Imagine a time when sexism was protocol. Now imagine a woman who stepped up, and even implied these problems in her literature. That powerful mistress was Charlotte Bronte, a British author, and very strong woman. She lived a tough life, often suffering from many untimely deaths, including her own. Her sisters were incomparable assets to her mental and emotional strength. In addition to her family, her brief teaching career was likely impactful on her esteemed poetry and other collective works. Her illustrious life was highlighted by her sisters, her various educational roles, and her recovery from tough times. In the delicate times of the early 19th century, Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816. She was born to reverend Patrick Bronte and Maria Bronte in England. She also had 2 younger sisters: Emily and Ann, born in 1818 and 1820, respectively. Unfortunately, her mother passed in the next year, 1821. 3 years later in 1824, Charlotte and Emily were sent to a clergy daughter's academy in Cowan Bridge, along with 2 older sisters. The Bronte family again suffered losses that next year. They mourned the 2 oldest sisters, as they died of disease. Emily and Charlotte were sent home as a result. (http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/brontbio.html) Several years later in 1831, Charlotte decided to return to school, this time at Roe Head. Her tenure there was delayed by 3 years, because in 1832 she returned home to teach her sisters. In 1835 Charlotte returned to Roe Head, however, this time as a governess, or teacher. Ironically, her sisters attended the same school as students. Emily was a student in 1835, but left, many assume due to home sickness. In 1836-37, Ann attended Roe Head. A few years later, ... ... middle of paper ... ...t with it. The very last quatrain states: “Manfully, fearlessly, the day of trial bear, for gloriously, victoriously, Can courage quell despair!” (Bell 93-94) Bronte finishes off the poem saying that all struggles can be overpowered by confidence and bravery with ease. The various adverbs add much excitement and glee to this portion of the poem. Works Cited Cody, David. “Charlotte Bronte: A Brief Biography.” The Victorian Web 1987. http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/bronte/cbronte/brontbio.html Bell, Currer, Ellis Bell, and Acton Bell . Poems. 1848. Philadelphia: Lea and Blanchard, 1959. Bell, Currer. Jane Eyre. London: Smith, Elder, and co. Cornhill, 1847. http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1229822/ Jane Eyre. Dir. Cary Fukaunaga. , 2011. Sellars, Jane. Charlotte Bronte: British Library Writers Lives Series. Oxford university press incorporated, 2000
Throughout Charlotte's life, she had faced many downfalls, which were some intentionally and subconsciously infringed in her writing. Charlotte Brontë was born in Thornton, Yorkshire in 1816, and was the third child of six children to Maria Branwell and Patrick Brontë. She had lived a sheltered in life due to her father, who was a "poor clergymen" (Brontë). Her mother died of cancer in 1821, only when Charlotte was 5 years old. This impacted her and her siblings deeply, as in 1824, Brontë and her sisters "were sent to study at the Clergy Daughters School in Cowan Bridge" (Stacey). There, the poor conditions led Maria and Elizabeth to their death, "both of whom succumbed to tuberculosis" (Stacey). The school depicted Jane's situat...
He walks into the corporation building, and is greeted by a few of his colleagues, also heading to their cubicle. The man groans at his workload then glances around, seeing his supervisor frowning at him. “Oh boy, this isn’t good.” He thinks to himself as the supervisor walks into his boss’ office for the third time this week. His boss walks out a couple minutes later, and heads straight to the man’s cubicle. “Kevin, this is the third time in just this week that you haven’t been following the company’s procedures. Why won’t you just accept your job and do it like everyone else? I once had your job, and look at me! I’m now one of the head honchos of this place. So please stop disobeying, and you might get somewhere, and not fired.” Social class is a problem today, and it was just as big a problem as in the time of Jane Eyre. In Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre, the protagonist deals with the issues of social class during her childhood, her first employment, her time at Moor house and Morton, and when she is reunited with Rochester.
Tremendous spirit. The enviable trait that Jane Eyre from Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre possesses is what stimulates her to achieve self-actualization despite the fact that she is a woman. True feminism isn’t as violent as a handful of vicious extremists claim it to be. The accurate definition of feminism is “the doctrine advocating women’s social, political, civil, educational and all other rights as equal to those of men.” Women of Charlotte Bronte’s era did not have basic rights such as the aforementioned. The feminist movement in the Victorian Era had only just begun and Jane Eyre was far ahead of her peers. Published in 1847, the bildungsroman novel of Jane Eyre was an intricate one, with subtle feminism carefully woven in it, particularly through the actions and thoughts of Jane Eyre, the protagonist. Her quest for self-worth and identity lead her to overcome the various stigmas that women in that era were faced with. These ambiguities reflect the tensions real Victorian women of faith experienced in trying to meet multiple often conflicting demands in their lives. Such challenges were complicated further by the fact that 19th century Evangelical Christianity- attentive to the realities of sin, sorrow, sacrifice, and loss- was no easy creed for women and men. (Lamonaca) Jane Eyre’s battles for authentic love, good reputation and indifferent attitude towards social classes dominated English women’s lives. The heroine tackles gender roles and breaks all the mannerisms of the time to inject an early dose of feminism in the English audience. Jane’s transformation from naïve child to independent woman stunned the public and gave women the inspiration to make their own decisions and defy the norms of their era.
Through the baring of Jane’s inner thoughts and emotions, and indeed Emily Brontë’s own feelings, it is evident that she was left with this bitter feeling after this shocking incident underling Jane’s and Emily’s belief that both genders should be treated equally, even though differences do exist. With this quotation, Brontë takes the time to show the emotional side of females and how it affects them. Jane appears as being completely affected by her feelings, while Rochester seems to not have been affected at all. The author is attempting to express, through Jane, her own feminine side. This is one of those specific times in the novel where we’re faced with the reality of the female side that Jane portrays, and we are forced to reevaluate our
Charlotte “Jane Eyre” Bronte was born April 21, 1816. She was born the third daughter out of six children. In 1824, Charlotte and her older sisters, Maria and Elizabeth Bronte, enrolled in the Cowan Bridge Clergy Daughters’ School and obtained their education. Soon after Charlotte’s younger sister, Emily, joined them at the school, Maria and Elizabeth became very ill. Charlotte’s father, Patrick Bronte, requested for Maria and Elizabeth to be sent home to be taken care of. Charlotte and Emily were left to attend Cowan Bridge alone; however, this did not last long because they were soon requested home by their father as well. In the following year, Elizabeth and Maria both died of consumption. The death of these two beloved sisters took a toll on the Bronte family causing the remaining siblings to cling together for support and become best friends. Charlotte, her brother Branwell, Emily, and youngest sister Anne began to write epic stories and poems together, often set in the realm of the Kingdom of Gondal. This was the beginning of the legacy to be left by Charlotte Bronte. (Gerin, 169)
Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre may be superficially read as simply a sweet romance in which Jane ends up with the man of her dreams after overcoming many obstacles and challenges. But doing so misses the much deeper—richer—messages of Bronte's lasting masterpiece. A more thoughtful reading reveals this novel, especially its heroine Jane, challenging centuries-old gender roles which assume male supremacy, characterizing men as the dominant, more privileged gender, while women are oppressed into inferior and submissive roles. Of course this Victorian novel portrays the expected gender roles of both men and women in 19th century England, but Jane rises out of the patriarchy challenging the social roles assigned her with a personality marked by sass and self-assurance . Ms. Bronte, through Jane, ultimately demonstrates that women can live their lives on equal terms with—or independent of—men.
In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë clearly demonstrates the relationship between sexuality and morality in Victorian society through the character of Bertha Mason, the daughter of a West Indian planter and Rochester's first wife. Rochester recklessly married Bertha in his youth, and when it was discovered shortly after the marriage that Bertha was sexually promiscuous, Rochester locked her away. Bertha is called a "maniac" and is characterized as insane. Confining Bertha for her display of excess passion reinforces a prevalent theme in Jane Eyre, that of oppressive sexual Victorian values. Bertha's captivity metaphorically speaks on the male-dominated Victorian society in which women are inferior and scorned for acts of nonconformism.
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.
her off to school. She tells him that he should "keep a strict eye on her,
Gaskell, Elizabeth Cleghorn, Anne Taranto, and George Stade. The Life of Charlotte Brontë. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2005. Print.
As a child, Jane Eyre suffered from much torment from her Aunt Reed and her callous cousins. She never received the love she deserved and longed for. She felt the need to escape from the misery and torture that she got at Gateshead from her so called family. In a way, Mrs. Reed helped Jane in her process of growing and maturing. Jane was determined to find something better for her in life because she did not want to feel that rejection from the Reeds. With that rejection, Jane was motivated to become someone better than they were. Jane Eyre was sent to Lowood, an orphanage school, and met Miss Temple and Helen Burns.
A Critical Evaluation of Jane Eyre Although Jane Eyre grows and matures, Margaret McFadden-Gerber views her as a relatively emotionally stable young feminist. Through the duration of the novel, Jane demonstrates her "self-love" that is often an influential emotion leading to drastic and hasty reactions. In the very opening few chapters, Jane takes a stand for herself and presents her bruised ego, pride and maturity. Sara Reed, her aunt, dismisses her place in the family as Jane is physically and emotionally removed from her "family's" activities.
Charlotte Brontë composed her novel Jane Eyre during the Victorian era; a period of history where Patriarchy set the expectations of men and women. The effect of this social system resulted in women suffering discrimination simply because of their gender. Sigmund Freud, in his essay entitled, “The Relation of the Poet to Day-Dreaming,” articulated that women were only capable of having erotic wishes dominate their “phantasies,” and even their ambitious “phantasies” were rooted in erotic wishes (177). The predominating thought concerning women during this era was that, due to their nature, longed to marry—tending to the needs of her household. Those who were not fortunate enough to marry (due to appearance or social status) were to become governesses. Ms. Brontë, through her protagonist Jane Eyre, clearly depicts the struggles of an indigent young woman who is forced into near slavery. This tale is articulated well by Adrienne Rich in her essay entitled, “Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman,” when she states that Jane wants to “choose her life with dignity, integrity, and pride” (471). Even though Charlotte Brontë depicts a woman who will not be bound by the mores of her society, she is not so exuberant as to have her protagonist proclaim “I am woman, hear me roar.” The toning down of Jane’s demeanor can be attributed to satisfaction of the critics, but Brontë also expresses that the societal expectations, or the patriarchal rights of men, produced a similar negative effect on men. From John Reed and his self-righteous attitude, to Rochester’s internal battle in regards to the treatment of women, Charlotte Brontë demonstrates that sexism—inherent in a patriarchal society—has an adverse affect on both men and women.
Charlotte Bronte’s novel Jane Eyre embraces many feminist views in opposition to the Victorian feminine ideal. Charlotte Bronte herself was among the first feminist writers of her time, and wrote this book in order to send the message of feminism to a Victorian-Age Society in which women were looked upon as inferior and repressed by the society in which they lived. This novel embodies the ideology of equality between a man and woman in marriage, as well as in society at large. As a feminist writer, Charlotte Bronte created this novel to support and spread the idea of an independent woman who works for herself, thinks for herself, and acts of her own accord.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is set in the mid nineteenth century, during the Victorian era where class and gender roles are clearly defined in the patriarchal society. The general ideology of the era expresses the idea that if gender categories were not maintained as binary oppositions, catastrophic chaos would likely ensue (Gill, 109). Throughout the novel, Jane is faced with the issue of oppression. The typical characteristics of an ideal female in Victorian society would include submissiveness, simple dress, low ambition, longing for a male love interest and passiveness. Bronte clearly shows her stance on this Victorian ideology as Jane often challenges those social institutions and changes her place in society, although she often settles for the status quo for certain periods of time. Jane plays the typical role of a Victorian woman through much of her life, but through subtle shifts in power Bronte challenges these Victorian norms by way of Jane’s education, unlikely rise in social status from teacher to governess and her relationship with a seemingly unattainable man.