a character to despise throwing tantrums, setting Rochester's bedroom on fire, tearing Jane's veil to shreds, and stabbing and biting her own brother Richard.
Bronte’s Jane Eyre is brimming with feminist ideology rebuking Victorian-Era gender-roll ethics and ideals. As a creative, independent woman with a strong personality and will growing up during this period of female repression, Bronte wrote Jane Eyre as a feminist message to society. She criticizes the average, servile, ignorant Victorian woman, and praises a more assertive, independent, and strong one. She does this through her protagonist Jane, who embodies all of Bronte’s ideal feminine characteristics. She is a strong woman, both mentally and physically, who seeks independence and is in search of individuality, honesty, and above all equality both in marriage and in society in a world that does not acknowledge women as individuals.