The Oppression Of Women In Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte

“The human heart has hidden treasures, In secret kept, in silence sealed; The thoughts, the hopes, the dreams, the pleasures, Whose charms were broken if revealed” (Bronte). In order to fulfill her hopes and dreams of becoming an author, Charlotte Bronte had to hide who she was, writing under the pseudonym Currer Bell. During the time period that her novels Jane Eyre and Villette were written in, the Victorian Era, women had no value, so being a female author was not only a huge accomplishment, but a huge step forward for women around the world. In her works, she was very outspoken about the oppression of women, and the themes and plots reflect this. Women were expected to aspire to marriage, and many of them would marry only for money. Education …show more content…
So much so that it was originally published as Jane Eyre: An Autobiography. Similar to Bronte’s Aunt moving in after the death of her mother, Jane Eyre goes to live with her aunt and her cousins after the death of both of her parents. While living with her Aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her cousins, Eliza, John and Georgiana Reed, Jane is mistreated because she is a poor orphan. Social class, and its importance are very apparent themes in this novel, and the way Jane is treated by those who are above her in the social hierarchy, as well as her desire to work hard for what she wants and to improve her status are the main indicators of this. Eventually Jane becomes fed up with the mistreatment that she faces on a daily basis and gets into a huge argument with Mrs. Reed. This argument only weakens the relationship between the two, and results in Jane being sent away to Lowood Institution, a school for poor orphans. While at Lowood, she forms a friendship with another student, Helen Burns who she learns the important life lessons of “Love[ing] your enemies. Bless[ing] those who curse you. Do[ing] good to those who hate you and abuse you.” that Jane would later utilize when Mrs. Reed falls ill (Bronte 58). Jane stays at Lowood until she is 18 years old, and she leaves to become a governess for young girl named Adele Varens at Thornfield. While at her new job, she falls in love with Edward …show more content…
On the day of their wedding it is revealed that they cannot legally be married because Mr. Rochester has a wife. Shocked by this news, Jane has to decide whether or not she wants to stay with or leave Mr. Rochester, and she decides to leave. By leaving, she chooses her independence over marriage, which is something that women of that time period were expected to do the opposite of. As a result of her decision, Jane becomes a homeless, poor, beggar, and all of the progress she’d previously made in the social hierarchy is erased. For several days and nights, Jane wanders around begging for food, a place to stay, and a job until she is taken in by a man and his sisters. With the help of St. John Rivers and his sisters, Jane becomes a school teacher, and is given a place to stay. Later it is revealed that Jane’s last living family member, John Eyre, has died and left her his 20,000 pound fortune; catapulting Jane to the top of the social hierarchy. She shares this money with John and his sisters, Diana and Mary, who she finds out that she is also related to. After receiving this news, Jane’s lifelong dreams of having a family, and being a rich woman are fulfilled. Soon after receiving the money, Jane leaves St. John and his sisters to find out what happened to Mr. Rochester, but she finds out is not good. A fire set by Bertha Mason, his wife, burned down Thornfield, and in his