Victorian England was a battleground of opposing idea. Grenades of revelation were being dropped on hierarchy. As this fence separating farmers from aristocrats was being torn down, lovers were already tying their knots between the links. The shackles placed upon women, limiting their reach to the world, were being removed by individually earned wages. However, many errors in society still existed. Those who were battling against the antediluvian ideas were mainly working class that becoming restless as they writhed under the thumb of those at the top of the social pyramid. This movement towards a more egalitarian society was reinforced by many writers of the time. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontё and Emma by Jane Austen supported those fighting
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She connects the headstrong Jane Eyre to the proper Edward Rochester. While Jane Austen took a very roundabout approach of proving the value of the working class, Brontë is very direct in proving that Jane Eyre is a very capable young woman who comes from humble beginnings. It is important to note that Charlotte Brontë was writing this novel shortly after passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act. The government made it much harder for able-bodied people to simply walk into a parish and receive care. Jane Eyre, a more resilient indigent, was the product of this act. Had Jane lived in the same era as Emma she may have simply went to a parish and never had the drive to fight for a better life. Orphan Jane is raised by wealthy aristocrats which also gives her motivation to break from her current social standing. Mrs. Reed and everyone else at Gateshead see her as something below a servant. Her first step towards a better life is to become a governess for Mr. Rochester. Jane exclaimed that she was actually excited to be a servant for someone else. She understands that it is unrealistic to expect that her entire life will suddenly change and she will be completely free and happy. She settles with the idea that she is still going to be a servant, but at least she is making progress (Brontë 99). Her defiance against the rules of society begins later on and is most …show more content…
Their goal was to bring egalitarianism to a land dominated by stratified classes where only those at the very top of the hierarchy held power. Anyone below that select group of individuals was considered worthless to society. It is important to observe that this fight for equality happened between classes and within social levels. The concept of marriage not only supported equality between classes but also within their own level of society. There was a definitive line drawn through each class, which placed men on the top of the class and women on the bottom of the class. This made it so that even if a woman were many social levels above a man, that man would still be held with a higher regard in society. Women fought for an equivalent life to that of a man’s within their own class and marriages. Jane Austen clearly backs this fight for an egalitarian society through her presentation of the demented life style that controlled the world an upper-class woman that was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She showcased how the working class was viewed as something to be avoided through Emma’s treatment of Mr. Martin and the people of his class. She also showed how the marriage laws of the era completely brainwashed the population into only marrying a person of their class or higher. Charlotte Brontë made very similar arguments but took a different approach. She followed the life of a
She connects the headstrong Jane Eyre to the proper Edward Rochester. While Jane Austen took a very roundabout approach of proving the value of the working class, Brontë is very direct in proving that Jane Eyre is a very capable young woman who comes from humble beginnings. It is important to note that Charlotte Brontë was writing this novel shortly after passage of the Poor Law Amendment Act. The government made it much harder for able-bodied people to simply walk into a parish and receive care. Jane Eyre, a more resilient indigent, was the product of this act. Had Jane lived in the same era as Emma she may have simply went to a parish and never had the drive to fight for a better life. Orphan Jane is raised by wealthy aristocrats which also gives her motivation to break from her current social standing. Mrs. Reed and everyone else at Gateshead see her as something below a servant. Her first step towards a better life is to become a governess for Mr. Rochester. Jane exclaimed that she was actually excited to be a servant for someone else. She understands that it is unrealistic to expect that her entire life will suddenly change and she will be completely free and happy. She settles with the idea that she is still going to be a servant, but at least she is making progress (Brontë 99). Her defiance against the rules of society begins later on and is most …show more content…
Their goal was to bring egalitarianism to a land dominated by stratified classes where only those at the very top of the hierarchy held power. Anyone below that select group of individuals was considered worthless to society. It is important to observe that this fight for equality happened between classes and within social levels. The concept of marriage not only supported equality between classes but also within their own level of society. There was a definitive line drawn through each class, which placed men on the top of the class and women on the bottom of the class. This made it so that even if a woman were many social levels above a man, that man would still be held with a higher regard in society. Women fought for an equivalent life to that of a man’s within their own class and marriages. Jane Austen clearly backs this fight for an egalitarian society through her presentation of the demented life style that controlled the world an upper-class woman that was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She showcased how the working class was viewed as something to be avoided through Emma’s treatment of Mr. Martin and the people of his class. She also showed how the marriage laws of the era completely brainwashed the population into only marrying a person of their class or higher. Charlotte Brontë made very similar arguments but took a different approach. She followed the life of a