Jane Eyre Struggles

During the time that Charlotte Bronte writes Jane Eyre, women in the lower class have conflicts to overcome and desires to fulfill. Through this novel, Bronte explains how a girl named Jane strives to conquer common issues in the time period of this novel. In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte depicts childhood and adolescence as times of tribulation and terror as Jane struggles to overcome social class, gender inequality, and love versus autonomy to discover her identity. The struggle of social class has an influence on Jane as she struggles to become aware of who she is. Bronte writes about the struggle of a child who lived in the lower social-class. Bronte exploits the contrast between Jane's level in society …show more content…
Bronte portrays gender inequality as a prominent factor within Jane's life. As a child, Jane does not understand why the men in her life constantly belittle her. Jane expresses her feelings towards gender inequality when she says, "Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but when women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts just as their brothers do" (111). Bronte develops an argument on the role of women through this statement. Jane feels that women have the right to have important positions in society, just as men do. Jane does not want to do meaningless jobs that are a stereotypical job for a woman. The author continuously introduces male figures into Jane's life that belittle her because she is a female. Bronte shows the reader this key point in the novel to portray the image of Jane, realizing that she is just as good as any man is. Bronte ensures that Jane does learn that women are equal to men, to allow Jane to become closer to finding her