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Feminism in jane eyre
Feminism in jane eyre
Jane Eyre as a feminist novel
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Jane Eyre
Jane and Rochester Belong Together
The overriding theme of Jane Eyre is Jane's continual quest for love. Jane searches for love and acceptance throughout the book. The intelligent, honest, plain-featured girl is forced to contend with oppression, inequality, and hardship. Jane's meets with a series of individuals who threaten her autonomy, but she maintains her principles of justice, human dignity, and morality, as well as her values of intellectual and emotional fulfillment. As a governess though, she is subject to economic and gender enslavement. Maturation and self-recognition become evident to the reader as Jane's journey pursues. However, it is not until Jane spends time at Moor House that her maturation is complete. Jane and Rochester, without a doubt, belong together. Jane needs only to discover this for herself. St. John emerges as the crucial character that helps Jane realize her destiny to be with Rochester. When Jane returns to Rochester, she is an independent woman, fully aware of her desire to love, as well as be loved.
From their first meeting in Hay Lane, where Jane "bewitches" Rochester's horse, there is, between Jane and Rochester, an unspoken bond that slowly blossoms into true love and devotion. After what appears to be a brief engagement to the "honorable" Miss Blanche Ingram, whom everyone expects to marry Rochester, he mysteriously calls off the marriage plans and proposes to Jane. In his proposal to Jane, he bares his soul to her, allowing her to look, not into his eyes, but into his soul, where he reveals not the worldly exterior and miseries with which life has saddled him, but the true, pure being beneath. Rochester believes Jane to be his best earthly companion and the only woman who is his equal. Rochester's declaration of love and marriage proposal makes Jane exceedingly happy. Their relationship is alive with passion and the fiery union of two tormented souls imprisoned by Fate and the morals of their time. However, Jane worries about her financial inferiority.
Jane hates the thought of marrying "above her station", as she does not want to feel that she somehow "owes" Rochester something. Her feelings and desires for Rochester are tightly bound with her feelings about her social position as well as her position as a woman. Jane tries to swallow her insecurities and continue with the plan to marry, but on their wedding day, Jane discovers Rochester is already married to a mad woman.
Jane Eyre, a conscientious young governess, tells her master, Mr. Rochester, that she dislikes speaking nonsense. Mr. Rochester tells her quite frankly, "If you did, it would be in such a grave, quiet manner, I should mistake it for sense...I see you laugh rarely; but you can laugh very merrily: believe me, you are not naturally austere" (141). In this way is the inner struggle between feelings and judgment recognized and revealed. In Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre, Mr. Rochester, St. John Rivers, and Jane Eyre all struggle with feelings versus judgment.
... self-worth. She believes that there is a chance for her to change her future. She had to make certain sacrifices in order to discover her strength, true friendships and her self-worth. She sacrifices her love to preserve her self-worth. After realizing her marriage to Rochester cannot be lawful and will mean surrendering her sense of dignity and virtue, she leaves him. When Jane leaves Thornfield she says “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself” (Bronte 336). In the end, she finds her happiness, as she is now with the man she loves, she preserves her self-worth without sacrificing her integrity.
...ugh in the end Jane and Mr. Rochester do get married, Jane is an emotionally battered character who has to look deep inside of herself to do what is best for her. This happens to people every day. They are hurt by dishonesty and deceitfulness. It can ruin their lives unless they make the commitment to be honest with themselves and those around them.
“What do I sacrifice? Famine for food, expectation for content. To be privileged to put my arms round what I value-to press my lips to what I love-to repose on what I trust: is that to make a sacrifice? If so, then certainly I delight in sacrifice”(About.com Classic Literature). Jane has lived a hard life and because of that she just wants to be independent and respected. But to have those things she has to sacrifice her happiness and the chance of not being with the man she loves. She wants to be happy and to have the feeling of being loved, but she knows that she would not be able to be happy if she does not respect herself. And if she was with Mr. Rochester, the man she loves, then she would lose her self respect because Mr. Rochester is still married, so she would not be his wife she will just be the other women.
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.
...s is the next worst thing to buying a slave" (317). Jane feels that becoming Rochester's mistress would be "degrading", highlighting Jane's strong, feministic values (317). Jane conceals her passion for reason, as she is firm in her morality.
Rochester, a powerful, but unusual man uses his authority to assert his position through his relationship with Bertha and Jane Eyre. Bertha was his first wife with whom he had an arranged marriage revolving around preserving economic stability. Due to unfortunate events, Bertha inherits insanity from her mom. During this time, it was inhumane to admit people to insane asylums. Rochester decides how she lives the rest of her life by deciding to keep her in the attic. Though this shows that their marriage has fallen apart, Edward shows his loving attributes which is a different type of love. By keeping her in the attic, Rochester shows immense empathy for Bertha because he keeps her from the lack of attention she would receive in an insane asylum. He knows that in his home, she is safe and will be taken care of. Rochester has a more dynamic love for Jane. He finds substance in Jane and this allows him to have a new type of intimacy that revolves around character. They have a mental connection that shows the reader that they are in love because of their minds and not because of a superficial aspect like money, such as seen with Bertha. Rochester loves Jane because she is so independent but he still tries to make her less than who she really is. He tries to define her by proclaiming who she should be and trying to change her
Charlotte Bronte utilizes the character of Bertha Rochester to interrupt Jane’s potential happy ending with Mr. Edward Rochester. Bertha is announced by Mr. Briggs as a way to stop the wedding and it also shows how hopeless Jane’s situation is. “That is my wife “said he. ‘Such is the sole conjugal embrace I am ever to know—such are the endearments which are to solace my leisure hours! And this is what I wished to have,’” (312) and “’I wanted her just as a change after that fierce ragout,’” (312) are quotes that express Mr. Rochester’s reasons for trying to remarry while he already has a wife, meanwhile showing his disposition towards said wife. Had Mr. Briggs and Mr. Mason not been present for the ceremony, Jane may have lived happily in ignorance. Due to Bertha’s involvement however, Jane could never truly call herself Mr. Rochester’s wife. She says, “’Sir, your wife is living: that is a fact acknowledged this morning by yourself. If I lived with you as you desire—I should then be your mistress: to say otherwise is sophistical—is false.’” (323) This quote shows that as a result of Bertha’s exposure, Jane refuses to marry Mr. Rochester. The influence that Bertha’s brief debut had on Jane’s life was significant enough to hinder the growth of her relationship with Mr. Rochester.
Jane’s perspective of love is based upon a mutual understanding and equality. Jane’s equality in a relationship is derived from her desire of independence. Jane reveals her need of independence in her relationship with Mr. Rochester when she told him she would always call him master but she would not be inferior to him. Haiyan Gao asserts in her article “Reflection On feminism in Jane Eyre,” “Jane loves Rochester with all her heart and Rochester’s status and wealth make him so high above for Jane to approach, yet she never feels herself inferior to Rochester though she is a humble family teacher.” It is also notable that Jane does not pursue a relationship with Mr. Rochester with the intention of gaining money. Her love is solely based on equality and independence and not status, power, or property. As Heidi Kelchner proclaims in her article “Jane Eyre,” “Although she ranks far below Rochester in social rank and wealth, she feels equal to him in soul, understanding his true nature.” Jane has pure intentions in her marriage with Mr. Rochester as she believes he is her equal and true love. Jane proves that she seeks true love once more when she rejects St. John Rivers marriage proposal. St. John had offered Jane an invitation to become his missionary wife in India. Jane acknowledges that he does not seek marriage for love but instead for religious purposes. Therefore, Jane proposes an alternate plan that allows her to serve as a single, independent missionary and co-worker of John. As Heidi Kelchner affirms Jane’s thoughts in her article “Jane Eyre,” “As St. John’s wife, she fears she would be restrained, and always checked forced to keep the fire of her nature continually low.” She would not be degraded to an object but rather wanted to stand as a strong independent woman. Jane would not accept the humiliated marriage to please St. John’s wishes. She would continue to look for true love based upon
Soon after Jane is settled at Lowood Institution she finds the enjoyment of expanding her own mind and talents. She forgets the hardships of living at the school and focuses on the work of her own hands. She is not willing to give this up when she is engaged to Rochester. She resists becoming dependent on him and his money. She does not want to be like his mistresses, with their fancy gowns and jewels, but even after she and Rochester are married, she wants to remain as Adele's governess. She is not willing to give up her independence to Rochester, and tries to seek her own fortune by writing to her uncle. In the end, when she does have her own money, she states, "I am my own mistress" (Chapter 37).
In some respects, Rochester did see her as his equal. For example, in chapter 15, after Jane saved Rochester’s life from the house fire. After rescuing him, Rochester shakes Janes hand and thanks her, which is a sign of submission. Another example of Rochester showing equality to Jane is in chapter 21, when Jane asks to visit Mrs. Reed and Mr. Rochester accepts her request. By letting her make her own decision shows a sense of equality. Unfortunately, just like many other characters in the novel Rochester judged her upon her wealth and gender. Rochester compared Jane to the standers that society held women. He saw her as just a poor woman that needed to be married to a rich man to have a meaningful life. Once Jane saw this view Rochester had
Jane's true love for Roshester becomes appearant during her walks with him at Thornfield. Jane is affected by him so much that "[her] blanks of existance were filled up; [her] bodily health improved; [she] gathered flesh and strenght" (160). She felt like his "presence in a room was more cheering than the brightest fire" (166). When Blanche - a new woman in Rochester's life - came along, Jane began to grow jelous, which reveals how much she actually really loves Rochester. She begins to hate herself saying "he is not of your order: keep to your caste, and be too self-respecting to lavish the love of the whole heart, soul, and strength, where such a gift is not wanted and would be despised (184). With the presence of Blanche, Jane begins pointing out her insuficiencies and the things she hates about herself. This clearly expresses jelousy, and how much she is actually in love with Rochester.
Moseley goes on to say, “Liberty and love are in some way at war in the lives of all of us.” It is not until Jane reaches personal liberation, that she is capable of loving someone else to a full extent. Throughout Jane Eyre Jane must learn how to gain love without sacrificing herself in the process. Orphaned at an early age, Jane becomes used to a lackluster lifestyle without any true value. It is not until she finds love and comfort in her friends at Lowood that her life begins to turn around. Upon meeting Rochester, Jane’s life was only as plain as she made it. She untwines in a world wind romance, ultimately finding the love she craved without losing her self-value.
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.
Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth.