Jane_Eyre

The Role of Women in Victorian Society through the Character Jane Eyre In Victorian society, women were prisoners of their own gender; they lived under the constraints placed upon them by dominating men and the rules of society. The ideal woman of the time would be one who knew her place, obeyed her husband, and did not defy what was expected of her. When one is placed under such difficult standards, feelings of frustration and rebellion grow. These feelings manifest themselves in the writing of the time, particularly in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. In this work, the protagonist Jane fights against the oppression and restraints placed upon her by dominating men and society. Jane’s youth at Gateshead is characterized by her dealing with societal restraints and dominating male figures; this was typical for many women in Victorian society. At a young age Jane was made painfully aware of the fact that her gender and financial status made her a lesser person than the Reeds on many occasions. As said in Chapter one by Miss Abbott to Jane, “ You ought not to think yourself on an equality with the Misses Reed and Master Reed. They will have a great deal of money, and you will have none.” (10) This one example shows that because Jane was poor, she was considered to be less than her aunt and cousins; particularly her male cousin John Reed, based on her financial situation. While at Lowood School, Jane continued to receive unfair treatment due to dominating male figures and her financial standing. Mr. Brocklehurst, the principal of the school serves as an example of a man with power trying to control Jane. Mr. Brocklehurst is a hypocrite preacher who teaches self denial and strict poverty, meanwhile he and his family live lavishly. On a trip to Lowood Mr. Brocklehursts sees Jane accidentally drop her slate and ridicules her in front of the school. Forcing her to stand on a stool at the head of the class he says, “This girl, this child, the native of a Christian land, worse than many a little heathen who says its prayers to Brahma and kneels before Juggernaut--this girl is--a liar!" (Ch. 7.). Here, Jane is dealing with a man who despises her based on the fact that she is a poor female. Taking up the position of governess at Thornfield Manor, Jane continues to encounter oppression by society and powerful male figures. During her time at Thornfeild Jane begins to fall in love with Mr. Rochester, the owner of the house. One night at a dinner party, Jane observes Blanche Ingram, whom she believes Mr. Rochester will soon marry. She feels inferior to Blanche due to the fact that Blanche is wealthy, beautiful, and in the same social class as Mr. Rochester. After some time, Jane and Mr. Rochester are and engaged and their weeding day arrives. During the ceremony, it is made known that Mr. Rochester is already married. He offers Jane the position of his mistress. Here, the dominating male figure of Mr. Rochester is trying to keep Jane down. If she were to become his mistress, she would be looked down upon even more by society. Jane realizes this and decides to run away instead of face this. Once Jane leaves Thornfield, she still has to overcome dominating male figures trying to control her life in the form of St. John. After discovering her uncle who leaves her an inheritance, it is revealed to Jane that Mary, Diana, and St. John are all her cousins. She decides to split her inheritance evenly with all of them. St. John asks Jane to be his missionary wife. Here, Jane realizes that the marriage would not be based in love and cannot go through with it. Finally, after discovering the fire at Thornfield, Jane returns to Mr. Rochester and agrees to marry him now that he will be dependednt on her and they are now financially equal. Victorian Society was one where women were second-class citizens. Men were often trying to assert their own control by restricting women’s freedoms. This is seen in the literature of the time, in particular the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The protagonist Jane is shown many times throughout her life to be under the control of not only dominating men but also society.