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Men and women in jane eyre
Jane Eyre and contemporary social class issues
Jane Eyre and contemporary social class issues
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In Jane Eyre, the mystery at Thornfield Hall stirs uneasiness within Jane. Jane’s confrontation of the mysteries, such as Rochester’s fire incident, Mr. Mason’s injury, and the breaking of Jane’s wedding veil, reveals that she wants enclosure from Mr. Rochester, and, in doing so, breaks out of the stereotypical women’s social class. Throughout the novel, Jane strived to achieve enclosure from Mr. Rochester, demonstrating her attempt at breaking through her stereotypical social class. For example, on page 151, Mr. Rochester’s room catches fire, and Jane “succeeded in extinguishing the flames which were devouring it,” (Bronte, 151). Shortly afterwards, once the fire was smothered and Jane had left, Jane felt as though she were “tossed on a buoyant but unique sea, where billows of trouble rolled under surges of joy,” (Bronte, 154). Despite the …show more content…
Rochester led her to perform additional unbelieveable services. One page 212, it is revealed to Jane that Mr. Mason had been attacked, as “one side and one arm was almost soaked in blood,” (Bronte, 212). Mr. Rochester then asks Jane to take care of Mr. Mason for two hours, alone, at midnight, in a dark scary mansion. Jane conjures up possibilities of her fate, like “Grace Poole bursting out upon [her],” (Bronte, 213). She imagines what “lived incarnate in this sequestered mansion, and could not neither be expelled nor subdued by the owner,” (Bronte, 213) emphasizing her fears of Thornfield. This occurrence would make most want to escape, but because of Mr. Rochester’s enclosure over her, Jane wants to stay. At this time period, the societal norm would be for a man to choose whichever woman he wanted as a wife. Jane attempts to defy this by trying to make Mr. Rochester fall in love with her by confronting these mysteries, thus defying the women’s status. Furthermore, modern day relationships would not see a woman performing ghastly tasks in order to win the man’s
To begin, when Mr. Rochester secretly returns to Thornfield as a gypsy he tells many fortunes but when the secret comes out there is nothing but distrust for him. For example, when Jane finds out that Mr. Rochester was the gypsy, and Mr. Rochester asks if she can forgive him for his trick, she says ¨[She] cannot tell till [she] [has] thought it all over. … [she] shall try to forgive [him]; but it was not right¨ (Bronte 213). This shows that Jane had lost some trust in her beloved Rochester by such a simple joke and it was that, the secret had been kept from her, that makes Jane really wonder if she could tru...
Upon entering Thornfield Hall, Jane Eyre observed unusual occurrences in the household that sparked the reader’s attention to the secrets of some of the attendants. After an incident resulted in Mr. Rochester’s room catching on fire, he convinced Jane that the person behind the outburst was Grace Poole. What Edward Rochester failed to indicate was that Grace was not responsible for the mishap that day, but that she was only a seamstress and played a little part in the events of that evening. Another mishap occurred in
Jane Eyre finds her own image in St. John Rivers as they share several similarities in their moral determinations. After learning of Bertha Mason’s existence, Jane Eyre refuses to stay in Thornfield, fearing that she might lose her self-respect if she would give into Feeling, or “temptation” (447). The Feeling demands her to comply with Rochester’s entreaty, asking “Who in the world cares for you [Jane]? Or who will be injured by what you do?” (4...
Because Jane is the narrator, the reader is given a biased point of view that St. John’s character is unfavorable. Throughout Jane’s life she has had oppressive male figures dominate her life, such as John Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst; thus, Jane can conditioned herself to be apprehensive when confronting men. After gaining her physical and emotional strength back, Jane studies St. John’s character. Jane’s first impression of St. John is pessimistic, she states “Had he been a statue instead of a man, he could not have been easier”(Bronte 329). By comparing St. John to a statue the reader is forced to see St. John as someone who is cold and rigid. Jane sets up the perception that St.John is disconnected from human feelings. Jane also presents a biased view of men when she first meets Rochester, who later becomes her husband. Furthermore, Jane’s first impressions of Rochester are also negative. Upon first being introduced to Rochester, after he asked to see her, Jane comments, “But it appeared he was not in the mood to notice us, for he never lifted his head as we approached. . . There was something in the forced stiffed bow, in the impatient yet formal tone, which he seemed to further expresses”(Bronte 111). Upon meeting Rochester for the fir...
The novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte consists of continuous journey through Jane’s life towards her final happiness and freedom. Jane’s physical journeys contribute significantly to plot development and to the idea that the novel is a journey through Jane’s life. Each journey causes her to experience new emotions and an eventual change of some kind. These actual journeys help Jane on her four figurative journeys, as each one allows her to reflect and grow.
The Novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte took a surprising twist when Bertha "Mason" Rochester was introduced. Bertha leaves a traumatizing impression on Jane’s conscious. However, this particular misfortunate event was insidiously accumulating prior to Jane’s arrival at Thornfield. Through Bertha, the potential alternative dark turn of events of Jane’s past are realized, thus bringing Jane closer to finding herself.
...ugh in the end Jane and Mr. Rochester do get married, Jane is an emotionally battered character who has to look deep inside of herself to do what is best for her. This happens to people every day. They are hurt by dishonesty and deceitfulness. It can ruin their lives unless they make the commitment to be honest with themselves and those around them.
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.
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...
Although most see Jane as impassioned, we see her strive to meet a balance with passion and reason. A complete balance is not reached in Jane Eyre, but the issue it brings forth applies to us today. In the ideal world we could reach a sense of balance between them, but many will rather have a `warm slush' mixture. Still, as Jane did, we will have the ability to choose the right one. In the end, the opposing forces show us that maybe striving for one or the other won't bring happiness as it did to Jane.
He misleads her by supposedly courting a beautiful woman and then proposes to her even though they are in different classes and she is amazed but accepts. On the day of their marriage it is discovered that Mr. Rochester already has a crazy wife, Bertha Mason locked upstairs, which explains some strange goings on at Thornfield. Jane leaves Thornfield knowing she can't be with Mr. Rochester. She wanders about with nowhere to go and no money until she meets three relatives of hers whom she wasn't aware of and they take her in.
In the beginning of the novel when Jane is a child she is very subdued and distant, but then she opens up and becomes vulnerable because of Mr. Rochester's influence. The reader has only seen the vulnerable side of Jane once before, when her dear friend Helen Burns passed. After Helen’s death Jane shows her first evidence of sadness. Jane learns that Helen is sick and wishes to see her. Jane starts showing her vulnerable side when she learns that Helen will die, “‘No, no, Helen!’ I stopped, distressed. While I tried to devour my tears...” (Brontë 97). She tries to prove that she is strong by hiding her feelings, even though getting stronger by releasing her emotions is what she should be doing. She does not show much more evidence of emotion until much after, when she meets Mr. Rochester. When she has known Mr. Rochester for some time, she starts to open up to him. When Jane and Rochester finally reveal their feelings for each other the tree in back of Thornfield Hall, they show sides of themselves that the reader has never seen. Jane narrates her thoughts and feelings of the event: “‘And so,’ thought I, ‘could I with you.’ I should have said so, perhaps, but a livid, vivid spark leapt
Rochester locks Bertha as tightly in her secluded room as Jane is continuously locked into her subordinate life, and even in the literal prison of the red room. In this way, Bronte may intend the manic Bertha as an exaggerated distortion of Jane, should she continue to face similar restrictions. Through Bertha Mason’s character in Jane Eyre, Bronte directly challenges Patmore’s depiction of wives with her own proposal for how these conditions of complete dependence impact women. In lieu of the married Bertha fulfilling the feminine standards of an “angel of the house,” Bertha’s circumstances alter her into a “demon of the house” in her violent attacks and physical appearance. As Rochester approaches Bertha during his admittance of his first marriage, “the lunatic [Bertha] sprang and grappled his throat viciously, and laid her teeth to his cheek” (Bronte 381).
Women, in all classes, were still living in a world which was misogynistic and male-dominated. Their purpose in life was to produce male heirs and maintain the home by hiring and overseeing servants. It was also taboo for one to marry significantly below one’s social class. This is one reason that Jane is not a conventional heroine for the society of her time. Although, as a governess, she is not considered to be as low as a housemaid, she is still part of the hired help in the house. This is why it is unconventional for her and Mr Rochester to be in a relationship. Yet this is not as peculiar as how Jane Eyre ends their relationship due to her sense of betrayal. It would have been considered extremely foolish for a working-woman’s sense of betrayal to end and turn down a man of great wealth.