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How does bronte present women in jane eyre
Social class and gender issues in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre
Influence of gothic elements on jane eyre
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How does Brontë convey Jane as an unconventional female character in
the novel Jane Eyre?
Jane Eyre was published in 1847, during the reign of Queen Victoria.
The novel was written by Charlotte Brontë, but published under the
pseudonym Currer Bell. Pseudonyms were used frequently by women at
this point in time, as they were believed to be inferior to men. The
work of female authors was not as well respected as those of male
writers; therefore many women would assume a fictitious name in order
for their works to get noticed. A well-known example of another female
author writing under a pseudonym at the same time was Mary Ann Evans,
who wrote under the name George Eliot. The reason for this oppression
of women writers lies in the belief that a woman’s place was in the
home. Domesticity and motherhood were portrayed as a sufficient
fulfilment. A conventional woman in the Victorian era was married with
children. She had no other career but remained at home continually
preparing the house for her husband and caring for her children.
Women were not thought to have views of their own and were certainly
not expected to express those views, so writing was regarded as an
unsuitable occupation for females. However, the introduction of such
novels as Jane Eyre aided in the establishment of feminism and the
fight for women’s rights.
In this period of time an increasingly popular genre was gothic. A
gothic novel contains mystery, doom, decay, old buildings, ghosts and
madness; but also subtler features such as courage, mysterious places,
a sense of place, dreams and weather, but mainly abnormal events and
unconventionality. Jane Eyre has a gothic theme all the way through
the novel and this aids the portrayal of J...
... middle of paper ...
...gothic elements such as the weather and specific themes throughout the
novel enhance Jane’s unconventionality as they reflect the themes
appearing in gothic novels. I also noticed how the language used
developed with Jane throughout her life; at the beginning when she was
a small child the narrative included advanced vocabulary as the
narrator was Jane as an older woman, however Jane’s speech was very
simple and childish. As Jane grew up her speech became more
sophisticated and religious as well, as she was taught at a religious
school; I believe Brontë used Jane’s language development to aid her
development into a woman with views that she could portray well. I
think Jane Eyre was written with the intention to change the way women
were portrayed in the Victorian times. Jane was a model of a modern
women becoming equal to her husband and being independent.
We learn that Jane is a young girl who is a victim of emotional and
From the introduction of Jane’s orphan life, she battles between her ire at cousin John’s antics and obedie...
Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, was published in 1847 by Smith, Elder & Company, in London. This year is exactly ten years into Queen Victoria’s sixty-four year reign of the British Empire. The Victorian Era was renowned for its patriarchal Society and definition by class. These two things provide vital background to the novel, as Jane suffers from both. Jane Eyre relates in some ways to Brontë’s own life, as its original title suggest, “Jane Eyre: An Autobiography”. Charlotte Brontë would have suffered from too, as a relatively poor woman. She would have been treated lowly within the community. In fact, the book itself was published under a pseudonym of Currer Bell, the initials taken from Brontë’s own name, due to the fact that a book published by a woman was seen as inferior, as they were deemed intellectually substandard to men. Emily Brontë, Charlotte’s sister, was also forced to publish her most famous novel, Wuthering Heights, under the nom de plume of Ellis Bell, again taking the initials of her name to form her own alias. The novel is a political touchstone to illustrate the period in which it was written, and also acts as a critique of the Victorian patriarchal society.
was not a better place but it helped Jane stand on her own feet. Through
Brontë, Charlotte, Fritz Eichenberg, and Bruce Rogers. Jane Eyre. New York: Random House, 1943. Print.
The three events that mark Jane as an evolving dynamic character are when she is locked in the red room, self reflecting on her time at Gateshead, her friendship with Helen Burns at LoWood, her relationship with Mr. Rochester, and her last moments with a sick Mrs. Reed. Brought up as an orphan by her widowed aunt, Mrs. Reed, Jane is accustomed to her aunts vindictive comments and selfish tendencies. Left out of family gatherings, shoved and hit by her cousin, John Reed, and teased by her other cousins, Georgina and Eliza Reed, the reader almost cringes at the unfairness of it all. But even at the young age of ten, Jane knows the consequences of her actions if she were to speak out against any of them. At one point she wonders why she endures in silence for the pleasure of others. Why she is oppressed. "Always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, forever condemned" (Bronte, 12). Jane’s life at Gateshead is not far from miserable. Not only is she bullied by her cousins and nagged by her aunt, but help from even Bessie, her nurse and sort of friend, seems out of her reach. In the red room scene Jane is drug by Ms. Ab...
“He who loses individuality, loses all” (Good Reads, 2012). This quote said by Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most recognized leaders of the 19th century, can easily be used to acknowledge the importance of a society possessing unique individualistic traits and characteristics as individuality is the fuel needed to run a society. In a world, where even a mere speck of individuality is not present, that society is likely to shatter into utter destruction. Moreover, individuals should possess the ability to embrace their own uniqueness through which they will have the ability to understand distinctive phrases such as that said by William Channing, “no one should part with their individuality and become that of another”. The concept of individuality being vital to society is explored within Caitlin Tom’s essay Individuality vs. Fitting in, the American novel Little Women by Louisa Alcott, and the romantic yet empowering dramatic film Jane Eyre. The concept presented in these three works portrays how it the essence of individuality is a fundamental component for society as it aids with the recognition of societal barriers, allows the ability to empower change, and permits appreciation of the invoked change.
Thornfield symbolizes Jane 's first encounter with of love and first heartbreak. In Thornfield is the first place where everyone treats her as an equal and she can talk comfortably. Her pupil Adele is quite smart and she learns really fast. Jane starts to be a mother figure for Adele because her mother left her with Mr. Rochester because her mother had relations with him and decided to leave her with him instead of taking her. Through the novel we see the gender norms change and Jane is seen as the man and Mr. Rochester as the woman when Jane decided to help Mr. Rochester when he fell of his horse. Mr. Rochester never acted as the master to Jane he would order her around but after every sentence he would say " if you please " which inferred that he was no ordinary master. Jane falls in love with Mr. Rochester, but she knows he would never love her because they are not in the same social class. Once Mr. Rochester brings some of his friends over Jane starts to get jealous of a woman named Blanche because she is prettier than her and she is in the same social class as Mr. Rochester. Blanche likes Mr. Rochester 's and she wants to marry him; at first Mr. Rochester plays along with her, but he soon discovers she is a gold digger and she only loves him for his money. Once Mr. Rochester confesses his love for Jane he decides to get married with her and he begins to tell her about all the
... destroys Thornfield. While Jane lives at Thornfield the place is consistent with a "ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing and devouring" as her passion for love and kindness is fulfilled by Mr. Rochester. The place then dies when she leaves, and is still "the same ridge, (just) black and blasted after the flames are dead" when Bertha burns it down.
Bronte is known as one of the first revolutionary and challenging authoress’ with her text Jane Eyre. The society of her time was male dominated, women were marginally cast aside and treated as trophies for their male counterparts. Their main role in life was to be a mother and a wife, “ Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life……the more she is engaged in her proper duties, the less leisure she will have for it.” A quote from a letter Robert Southey wrote to Bronte. A clear sign of the mentality and opposition Bronte was up against. A woman’s “proper duties” of course being to tend and wait on her “master’s” every whim and need. Women during Bronte’s time had no clear voice, none that was of any merit, they were a silent category of society, silenced by their male oppressors. Bronte’s book was in fact written before the first women’s rights movement had happened, yet it puts forward an image of an independent strong character, of a passionate and almost rebellious nature. A character “refusing subservience, disagreeing with her superiors, standing up for her right’s, and venturing creative thoughts.” I put forward that Bronte throughout her text not only revises the themes of male power and oppression, but reconstructs them also. The text is a female bildungsroman of it’s time, sometimes subtly and sometimes overtly tackling the patriarchal view of women.
This night prefigures what's going to happen the following day: Jane's going to find out the truth about Rochester. Rochester's description of how he sees Thornfield, "that house is a mere dungeon... filled with slime... cobwebs... sordid slate...
Jane started out with no family, causing her to yearn for someone to accept her as their family, treating her with love and respect. At a young age, Jane lost her parents, leaving her with her aunt and cousins. They treated her poorly, acting as if she was incompetent and considering her more of a servant than a family member. Then, they sent her off to school, forgetting about her entirely. Eventually, Jane acquired the family she had always dreamt of. She never felt quite right with other people accepting her, that is, until Mr. Rochester came into her life. She did not feel as though she had found her true family until she had met him. "All these relics gave...Thornfield Hall the aspect of a home of the past: a shrine to memory.” (92). When they get married, her dreams are achieved, as she finally got the family she had always wanted.
... 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.
Society turns its back on Jane Eyre many times and in many ways. As a young orphan growing up with her extended family, the Reeds, Jane is treated as a burden, as "less than a servant" (7). Her aunt goes so far as to tell Jane 's cousins "not to go near her: she is not worthy of notice" (23). Jane is alone, physically separated from the only family she knows simply because she is dependent. With no money of her own she is reliant on the charity; her cousin John accuses her of doing nothing to earn her keep, "you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live here gentlemen 's children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mamma 's expense" (5). John presents a direct correlation between her lack of fortune and his scorn. It is through these interactions with the Reeds that Jane first learns that poverty is "synonymous with degradation" (20). This lesson is reiterated later when Jane runs away from Thronfield, where she was working as a governess, and loses what little money she had earned. In a nearby town, Jane must resort
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre represents the role of women in the Victorian era by giving the reader an insight into the lives of women from all social classes. Jane Eyre therefore represents figures of the Victorian time yet the character of Jane Eyre, herself, can be seen as very unconventional for the Victorian society.