Absurdly literal in a sense, the narrator is no more than an object for others for their gain. This narrator realizes this—as well as its faults—at the end of his journey. His first conclusion is to withdraw from society into the space yielded to him. This coincides directly with Jane’s most famous line, “Reader, I married him” (Bronte 457). At the end of both their respective paths, they happily accept their fates and resign to them. Jane gives away her autonomy to become the house-wife that serves her husband. The narrator gives up his chance to be a member of society to fulfill his assigned role of being absent from white society. The narrator is inspirational because he rejects the stereotypes and self-sacrifice that is offered to him (Morton-Mollo 470). In the same vein, Jane’s assertion of her emotions and opinions is inspirational such as when Rochester declares “’Who in the world care for you? or who will be injured by what you do’? Still indomitable was the reply—‘I care for myself”’ (Bronte 332). The declaration of self-sufficiency is revolutionary, not just throughout the novel but throughout all of Victorian culture. Although the pragmatic end of the novel and her bliss in marriage is a stark contrast to the standards of feminism today, that doesn’t diminish the effect this novel had on England at the time (Bloom
Absurdly literal in a sense, the narrator is no more than an object for others for their gain. This narrator realizes this—as well as its faults—at the end of his journey. His first conclusion is to withdraw from society into the space yielded to him. This coincides directly with Jane’s most famous line, “Reader, I married him” (Bronte 457). At the end of both their respective paths, they happily accept their fates and resign to them. Jane gives away her autonomy to become the house-wife that serves her husband. The narrator gives up his chance to be a member of society to fulfill his assigned role of being absent from white society. The narrator is inspirational because he rejects the stereotypes and self-sacrifice that is offered to him (Morton-Mollo 470). In the same vein, Jane’s assertion of her emotions and opinions is inspirational such as when Rochester declares “’Who in the world care for you? or who will be injured by what you do’? Still indomitable was the reply—‘I care for myself”’ (Bronte 332). The declaration of self-sufficiency is revolutionary, not just throughout the novel but throughout all of Victorian culture. Although the pragmatic end of the novel and her bliss in marriage is a stark contrast to the standards of feminism today, that doesn’t diminish the effect this novel had on England at the time (Bloom