Bronte's View of Women Revealed in Jane Eyre

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Recommended: Representation of woman characters in Jane Eyre

In Charlotte Bronte's book, Jane Eyre, Bronte's demeanor towards the position of women in Victorian society is identified. During that time, women were expected to at least have the beauty, wealth, and propriety. In the novel, Jane is described as the opposite of what the social class expects of her; while, other female characters live up to society's standards. Blanche Ingram, Rosamond Oliver, and Bertha Mason symbolizes Bronte's belief that woman in Victorian societies are selfish, rude, vain, unexciting, and likely to lose their sense of reality and independence.
Part of Bronte's belief about nineteenth century England women, such as Blanche Ingram, is that they are selfish and rude. Although she meets the social classes expectations, Blanche Ingram is a greedy woman whose purpose for pursuing Rochester is only for his money. After Blanche has her fortune told by a disguised Rochester, “she looked neither flurried nor merry... I watched her for nearly half an hour: during all that time she never turned a page, and her face grew momently darker, more dissatisfied, and more sourly expressive of disappointment” (Bronte 196-197). Although her expression doesn't ultimately show that she is into Rochester only for his money, it is inferred from what it is known of Blanche that she is not in love with Rochester, she knows they would make a good match, and she knows that Rochester has a plenty of money. Later on, it is revealed to Jane that Blanche Ingram was so upset because the gypsy said that Rochester barely had any money. Jane is different to Blanche because she does not care about how much money a man has but rather than how she would feel about a man. Therefore, Bronte believes that woman – probably upper class women – only mar...

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...n Victorian society, for example, Bertha Mason, are apt to losing their sense of reality and independence based on the assumption of what happens to women who marries a man.
In the novel, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, it is insinuated that Bronte believes women's position in Victorian societies are greedy, egotistical, blunt, uninteresting people and believes women are likely to become deranged and greatly dependent on men after some time of marrying. Jane diverges from these characteristics based on her kindness and intelligence; and, not only is she different by personality but her appearance places Jane on a different end of the social classes spectrum. Therefore, Bronte believes that inner beauty matters more than outer beauty because horrible consequences will occur if outer beauty is the only thing that is noticed.

Works Cited

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre.

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