19th century critics portray Jane Eyre both as a feminist and Chartist manifesto. Through the heroine’s character, Brontë expresses how feminine power and independence are important, and they are seen especially during the moment when Rochester and Jane are married, and she becomes “her own mistress” (Brontë 246). She claims at that moment that she will not depend on him. If we look at the end of the novel, the gender roles are somewhat reversed, by Rochester depending on Jane to be his eyes and his hands. At a time when the simple word feminism was never heard, through Jane’s character Brontë expresses the notion that “women feel just as men do” (Brontë 77), and the fact that women cannot live a life that is forged into “stagnation” and “rigid…
"Reader, I married him” (Bronte 517). These well known and short words are the first line we read in the closing chapter of Jane Eyre. As the reader we are addressed 37 times from the beginning of Chapter 11 to Chapter 38, Jane constantly addresses the reader to reassure us that she is not just blindly telling a story, but rather she is telling this story to a specific audience. As this story is about someone’s life, there is an essence of Jane telling us this story of her life in her old age, however, there is controversy around when and to whom she is telling this story to. Jane throughout the novel is confiding in the reader for why she made these decisions, which is why she is making an argument to the reader throughout the novel.…
When Reeds states “gentlemen’s children,” he provides insight into the social class of Jane’s family; he informs the reader of Jane’s low upbringing and further isolates her from her cousins. She is forced into living a life of solitude and commands. The dominance that John Reed has over Jane also helps to support Brontë’s social commentary on gender inequality. Not only is Jane secluded from the Reed family due to her low upbringing, but also obligated to surrender to John’s…
In Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, Bronte portrays her theme of the importance of women's’ independence and gender equality by employing betrayal throughout her novel. In particular, Bronte portrays how betrayal propelled the character of Jane Eyre to attempt to find herself and how betrayal affected the character of Bertha Mason. Throughout most the novel, Jane never feels settled into where she stays. In the beginning, Jane feels tormented by her cousins and her aunt in Gateshead.…
Srikeerthan Annepu Mrs. Repanich LA II Period 5 30 November 2017 Deceptive Appearances vs. Reality: The Rumors and the Truths Appearances can often reveal plenty about a person, and first impressions can impact one's social status in a community. Often, individuals are quick to make judgements about each other, without considering the other person’s perspective. Frequently, appearances can turn out to be deceptive, in outstanding and unfortunate ways, and this idea is shown by Harper Lee in To Kill A Mockingbird, a fiction novel written in 1960 set in the segregated american south during the Great Depression.…
Bronte immediately establishes Jane Eyre as an outsider in society in the opening of Chapter 1, significantly through her pervasive use of foil. She sets the scene with “John, Eliza and Georgiana […] clustered round their mama in the drawing-room” with Jane looking in from the outside of such a close circle. A “cluster” connotes warmth, love and affection, which Jane is clearly not entitled to. The introduction from the very beginning of this whole series of characters used to alienate Jane is utilised by Bronte to emphasise the wrongness of the ostracism in society, even to a young, vulnerable child. Jane is again reminded of her inferiority to the central family unit when John Reed says to Jane: "You have no business to take our books [...]…
Deceit, an action so common and malicious—yet human’s fail to recognize deceit until the damage is already done. Exemplary illustrations of this behavior are prevalent in a book that is dated in the 17th century, featuring the stringent ways of the Puritanical culture called, The Scarlet Letter as well as a book that was set in the late 1990’s called Speak. The two main characters, Hester Prynne and Melinda Sordino, are both victims of deceit, and are ultimately victims of rabid and passionate sin. Henceforth sexual exploitation vs. Deceit, Deceit vs. sex roles vs. exploitation, and psychological similarities and issues are also what they fall victim to as well.…
Brontë’s classic writing is valued for the creative use of symbolism and imagery which engages audiences throughout time. Surrounding the life of young, heroin Jane Eyre, the film often displays vast, barren landscapes to portray her loneliness and desperation. Shadowy figures of men, namely Mr. Rochester, suggest their forbidden love and danger of their relationship. Metaphors for Jane’s desire for freedom are conveyed through images of her looking out of closed windows, encapsulating the cold and dreary atmosphere Brontë wished to portray. Manipulation of light and colour reveals sensitivity in characters, romance is seen through soft lighting and pale colours to provide a nostalgic mood.…
However, Brontë purposefully emphasizes the high intellect of both characters unlike Beaumont. Charlotte characterizes Jane as “plain” and “not handsome” unlike Beauty, but similarly characterizes Mr. Rochester like the ugly Beast. When Jane dines with Mr. Rochester, he says “you examine me, Miss Eyre, do you think me handsome?” (Brontë 161). The passing of this friendly banter between Jane and Mr. Rochester reveals more about their specific characters than their outward appearance.…
Jane Eyre is a novel whose main theme could be debated as being religion. The statement that the novel is an “anti-Christian novel” has a good basis as there are clearly anti-Christian sentiments expressed at various points in the novel primarily through the characters like Jane and Helen, Brocklehurst, and Mrs Temple. Jane herself, the protagonist within the novel, is the character that seems to hold the most anti-Christian philosophy and resentment for those who are followers of the religion. Bronte uses the writing method of an autobiography in order to create Jane and allow her to express these sentiments.…
Jane is prohibited from being herself as she struggles from the very beginning of the novel against her passions and anger. She is expected to be a composed and lady like, despite the abuse she endures. Jane begins to believe who she is as an individual might be an immoral person. She validates these suspicions by saying “All said I was wicked and perhaps I might be so” (Bronte, 16). When Jane goes to school, she decides to take after a girl named Helen and feel good about herself.…
In Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, nature has a significant role in displaying Jane’s emotions…
Anna Polk-Tyler English Literature 2321 Dr. Shepard Fall 2017 Final mss8420@dcccd.edu 1. Jane Eyre (200 words minimum, but more words accepted) It seems that Bronte wanted Jane to understand that she did not need Rochester, but wanted her readers to see that she loved him so deeply that she had to go back to him. When Jane was living with Rochester it, almost seemed that she could have only liked him for his money. I was reassured that was not the case when Jane found out about Bertha.…
Jane, as a protagonist, is extremely assertive and passionate with strong principles. Her refusal to permit society to mould her into traditional roles of femininity, her immense self-respect and zero submission towards those who mistreat her – all of these created a female heroine who threatened to dismantle conventional social norms and breathe desire and ambition into women readers of the novel. Bronte uses Jane’s character to voice her own restlessness and powerlessness, which is relevant to her experience as a writer, as seen in the following passage from the novel, when Jane is wandering through the halls of Thornfield Manor: “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; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their…
Reed was no longer in the picture , Jane is seen as an inferior to Mr. Rochester. Although Jane Eyre might have been victim of oppression with Mr. Brocklehurst back in Lowood School, by him constantly punishing girls because of their gender and his believe of gender superiority, Mr. Rochester pushes the boundaries of oppression towards Jane Eyre. The following quote:” but women feel just as men feel... it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures...” (Bronte 111-112) shows how Jane Eyre feels about sexist people like Mr. Brocklehurst and Mr. Rochester. After testing Jane Eyre in the piano, Mr. Rochester says: "You play A LITTLE, I see; like any other English school-girl; perhaps rather better than some, but not well" (Bronte 155-156) using sarcasm to emphasize his sexist thoughts upon Jane and all girls.…