This purpose of this essay is to examine Victorian gender roles within Charlotte Bronte’s Gothic novel Jane Eyre. For most readers, Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre is much more than an iconic Gothic novel set within the Victorian Era. To me, it’s a story about a woman’s struggle to defy the social class and live life her way without a male dominate society telling her what she can and cannot do. On top of that, readers began to view Jane as a somewhat unexpected heroine of Bronte’s novel, that while facing innumerable obstacles within a tough social class, becomes something more by the end of the story. I believe that another purpose for Bronte’s novel is to show readers that women like Jane Eyre can rise above the oppressive environment of
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For example, our female heroine Jane Eyre is portrayed as the idea woman in the Victorian society who is trying to defy the expectations of others instead of ending up as an object of pleasure. She does this by following her own code of morals and even though Jane can be seen as a character full of rebellion and passion, she is still portrayed as a woman who’s both independent and strong. When it came to Bertha, she is seen as both deranged and aggressive, with Bronte describing her as a woman with “black eyebrows widely raised over bloodshot eyes” (Bronte, 242) and came from “idiots and maniacs through three generations” (Bronte, 249). Furthermore, her mental instability makes her believe that coming in between Jane and Rochester is the only opportunity she has at winning him …show more content…
For instance, seeing Jane stand up to an oppressive figure of authority such as Mrs. Reeds in chapter four can be viewed as Jane’s first step toward an independent life. In the eyes of most readers, Jane was always treated as an outcast by Mrs. Reed, as she states that “from every enjoyment, I was of course excluded” (Bronte, 23 ). This time however, Jane turns the tables on Mrs. Reed and her outburst scares her, explaining that “her usually cold composed grey eye became troubled with a look of fear” (Bronte, 22). While some would view Jane’s outburst as unacceptable and excessive, others can view it as her deviation from the injustice that she endured throughout her
For example, our female heroine Jane Eyre is portrayed as the idea woman in the Victorian society who is trying to defy the expectations of others instead of ending up as an object of pleasure. She does this by following her own code of morals and even though Jane can be seen as a character full of rebellion and passion, she is still portrayed as a woman who’s both independent and strong. When it came to Bertha, she is seen as both deranged and aggressive, with Bronte describing her as a woman with “black eyebrows widely raised over bloodshot eyes” (Bronte, 242) and came from “idiots and maniacs through three generations” (Bronte, 249). Furthermore, her mental instability makes her believe that coming in between Jane and Rochester is the only opportunity she has at winning him …show more content…
For instance, seeing Jane stand up to an oppressive figure of authority such as Mrs. Reeds in chapter four can be viewed as Jane’s first step toward an independent life. In the eyes of most readers, Jane was always treated as an outcast by Mrs. Reed, as she states that “from every enjoyment, I was of course excluded” (Bronte, 23 ). This time however, Jane turns the tables on Mrs. Reed and her outburst scares her, explaining that “her usually cold composed grey eye became troubled with a look of fear” (Bronte, 22). While some would view Jane’s outburst as unacceptable and excessive, others can view it as her deviation from the injustice that she endured throughout her