Jane Eyre Research Paper

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Recommended: Jane eyre and the role of women

Michael Garcia
Ms. Assink
Eng 2301-06
11/5/15
Feminism in Jane Eyre
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines feminism as “the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. At first glance, Jane Eyre appears to be quite the feminist novel. The titular character, Jane, defies any previously conceived ideas of how a proper Victorian English woman should act. She speaks her mind, stands up for what she believes in, and is willing to defy social customs. Everything about her is the opposite of what a proper lady of the time was to be defined as. This continual defiance of allowing society as well as others to control her, puts her and this novel in the category of being feminist. Throughout this essay I will explain how Jane Eyre ultimately triumphs to meet and surpass criteria of being a true feminist novel. …show more content…

She rejected marrying Mr. Rochester, for her own moral and personal reasons, whereas other female characters may have done so without a second thought. As discussed throughout class, Jane did the exact opposite of the typical English woman. ‘I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will; which I now exert to leave you’ (Bronte, 216). Marriage at the time was something to be desired for the woman of the time. And yet it was something Jane had denied for so long. After Mr. Rochester failed to gain Jane’s hand in marriage, her cousin St. John asked her to marry him as well. She also denied him. A marriage to St. John would have gone against everything Jane prided her self on. A marriage to St. John as well would have made Jane no different from any woman of the time. She would be going against all she believed in if she had. Her continual strong will and courage to say “no” to the men in her life shows Jane as a true feminist of her

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