A safe haven for Jane

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.  

Blogger: Mareli Booysen

The Many Roles Of A Woman

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.