Quakerism in Jane Eyre
Quakerism is mentioned many times in Jane Eyre. Beyond the explicit descriptions of Quaker-like appearances or behaviors, many parts of Quaker lifestyle are also used in a less obvious manner in Jane Eyre. Quakerism would have been known in the Yorkshire moors where Charlotte Bronte grew up and near where Jane Eyre lived, especially since that is where the religion began (Moglen 19; Barbour and Frost 27). As a more moderate approach to denying the self than Evangelicalism, Quakerism seems to be embraced in the novel. Unlike Mr. Brocklehurst's or St. John River's philosophy (Bronte 95, 98; ch. 7), Quaker simplicity does not mean asceticism or forbidding earthly joys, though it does mean rejecting indulgence (Barbour and Frost 44).
Jane frequently associates herself with the Quakers, more formally known as the Society of Friends, particularly in her clothing and manners. She says of herself, "I was myself in my usual Quaker trim, where there was nothing to retouch-all being too close and plain, braided locks included, to admit of disarrangement" (160; ch. 14). Later she says she is merely Mr. Rochester's "plain, Quakerish governess" (287; ch. 24). Simplicity is one of the Quaker's "testimonies," which included plain clothing of black, brown, or gray (Barbour and Frost 44). Jane wears black for her everyday outfit and her more formal dress is of gray (151; ch. 13). Even when Mr. Rochester insists on buying her new silk dresses, she persuades him to purchase only black and gray ones (296; ch. 24).
Jane resembles the Quakers in more than what she tells us. Her childhood sympathies mirror Quaker teachings. From her earliest childhood, she sees her disposition as "passionate, but not vindictive," and not inherently bad, as Mrs. Reed does (64-5, 68-9; ch. 4, 267; ch. 21). The Quakers believe that babies "were born innocent and [that] children retained their innocence until they reached an age of reason" (Barbour and Frost 115). The taint from "original sin" is not embraced by Jane nor by Quaker doctrines. Furthermore, Jane sympathizes early on with the plight of slaves (43; ch. 1, 44, 46; ch. 2). Quakers think slavery is barbaric, cruel, and inhumane, and were one of the first religious sects to denounce it (Barbour and Frost 119).
Part of Quaker education is to study the Bible and to learn how to "dress and speak plainly, to control one's temper, to accept moderation in outward desires, and to act with a becoming sobriety of manners" (Barbour and Frost 190, 115-6).
When the play sets in to action, John has had a past affair with his servant Abigail Williams. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor is very forgiving of his sin, but John has his mind set that he will not confess to anyone else, in fear of ruining his good name, and reputation. The affair between John and Abigail caused the start of chaotic witchery and accusation. After the affair, Abigail became horribly jealous of Elizabeth Proctor. Proctor realizes there is only one way to stop all the witch hysteria in Salem, and that would be to confess his sin of adultery. Although he knows he should, he continues to be determined not to confess. Also in the beginning Reverend Paris is new to town, and John insist continually that he is only speaking of hell, and hardly ever of God, as Proctor goes on to say to Parris, "Can you speak one minute without we land in Hell again? I am sick of Hell!" (Miller 30). In the drama, Mary Warren places a needle in a poppet she gave to Elizabeth; John firmly demands that Mary Warren tell the courts that she really put the needle in the poppet that day. Proctor says to her, "You're coming to the court with me, Mary. You will tell it in the court." (Miller 80). Furthermore, at the end of the play Proctor is persistent by saying that no matter what anyone says to convince him differently, he would rather die an honest man and save his name. John Proctor took pride in his thoughts, feelings, values, and his name. It took persistency to make his intent clear to others.
Early on in the play, the reader comes to understand that John Proctor has had an affair with Abigail Williams while she was working in his home. Abigail believed that if she got rid of Elizabeth Proctor, then John Proctor would become her own. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, but for him it was just lust, while Abigail believed it to be true love. She told John Proctor that she loved him, and once she destroys Elizabeth, they would be free to love one another. John is horrified at this, but can do nothing to convince Abigail that he is not in love with her. Because of Abigail's twisted plot to secure John for herself, Elizabeth is arrested. John Proctor has to wrestle with the decision of what to do. He knows that he has sinned; yet he does not want to hurt his beloved wife. This is partly why he is willing to die. He knows he has already sinned.
Griesinger, Emily. "Charlotte Brontë's Religion: Faith, Feminism, And "Jane Eyre.." Christianity & Literature 58.1 (2008): 29-59.Literary Reference Center. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
First, his fornification with another woman which goes against Elizabeth Proctor, his beloved and truthful wife, helps lead to his demise. John Proctor, a very admirable man in the town, fell to the
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre may be superficially read as simply a sweet romance in which Jane ends up with the man of her dreams after overcoming many obstacles and challenges. But doing so misses the much deeper—richer—messages of Bronte's lasting masterpiece. A more thoughtful reading reveals this novel, especially its heroine Jane, challenging centuries-old gender roles which assume male supremacy, characterizing men as the dominant, more privileged gender, while women are oppressed into inferior and submissive roles. Of course this Victorian novel portrays the expected gender roles of both men and women in 19th century England, but Jane rises out of the patriarchy challenging the social roles assigned her with a personality marked by sass and self-assurance . Ms. Bronte, through Jane, ultimately demonstrates that women can live their lives on equal terms with—or independent of—men.
The tone of Jane Eyre is direct, perhaps even blunt. There is no prissy little-girl sensibility, but a startlingly independent, even skeptical perspective. At the age of 10, the orphan Jane already sees through the hypocrisy of her self-righteous Christian elders. She tells her bullying Aunt Reed, "People think you a good woman, but you are bad; hard-hearted. You are deceitful!" and "I am glad you are no relative of mine; I will never call you aunt again so long as I live. I will never come to see you when I am grown up; and if any one asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say that the very thought of you makes me sick." (In fact, when her aunt is elderly and dying, Jane does return to visit her, and forgives her. But that's far in the future.) With the logic of a mature philosopher, in fact rather like Friedrich Nietzsche to come, Jane protests the basic admonitions of Christianity as a schoolgirl: "I must resist those who ... persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly. It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel that it is deserved." And this bold declaration, which would have struck readers of 1847 (in fact, of 1947) as radical and "infeminine":
Jane in her younger years was practically shunned by everyone and was shown very little love and compassion, from this throughout her life she searches for these qualities through those around her. Due to Jane’s mother’s disinheritance she was disowned by Mrs. Reed and her children, and was treated like a servant consistently reminded that she lacked position and wealth.
Although Jane ends up rejecting all models of religion that she is presented throughout her life, she does not in any way abandon morality, spiritualism, or a belief in a Christian God. When her wedding is interrupted, she prays to God for solace, “Be not far from me, for trouble is near: there is none to help” (274). As she wanders the heath, destitute and hungry, she places her survival in the hands of God, “I felt the might and strength of God. Sure was I of His efficiency to save what He had made: convinced I grew that neither earth should perish nor one of the souls it treasured” (301). Jane vigorously objects to Rochester’s lustful immorality, and she refuses to consider living with him while the official church and state continually deem him married to another.
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 most important precedent for all of the self-realism although this purpose is widely disregarded. Even though "many have celebrated Bronte's carefully wrought description of her protagonist's first eighteen years for its vivid pathos, no one has as yet accorded this childhood its deserved weight in the novels ultimate resolution." (Ashe 1) Jane Eyre's genius develops in a series of internal reactions to external circumstances rather than shallow judgments about those internal happenings.
Miller depicts John Proctor as a tragic hero; a hero ruined by his unbridled lust. Nevertheless, Proctor redeems himself by offering his own reputation in exchange for the denouncement of Abigail's unsavory and vengeful motivation. He refuses to make false confessions and accuse others of witchcraft, choosing instead to take his guilt to the grave. Proctor pays for his adultery by choosing to die rather than live a life speared with shame. Proctor's tragic flaw undermines him, resulting in his fall from high esteem to a dishonorable death. However, Proctor's refusal to allow his sins to result in the death of his wife and neighbors show his valiant nature. Proctor's attempts to right the trouble his flaws caused vindicates his character and establishes him as a hero who put the needs of the community before his own.
Life at Gateshead Hall was horrible for Jane. All the children could not play with her, and made fun of her. John Reed, son of Ms.Reed, constantly tortured, and abused Jane. Ms. Reed also kept isolating Jane from everyone. Everyone treated her below a servant because that is what they considered her as. "How is he my master? Am I a servant?' 'No, you are less than a servant," (Bronte 15) They thought this because for an unknown reason Ms. Reed hated Jane. She was an orphan that no one wanted or took care of. She swore she would take care of her to her brother, Jane's dad, who died in Jane's earlier years. Because Ms. Reed hated Jane, anyone could abuse Jane and torment her, and no one would do a thing. She is very independent and educated, which causes...
Another important work Miller wrote, The Crucible, takes place in Salem, Massachusetts, during the 17th century. It is a time when jealousy and suspicion poisoned the thinking of an entire town. Neighbor turned against neighbor when events happened that could not be explained. Accusations turned into a mad hunt for witches who did not exist. One of the main characters of the play is John Proctor, a well-respected man with a good name in the town. As the play develops, John Proctor’s moral dilemma becomes evident: he must decide whether to lie and confess to witchcraft in order to save his life, or to die an honest man, true to his beliefs.
By the year 2000, 58 million people have been infected by HIV/AIDS and alarming numbers such as 22 million would have already died. And the epidemic continues to spread. HIV/AIDS historically is considered to be one of the longest running worldwide epidemics that we have ever seen, and figures cannot be placed on the true death tolls or estimation of the damage as the cycle still is yet to reach an end (Whiteside 2002). With Africa being the worst hit continent in the world in terms of the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the severity of it’s prevalence; one can only begin to question whether HIV/AIDS and poverty and directly connected or the inter-linkages exacerbate one or the other. This paper aims to argue that HIV/AIDS is a manifestation of poverty, and simultaneously poverty contributes to growing HIV/AIDS epidemic. Development in response both to poverty reduction and to HIV/AIDS is complicated when both have multi-dimensional and multi-faceted impacts on a society, whether it be social, economic or human development impacts. This paper will argue that pre-existing socio economic conditions within a country such as high levels of poverty, poor sanitation, malnutrition, environmental degradation and poor public healthcare systems and limited access to preventative care are crucial factors in contributing to the transfer of the infection (Pasteur: 2000, Mann: 1999).
The novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë is about a female character battling society's conservative view on women's rights and roles in civilization. Jane Eyre was written during the Victorian Era when women were seen less than equals to men, but more as property and an asset. At the end of the era was when feminist ideas and the women's suffrage movement began to gain momentum. In the novel, Jane encounters three male characters, Mr.Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester and Mr. St. John Rivers, who try to restrict her from expressing her thoughts and emotions. In Charlotte Brontë's novel, Jane Eyre, Victorian ideology influences today's society by making women seem inadequate to men. Brontë wants to convey that rather than conforming to other's opinions, women should seek freedom and break free of the barrier that society has created for them.
The novel, narrated by Jane, shows a less than flattering side of organized religion. The two representatives of the Cloth are Mr. Brokelhurst and St. John Rivers. Both are unloving and cold. The school Jane attended was under the iron clad rule of Brokelhurst. He demanded the girls of his school be prepared for a life of hardship and misery. St. John wanted not to be loved by another, but to serve God. He rejected the love of another, and his love for her in favor of serving God as a missionary. He asks if Jane will marry him and go to India, but offers a loveless marriage. He says the only thing he wants is a wife and becomes nearly violent when Jane does not accept his offer. The depiction of these two members of the Church in the novel may show that Jane does not respect the stringent ways of organized religion. Many people she hated held God in high regard and thought themselves to be quite pious and religious, most notably Mrs. Reed. Mrs. Reed, Janes former guardian, constantly warned Jane about the wrath of God and called her a wicked girl with great frequency. She threatened Jane with promises of Hell and suffering for such an unwholesome girl. Jane may have had her own idea about religion and God. Perhaps she found the marriage acceptable, but would not allow herself to part with the teachings she had become so familiarized with and used to identify herself. When contemplating Mr. Rochesters offer she almost accepts it, but fears her acquiescence would ruin everything she believed in and make the entire union a hollow travesty. She may have even chosen to reject Rochester because she wanted to obey the laws of England. Perhaps the idea of breaking the marriage laws of England would cause her to think of herself as a common thief or criminal.