On Feminism and Jane Eyre

The law that the attorney says Mrs. Peters is married to, is a patriarchal law that dominates women and makes them matters of the system. These women’s dedication truly lies with each other and their struggle to survive a domineering civilization. If during a marriage a woman is secluded and subjugated, her only sense of self lies within the common struggle. At the end, she signifies that her responsibility towards her fellow woman is more significant than the law and stays faithful to her sex. In fact, they might have a concealed longing to do the same thing with their husbands as a rebellious to the continuous domination from the men.

Women’s Rights during the Victorian Era The Victorian era, spurred a momentary sequence of both women and men in search of a prosperous relationship regulated by the demanding etiquettes of the Victorian Society. If these desired qualities were not in possession, a man or woman could be labeled as ‘unsuitable’ in the positions of a husband or a wife. Women suffered mostly throughout the Victorian Era as rights were ceased and the rules and guidelines of society were placed. The Victorian Era caused the rights of women to escalate when the Vision of the “Ideal Woman” was introduced amongst society; producing segregation between men and women to last for years to come. In life women had only one main goal; to marry.

The reader is able to identify with Jane Eyre as a character through the complex sentence structure that is filled with emotion and imagery. I do agree with you Bella as the 19th century saw woman like Charlotte and Jane being inferior to men in every way possible. It was considered woman who made their own living as ‘un respectable ladies’ with no marriage prospects. This was the lifestyle of both Jane and Charlotte who found ‘acceptable’ work within the eyes of society in roles as ... ... middle of paper ... ...t through Janes quote, “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do”. P125 I believe it is evident that this is a novel of Jane's independence.

Jane “resisted all the way,” and “like any other ... ... middle of paper ... ...ighting for acknowledgement in a society dominated by males. She, unlike her aunt, is not afraid to stand up to John, and is not bossed around by him. She is constantly fighting with him. Bronte uses this difference between Jane and the other women characters to create the picture in her reader’s mind, that women who display the behaviors of the classical Victorian female are bad, and that the women who show independence and individuality are good. Bronte’s Jane Eyre is brimming with feminist ideology rebuking Victorian-Era gender-roll ethics and ideals.

Women were seen as highly susceptible to becoming mentally ill because of this belief. Women were subject to only be “housewives.” The novel, Alias Grace, accurately shows the construction of this gender identity through society, sexuality, and emotion while challenging it through Grace’s mother and Mrs. Humphrey. Society shows the stereotypical way of thinking in the Victorian era: women are subordinate to men. This can be seen through Mary Whitney. Mary Whitney tells Grace what her goals should be and how she should act: “It was a custom for young girls in this country to hire themselves out, in order to earn money for their dowries, and then they would marry, and if their husbands proposed they would soon be hiring their own servants in their turn and then they, ―would be mistress of a tidy farmhouse, and independent” (Atwood 182).

Jane Eyre Jane Eyre is a Feminist Novel.In the novel Jane Eyre, there is plenty of evidence to suggest that the tone of Jane Eyre is in fact a feminist novel. This book points out the times of unfairness in the Victorian society between men and women, where the man always comes first and is the master of his wife and always the provider. There are many examples that show feminist acts that usually do not occur in the Victorian era, such as wiith strength and integrity, Jane is able to break free from the role that the rest of the society has put her in, which is uncommon in that time period. In the Victorian period women were to clean, cook, take care of kids, and whatever her husband might ask of her, so for Jane Eyre to be so independent it does make the novel a feminist novel which also becomes one of the first feminist novels. There is no doubt Jane Eyre is a feminist novel because of Janes independence, her character, the feelings she has on independence and marriage, the symbolism, setting, and overall theme of the book.

Women were to be a representation of love, purity and family; abandoning this stereotype would be seen as churlish living and a depredation of family status. Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s short story "The Yellow Wallpaper" and Henry Isben’s play A Doll's House depict women in the Victorian Era who were very much menial to their husbands. Nora Helmer, the protagonist in A Doll’s House and the narrator in “The Yellow Wallpaper” both prove that living in complete inferiority to others is unhealthy as one must live for them self. However, attempts to obtain such desired freedom during the Victorian Era only end in complications. The central characters in both “The Yellow Wallpaper” and A Doll’s House are fully aware of their niche in society.

In the epic poem of “Beowulf,” Grendel’s mother is portrayed as a strong, evil-fighting woman. Yet, with the superiority of men, women are also looked down upon and withheld from several rights of passages and freedoms. In Puritan times, women were regarded as only being useful for their domestic abilities and child-bearing capabilities. As time moves forward, several outstanding women have worked to gain their own rights and fight for equality with men. A crucial part of each women’s rights movement is the first-hand perspective from a female poet or author.

Her novel portrays the injustices women had to face against a patriarchal society. She exemplifies that women are differentiated by men in their marriage due to the labelling that men are more active and women were oppressed to domestic roles. The Yellow Wallpaper suggests that women should have liberty to express themselves and break through the social standards the patriarchal society oppressed them to. Perkins demonstrate a women who is hopeless but a great writer. The inferences to the breakthrough of women’s right in society refer to feminism.

In conclusion, Henrik Ibsen's A Doll's House displays Nora going through a transformation from a childish and dependent character to a woman who recognizes her capability and becomes a strong-willed individual who makes her own decisions. Nora is a symbol of many women in the nineteenth century who wanted to escape from the authority of men. Many women in the world today face similar issues as they are forced to be rely upon men, whether it is their father, brother, husband or son. This is a problem because these women are treated unjustly by the men who run their lives when in fact they are capable of taking control for themselves.