Societal Expectations Of Women In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

Societal expectations of women have always been hypocritical. History is littered with examples of women being crafted by their society, because they had no choice except to conform to the mannerisms of the time, as well as the mannerisms expected of them. Even today, women have unfair expectations placed upon them throughout many different societies. Though these expectations may seem absurd, the world’s expectations of women have changed significantly since the Victorian period. Charlotte Bronte in her novel Jane Eyre creates multitudes of different characters with different viewpoints and reactions to the absurdity of Victorian period expectations of women. Bronte uses Jane Eyre not only as a social commentary, but also to portray the concept of the “angel in the house.” Within Victorian society, women were expected to be the “angel” of the household. …show more content…
Bronte poses a large question with the addition of the character Bertha within the novel, even though “...a woman writer must examine, assimilate and transcend the extreme images of 'angel' and 'monster' which male authors have generated for her" (Gilbert 17). Bertha is considered essentially subhuman by the other characters in the novel, all due to the fact that she could not fit the mold of the “angel in the house.” This poses the question: are the expectations of women in Victorian society enough to drive women to insanity, eventually leading to an inescapable demise? Though this question does not have a specific answer, there are many symbols and ideas within Jane Eyre that add to the discussion. Bronte uses the character’s within her novel to portray how the “angel in the house” can lose her mind and become the “madwoman in the attic” due to the pressures of Victorian societal expectations placed upon married