Female Independence
The 19th century is filled with odd stereotypes and massive stagnant features from the previous centuries. Charlotte Bronte wrote Villette as an entertaining, gothicly themed novel first, and a commentary on what those stagnant stereotypes do to a society. The main character, Lucy Snowe, shows aspects of the average female figure of the 19th century but contrasts this stereotype with her dominant characteristics such as traveling alone, fighting her enemies, and being a new found female hero in a male dominated era. Lucy Snowe changes the way middle class female women are expected to be in novels and in 19th century life. By owning her own business and traveling alone and standing up for what she believes in, Lucy becomes
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The 19th century is the time of the strong female character and female protagonist. Bronte exemplifies this concept as she develops Lucy’s personality to be conflicted between wanting a companion and also wanting to be completely independent of others (Lorber). During the first few chapters, Lucy does not take the spotlight in her own story. She makes it a point to focus on the other people she lives without interacting with them entirely. Rarely does she take part in conversation. This leads the reader to believe that she was unhappy living to be in a household to serve another such as Paulina. The young child “occasionally chatting with [her] when [they] were alone in [their] room at night” (22) is the only character that really pays Lucy any attention and yet this attention is short and half lived. Lucy and Paulina share no more than a few words at a time sporadically throughout the first few chapters. This allows her to do as she pleases without the “annoyance” of another trying to keep her from where she wants to …show more content…
In order to create a space where she was in control, Lucy locked one of the more obnoxious students in a closet for the remainder of class. This is a stark difference from the beginning of the novel when she was a side character to her own life. Her ability to stand up to these rambunctious children and show they where she stood shows her growth and persistence to become in control and independent in her own
“I think, with never-ending gratitude, that the young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned.” (www.doonething.org). Lucy Stone was born in West Brookfield, Massachusetts on August 13, 1818. Her parents, Francis Stone and Hannah Matthews, were abolitionists and Congregationalists. Stone retained their anti-slavery opinions but rejected the Congregationalist Church after it criticized abolitionists. Along with her anti-slavery attitude, Lucy Stone also pursued a higher education. She completed local schools at the age of sixteen and saved money until she could attend a term at Mount Holyoke Seminary five years later. In 1843, Stone enrolled at the Oberlin Collegiate Institute (later Oberlin College). With her graduation in 1847, she became the first Massachusetts woman to earn a bachelor’s degree. However, Lucy Stone was not done expressing her abolitionist and feminist beliefs to the public (anb.org).
This projection is not only endorsed by the male figures in the book, but the character of Mina Harker as well confirms the notion, whom Stoker constructed of representing the ideal standard of women, a retrospective of ideologies concerning gender during the Victorian period. All things considered, this paper will focus on the way Stoker illustrates, in a subtle fashion, how the characters strip her of an identity to revoke her power and gain control of the state of affairs while she is conscious and appearing as her true self. The male authoritative figures, such as Abraham Van Helsing, Dr. John Seward and Arthur Holmwood, infantilize Lucy on numerous occasions, most notably by the way they address her with pet names and terms of endearment. The use pet names and terms of endearment are the male character’s method of gaining control over Lucy, for the reason that her new-found sexuality threatens the gender and species hierarchy, in the sphere of the Victorian bourgeois. The lengths that the characters go to gain control over Lucy
Jane Eyre is about a girl named Jane who struggles to find who she really is and with it what she really wants. “As a model for women readers in the Victorian period and throughout the twentieth century to follow, Jane Eyre encouraged them to make their own choices in living their lives, to develop respect for themselves, and to become individuals” (Markley). One of the reasons why this book gained merit was because of its striking presence within its time period. During the “Victorian Age” woman did not have much say in society, so this novel broke boundaries to societal norms that restricted woman from things they have today. “Brontë is able to enact this tension through her characters and thus show dramatically the journey of a woman striving for balance within her nature.
That both Jane Eyre and Villette are first person narratives is highly important. Unlike Catherine Earnshaw, Maggie Tulliver and Isabel Archer, Lucy Snowe and Jane Eyre are able to define their own stories, and subsequently, to define themselves. As Tony Tanner stated, Jane's "narrative act is not so much one of retrieval as of establishing and maintaining her identity" and this can easily be extended to Lucy. Indeed in Villette the importance of language to proclaim identity, and therefore power, is demonstrated by Lucy's inability to speak French when she arrives in Villette " I could say nothing whatever". Of course the role of teaching Lucy to speak French falls to M. Paul demonstrating the masc...
In the Victorian era in which the novel took place, there were two main perceptions of the female: either she would get married and then have children or she would have sex before marriage and was considered a slut/promiscuous. For example, according to “In the Blood”, blood transfusions in the novel are a symbol of sex. Lucy was given blood transfusions from Arthur, Van Helsing, and John. Hence, Lucy should be considered “loose” in her society but since her acts where kept secret she was not. Lucy was very liked in the novel as she was proposed to by three different men, but if it were known that she was more in touch with her sexual side she would be thought of as ¬¬menial and would be shunned from society. Hence, based off of one aspect of a female she was either considered proper or unworthy of respect. This belief also connects with the restriction of physical appearance, as a women was not allowed to show her sexual side to anyone. Her role was strictly to be the mother of a man’s children and to be the house
This novel was one of the most radical books of the Victorian Era. It portrayed women as equals to men. It showed that it was possible that men could even be worse than women, through John and Jane. It taught the Victorians never to judge a book by its cover. The novel would not be as successful were it not for Charlotte Brontë’s talent in writing, and were it not for the literary devices employed.
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.
The issue of lack of opportunity for women to engage in intellectual preparation and continuation is prevalent within the character of Jane. Expectation of women’s role was a social norm, with a lack of diversity or individuality. Bronte challenges this issue through the character of Jane, whom experiences a tug-of-war sensation between being herself, who she wants to be and should be, and what society wants her to be, and pushes her to be. Bronte was trying to explain that women have the same capability as men to be productive individuals in society, but they are held back from establishing their potential.
Immediately from the start Bronte’s character Jane is different. She is an orphan, mis-treated and despised by her family. She has no clear social position, is described as “less than a servant” and treated like one. A protagonist who one would assume had no characteristics worth aspiring too. Jane is displayed perfectly in her hiding behind the curtain. She is placed by a window, which beyond is icy and cold, contrasting immensely from the inside of the fire and warmth. A clear statement of the icy coldness of the family she has been put to live with, and her fiery and passionate nature which we discover th...
During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, gender roles were extremely strict and ridged, with a male dominant society. Men were the prominent moneymakers of the household and held important religious, political, and public positions. On the other hand, women were expected to be the homemakers, staying at home to take care of the house and children. Novels written during this time sometimes challenged these gender stereotypes, specifically works in the gothic genre. Novels such as Villette by Charlotte Bronte and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley use characters to portray and challenge the obvious gender expectations during the 1800s.
The circumstances forced upon the protagonists, in both 'Jane Eyre’ and 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall', mirrored the reality of 19th century Britain’s “period of seismic political and social turbulence” (Rigby, 1848), a time which radically reduced the female protagonists’ possibility of broader horizons, by enforcing them to a life of domesticity. Charlotte Bronte's nineteenth-century fiction ‘Jane Eyre’, published in 1847 the novel "dazzled and shocked readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom" (STEVIE DAVIES 1996). Composed of three volumes, the first-person narrative provides a retrospective of the tempestuous pilgrimage of an eponymous heroine into adulthood. Residing primarily in the bildungsroman
... Victorian values. She is supposed to be submissive and delicate, and she does attempt to do what her cousin asks and remain ladylike. Towards the middle of the story Lucy has obviously been thinking a lot about her future and she begins to speak her mind but is usually shut down by Cecil or other Victorian characters. By the end of the novel, Lucy has realized Cecil will never treat her as an equal and she leaves him.
Similar to many of the great feministic novels of its time, Jane Eyre purely emerges as a story focused on the quest for love. The novel’s protagonist, Jane, searches not only for the romantic side of love, but ultimately for a sense of self-worth and independence. Set in the overlapping times of the Victorian and Gothic periods, the novel touches upon both women’s supposed rights, and their inner struggle for liberty. Orphaned at an early age, Jane was born into a modest lifestyle, without any major parent roles to guide her through life’s obstacles. Instead, she spent much of her adolescent years locked in imaginary chains, serving those around her but never enjoying the many decadences life has to offer. It is not until Jane becomes a governess that many minute privileges become available to her and offer Jane a glance at what life could have been. It is on her quest for redemption and discovery that she truly is liberated. Throughout Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel Jane Eyre, the story’s protagonist Jane, struggles to achieve the balance of both autonomy and love, without sacrificing herself in the process.
While at Lowood, a state - run orphanage and educational facility, Jane’s first friend, Helen Burns, teaches her the importance of friendship along with other skills that will help Jane grow and emotionally mature in the future. She serves as a role model for Jane. Helen’s intelligence, commitment to her studies, and social graces all lead Jane to discover desirable attributes in Helen. Helen is treated quite poorly, however, “her ability to remain graceful and calm even in the face of (what Jane believes to be) unwarranted punishment makes the greatest impression on the younger girl” (Dunnington). Brontë uses this character as a way to exemplify the type of love that Jane deserves. This relationship allows Jane to understand the importance of having a true friend. Given Jane’s history at Gateshead, finding someone like Helen is monumental in her development as a person. Helen gives through honest friendship, a love that is
The development of Charlotte Bronte's character, Jane Eyre, becomes vital to her novel Jane Eyre, and the other characters in which she is involved. She is an intelligent, plain featured, honest young girl whose reaction to her situations brings more depth to her personality. She is forced to deal with oppression, discrimination, and at times poverty, which disrupt her strong will, dignity, and desire for freedom. At the beginning, Jane possesses a passion for pride and the idea of freedom and these characteristics, along with her integrity, are tested continuously throughout the novel by the many personalities with whom she encounters. Living in a male dominant world Jane is expected to remain obedient and docile and her passion sometimes keeps her from being able to do this. She is a rarity among obeying female characters and we see this throughout the book.