Througout the the novel we as the reader acknowledges the fact that the heroin, Jane Eyre, has to endure many difficulties in her life. These difficulties are mostly caused by the physical and emotional isolation she is confronted with. Further along one sees another part of the character Jane, her deeper side in with she confides to lighten her burden. Jane uses art and her dreams to make it easier for her to deal with her harsh reality. With her dreams and paintings she adds a fairytale quality to her life which is the exact opposite. This is for Jane a safe haven, a place where she could just be herself and show her emotions.
Jane’s dreams are mostly about her thoughts in her subconscious mind. She has multiple dreams and in some cases her dreams come true, or at least parts of the dreams come true. With this realization she is confronted with the idea that it is only her imagination that makes it seem to be true. A lot of her dreams are about children which can be caused by her desire to have children of her own so she could make up for the childhood she never had. The dreams differed in emotion, some were joyful, others were sad and her emotions towards the children also differed. In some dreams she wanted the children and in other dreams she ran the other direction. This could be of her self doubt that she could be a mother, let alone the fact of a good mother. After her engagement to Rochester she dreams about the two of them, showing what are the new thoughts and fears in her subconscious mind. She dreamt that they are walking on a road, but Rochester walks to fast for her to keep track and eventually falls behind. This shows her biggest fear, to be abandoned again like she was as a child.
The paintings of Jane are closely related to her dreams and both represent the thoughts of her conscious and subconscious mind. Her first work of art is a ship’s mast, a bare hand an a bracelet rising out of a stormy sea. The second one is a picture of a hill with heavy winds and a night sky from which a woman’s face is showing. Her active imagination contributes to the complexity of her paintings, also representing the complexity of her own lifestyle. Her paintings’ beauty and valuable qualities are underestimated just like her own beauty is underestimated through her way of living which is determined by others.
The Woman Question refers to the Victorian Era where the place of a woman was questioned in society. Feminists fought for what women wanted such as equal rights, property and possessions to a woman’s name and further education for woman to be more than just a housewife. Men struggled to accept the wants of women, thus feminists made sure that their voices were heard to ensure same opportunities were granted towards both genders. Women could file for a divorce after the movements of the feminists, which was illegal before. Through the feminists, women were no longer trapped in the lifestyles they were forced into through the authority of men.
Chapters 10, 16 and 17 are profound in relating to be a governess in Jane Eyre in Jane’s life. In chapter 10 Jane is amazed in the way she is treated. They made her feel like a guest, a friend staying in the house, which is in contradicting with the way governesses are usually treated. She also received the opportunity to read books while she was living there as a governess, although it was not really stimulating her in an educational manner.
In chapter 16 Jane is asked to illustrate herself and her life as a governess without leaving out the circumstances she found herself in such as the suffering because of poorness.
In chapter 17 the upper class women made their opinion about governesses obvious and through this, they also make their opinion about Jane. The opinion shared made it clear to the reader that a governess is almost useless and they do not receive much respect for their work. Ironically, the upper class families or actually the women still employ governesses to look after their children. The upper class women do not want to be linked in any way to a governess.
A governess breaks down the wall between the working class and the middle class. A governess is from the working class but acts like a middle class. A governess was caught between fire and the deep blue sea, she was worth more than marrying a servant, but she was not worth enough to marry into the middle class, because they work for them. A governess is supposed to fill the shoes of a middle class mother, thus a governess is still trusted to teach values to the children, but they do not get the credit for their work. There is also is sexual link to a governess. She is seen as the ‘other’ woman, which is not always true. Most of these women are innocent, but they cannot escape the identity which is linked to them through their work.
In the novel Jane Eyre, Jane is not one of Misses Reed and Master Reeds’ children and for that reason Bessie has a soft spot for Jane in her heart. Bessie is almost trying to fill the role of a mother in Jane’s life. Unfortunately, Bessie is one of Misses Reeds’ servants and cannot go against her word. If Misses Reeds wants Jane punished and to be taken to the red-room, Bessie and the other servant, Miss Abbot, must do it. Bessie has a lot of sympathy for Jane, she gives her advice to make her life a little easier for herself, “‘What we tell you is for your good,’ added Bessie, in no harsh voice: ‘you should try to be useful and pleasant, then, perhaps you would have a home here; but if you become passionate and rude, Misses will send you away, I am sure’” (Brontë: 10) it shows the mother figure inside of Bessie. Bessie wants a future for Jane, one which does not include the “poorhouse” (Brontë: 10). Jane grasps her hand when she was terrified inside the red-room, she also identifies with Bessie on a deeper level, a mother figure. Bessie is also the only one who takes care of Jane when she fell ill in the red-room. There is a sign of love shown through these two characters.
“Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman.”
Yes, I do agree with Adrienne Rich. Jane is utterly mistreated by the people who are supposed to be her ‘family’ and if she stands up for herself and by doing that she is also standing up for her as a woman, she gets punished and is belittled as a person. Jane is caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, if she stays with her ‘family’ she will be mistreated and live a miserable, long life and if she ran away from her so called home, she would have no one caring for her basic needs. But yet, this thought does not dampen her spirit. She still refuses to be the person she is forced to be in the house she lives. The red-room is the beginning of a new perspective in Jane’s life, she is more aware of the injustice against her, because of who she is and because of the fact that she is a woman.
Plain Jane’s progress Jane knows exactly the feeling to all alone in a house full of people, to be unloved and worst of all being on the lowest class of the social hierarchy. This is the reason for her affection and love for Adel, Mr Rochester’s daughter. She falls deeply in love with Mr Rochester, but is humiliated by the fact that he is actually married to a crazy woman. The same humiliation she felt when she was belittled by her ‘family’ she was still a young girl. The anxiety rises in her again when she was attacked by the crazy woman, Bertha. It is the same feeling she had when she was locked up in the red-room with the ‘ghost’ of her uncle. This had a big impact on her as a child, and still it has a hold on her many years later. From the numerous incidents Jane experienced from her childhood, the red-room had the most effect. The situations may differ and it is a few years after the red-room incident, but it still haunts Jane. All her choices were based on the effects the red-room left on her and the life choice she made that night.
The Victorian Era is renowned for the many changes and the complexity wherein people had to build a life for themselves. The midpoint of this era was the strict social hierarchy. One’s social standard was determined by your place in the hierarchy, your class. In this era there were four distinct classes: upper, middle, lower and paupers. Upper class was the royal families – “nobilities,” middle class was rich families, but required the title of royalty. Lower class was seen as the working class, doing dirty jobs – literally and figuratively. Last on the hierarchy were the paupers. Philanthropists aimed at them in 1890 to reduce poverty. This class was known for the high scale poverty, old age, unemployment and illnesses. An identity is linked to one’s name, family and to one self through the social class you belonged too. Othering is hierarchy’s best friend, with social classes forming, people who don’t belong there are considered as outsiders. Othering also occurred in gender and role of gender in the Victorian era, the middle class wife othered the pauper’s wife. The two worlds were not associated with each other. Gender was surely associated with the social class; one’s class unfolded the role in one’s gender – thoughts, voice and actions. The role of the woman was inferior to the role of a man, again othering. The role of the man has not changed since then: the head of the house, received higher education, be brave, be honoured, the list goes on…the perfect picture of man is created. In contradiction to the role of a man, the woman’s role is to be her husband’s perfect accessory: talk only when talked to, stay at home, be polite and have children. Through this lifestyle prescribed for women, feminism evoked the fight for equality of men and women. Ideology is formed through the thought of equality for women: The idea of a world with equal rights and opportunities. Imagery of idealism is also created in the different social groups – thoughts about a better life by women or men, wanting to be wealthier, royal, or even braver. Ideology is created by the aspects of the social class and the role of gender which played a big part in the Victorian Era.
Response towards Charlotte Brontë’s Preface
Brontë gives recognition to the public, the press and the publishers – which all had influence on her work and more specifically on the second edition of her novel, Jane Eyre. She shows affection towards the opinions of her readers.
She also gives acknowledgement to a small group of people, who she describes as “in whose eyes whatever is unusual is wrong; whose ears detect in each protest against bigotry – that parent of crime – an insult to piety, that regent of God on earth.” She is defending her novel, her pride against this group who criticize her.
She defends the importance of Christianity and spirituality in her time and the fact that it is relevant today - “Self-righteousness is not religion.” She’s also defending her own seeing about religion and is making it clear to the readers.
She’s winning readers over through her preface even before the readers started reading Jane Eyre. Brontë is showing herself to the readers and how she would like to be noted. She has the last say in the preface, making her seem to be like the stereotyped role of a man. She’s ended the criticizing with the last word.
Brontë writes under the name of a man, Currer Bell, showing another side of masculinity. She is fighting for her equality in writing and sharing opinions. She want so be heard and in the Victorian Era to be heard, you had to be a man. She’s illuminating the truths that have conveniently been covered such as the idea of the voice of a woman should not be ignored anymore. Brontë sees it as her duty to reveal the secrets kept or the truth that has been kept away, the world may hate her for it. The world representing the conservative Victorian Era.
Ironically, Brontë seen as a feminist writes a remarkable dedication to a male writer: Mr. Thackeray, author of the famous Vanity Fair. She praises him for also unrevealing the truths, saying what the world didn’t want to hear. The same as Brontë, making them two of a kind.
In the preface, Brontë creates an identity for herself. She’s not just another Jane from the block. A sense of strong will is proven throughout the whole preface, providing her novel with ideas and proving why she wrote it. Her values, liberal views and motives which also influenced her novel, Jane Eyre, is clearly stated, making it a timeless hit.
Commentary on the reception of Jane Eyre by Victorian middle-class readers
Regarding The Christian Remembrancer and The Quaterly Review the reader is opened to the emotions towards the novel. Strong sense of criticism is thrown towards Brontë for changing the role of gender in Jane Eyre. The ideological idea of the role of a man and the opposite role a woman was pushed far aside. The ideological boundaries were broaden through the actions of her female characters and male characters in Brontë’s novel. She protests against these ideological boundaries of the Victorian Era through the use of her main character: Jane Eyre.
A strong feeling that Brontë’s own life is shown through this novel, giving it an autobiographical quality. “Jane Eyre professes to be an autobiography, and we think it likely that in some essential respects it is so. If the authoress has not been, like her heroine, an oppressed orphan, a starved and bullied charity-school girl, and a despised and slighted governess, at all events we fear she is one to whom the world has not been kind.” This quality gives Brontë’s novel a universal feature relating to the women of the Victorian England time.
The Victorian Era was known to be grateful for what God has given you. “Jane Eyre is proud, and therefore she is ungrateful too. It pleased God to make her an orphan, friendless and penniless, yet she thanks nobody, and least of all Him.” The role of both ideology and gender are both unfamiliar to the conservative Victorians. Jane’s not hiding her unsatisfied feelings of her lifestyle which means she is ungrateful and she not fulfilling life as a Christian – “ungodly discontent.” The critics throw rocks at the heroin of Brontë’s novel, because she is not made known as the perfect example of her gender and changing the course of the idea of the ideal life.
The rule of love was also broken in Jane Eyre. The idyllic relationship is caught between boundaries, this known boundaries in known as class. Upper class or middle class was not accompanied with classes below them, it would be known as an “illegitimate romance.” Jane and Rochester contributes to breaking this ‘rule of society’ in the Victorian England. Jane was considered as part of the lower class and Rochester was higher up on the social hierarchy. Both of their actions went against what was expected of them from their own society and the readers of the novel.
The criticism revealed in both the reviews can be directly linked to the thoughts of the humanity of the Victorian Era. Their idea of ideology and the role of gender were strictly black and white, with no grey areas. Brontë and her heroin were caught in this lifestyle, defeated by the presence of a man or a royal. This universal theme is still relevant today – especially the role of gender in the modern society.
