Jane Eyre: Governess Vs Life Station Jane Eyre is a novel of a character in which the book was named, that tells of her life and the difficulties she faces along the way in the early Victorian age. During this age the class that refers to the station of wealth and therefore right was highly established and followed as if by law. The circumstances in which she lived gave her means in becoming a governess, which was basically a private tutor or teacher to that of a rich family. Jane Eyre is a governess which compromises her station and confuses her of her place in society. Jane Eyre first learns her role in society during her childhood as well as the class system and its rules. She is a child from an eloped couple that were disowned and died …show more content…
The behavior of both her aunt as well as her cousins strengthens the point of her rank and or class. In the first chapter in John Reed words, whom is Eyre’s cousin, is speaking at her of her class when he catches her in a study with a book from the shelf, “You have no business to take books; you are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg,and not to live here with gentlemen’s children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mama’s expense” (page 10). This quote represents the structure of the Victorian society at the time with the fact that John Reed’s diction and his condescending attitude with which he say this quote for it is made obvious that Eyre is rank much lower than John Reed. Eyre being an orphan and poor was ranked lower than a laborer (or servant) as said by Miss Abbot in chapter two in exact words, while she and Bessie are putting her in the Red Room after Eyre’s episode of rebellion, “No, you are less than a servant, for you do nothing for your keep” (page 11). Eyre’s …show more content…
Rochester. When she first came to Thornfield Hall her place was still respected and treated of that as a governess. This is shown in chapter thirteen when Mr. Rochester is sitting on the couch in the drawing-room with Adele petting Pilot the dog, “Mr. Rochester must have been aware of the entrance of Mrs. Fairfax and myself; but it appeared he was not in the mood to notice us, for he never lifted his head as we approached” (page 122). It was not long after this that Mr. Rochester changes in character and attitude towards her that causes her confusion of feelings and the affect the resolvve of her class which is shown in chapter 15 by narration, “The ease of her manner freed me from painful restraint; the friendly frankness, as correct as cordial, with which he treated me, drew mw to him. I felt at times as if he were my relation, rather than my master: yet he was imperios sometimes still; but I did not mind that; I saw it was his way” (page 149). Society does not allow this kind of behavior to the lower ranks during that time, so often when kindness and interest is shown confusion starts which is stronger with Eyre for her oppressive childhood. The constant treatment seriously affects Eyre’s resolve of place with which she strongly holds onto with the best of her ability. An example of her struggles is in chapter 16, after the party
Mrs. Reed’s children do the same and are vicious toward Jane. John Reed, Mrs. Reed’s son, and the other children proclaim, "you are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen's children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mama's expense" (Bronte 5). Mrs. Reed does not come to Jane's defense when John is throwing these insults; instead, she allows her children to mistreat Jane and use these scathing words toward her. Later on, Jane is forced to attend Lowood, a school for orphans, where she meets Miss
At the same time, Jane Eyre is caring for others during her journey, too. For example, Jane was a teacher and governess who cared for the children as her own. Jane loved Adele, and it is visible by the way the author describes their relationship, “The clock struck eleven, I looked at Adele, whose head leant against my shoulder; her eyes were waxing heavy, so I took her up in her arms and carried her off to bed” (Bronte 171). Jane took the time to develop a loving relationship with Adele, whereas most governors are cold and strict. In the final analysis, it is clear that Odysseus and Jane Eyre cared for others through their actions and
Through out the novel, Jane Eyre slap desires to a married upper class women with wealth and beauty since she does not hold those things in her self. In the book, Jane blamed her status for the reason that she can not be do the same thing that Mr. Rochester did with her, she says that, “And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you” (Bronte 482). This again, shows the division line between the lower class and higher class in Victorian England, which was the time that this book was written. Jane is like other people from lower class, desire the life of the higher class as she had shown in previous
Rather than conforming to the established principles at Gateshead, Jane displayed early on that she would not tolerate unfair treatment. John Reed was the first character in the book to abuse Jane, when he “struck” her, “suddenly and strongly” (Bronte 13). Jane’s frustration with John led her to accuse John of being a “murderer” and a “slave-driver” (Bronte 13). While Mrs. Reed and Bessie tried to restrain her in the red room, Jane constantly argued with Mrs. Reed, who did not take Jane’s attitude lightly; these are very non-victorian behaviors.
When an individual is kept locked away from society for an extended period of time, said individual will rebel against his or her authority. In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, it becomes evident that Bertha Mason and Jane Eyre share similar hardships and personality traits with one another. They have comparable pasts and the same extreme nature of passion which lead to each of their rebellion. In the case of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, protagonist Jane is in the custody of her Aunt Reed for just under a decade, chastised by her cousins and beaten by her superior.
Jane Eyre is a novel by Charlotte Bronte. When she looks for some kind of employment as a tutor in a secretive manor, it appears she has at last met her match with the obscurely intriguing Mr. Rochester. However, Thornfield Hall contains a despicable mystery - one that could keep Jane and Rochester separated until the end of time. A standout amongst the most generally read and appreciated of every single Victorian novel, and one of the best stories of a lady's battle for respect and love in a hard time Charlotte Bronte (1816-55) is the sister of Anne Bronte and Emily Bronte creator of Wuthering Heights. Jane Eyre showed up in 1847 and was trailed by Shirley (1848) and Vilette (1853).
Members of the upper class tended to look down upon the lower class because of their lack of education and sophistication. Marriage primarily took place within social classes. Those who married outside of the class went against societal norms and were ostracized. Through writing Jane Eyre, Bronte wants the reader to stand up to the rigid gender and social standards to create a society with equality of rights for all. She utilizes a sophisticated narrator, Jane, to create a passionate but also rational tone to challenge the contemporary mindset that women should conform to Victorian society.
Before Rochester, and his influence, Jane had been accustomed to men in power such as John Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst. Their influences on Jane were more negative as they tore Jane down instead of putting her up. These figures allowed the arrival of a seemingly encouraging, kind, and adoring man such as Rochester to be a shock to Jane when she was first employed at Thornfeild. This stems Janes biggest growth from Rochester, the bettering of her self-esteem. Due to Rochester’s exaggerative language he constantly teaches her the value of her self-worth and her beauty.
In her impassioned speech to Mr Rochester, Jane confronts his inherently misogynistic attitudes and emphasises her resolute belief that she and Rochester are equal, but morally she is superior. Despite Jane’s intense desire to be emotionally gratified, she refuses to compromise her own dignity to achieve this. Within this passage, Brontë exemplifies her own feminist values which criticise the current lifestyle of the Victorian marriage. In one of the rare instances where Jane openly conveys her view on gender roles and Victorian social hierarchies, she concurrently challenges Mr Rochester’s misogynistic beliefs.
Meanwhile Mr. Rochester, Jane’s employer, also struggles with resisting the ways of society or being an independant. During the Victorian Era men and society had high standards of women and their responsibilities. The novel “Jane Eyre” proves this through the gender roles of money, social status, education and relationships. Jane herself proves this to be wrong by being a nonconformist and trying to be
Jane Eyre: A Quest for True Happiness Charlotte Bronte’s classic heartfelt novel entitled “Jane Eyre” depicts how an unloved orphan constantly wishes for affection and acceptance throughout her life. Even at an early age in life, she never truly understood what it meant to be “loved” and what it means to “love” others. With this, maturing into a young lady definitely opened her eyes to the realities of life. Moreover, the novel also depicts a patriarchal society where women aren’t respected with dignity and equality. In this coming of age novel, discover how a young woman courageously faced her fears and triumphed with love in the end.
She is enthralled by his outwardly behavior because he emulates the person she wants to be to those who question her in society. It is this point where her outward conformity and inward questioning start to clash, with being conflicted by her opinions of Rochester and the mysterious happenings at Thornfield. In the beginning of their relationship, they are confrontational, especially in their conversations about social issues of the time. "I don’t think, sir, you have a right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have—your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience." (Bronte 157)
In Jane Eyre’s life, when she was little, her parents died, so she lives with her cousin's house, Reed family in Gateshead hall. Their family treated her like a servant, emotionally and physically abused. For example “ You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent, mamma says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen's children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mamma's expense. Now I’ll teach you to rummage my book-shelves: for they are mine; all the house belongs to me, or will do in a few years. Go and stand by the door, out of they way of the mirror and the windows.
In addition to this, although given the governess position that Jane takes in Thornfield Hall, Brandon still interprets it as ‘nothing but a minor appendage in someone else’s household’ (qtd. in Owsley 59 and 62). This significant change— from lowly schoolgirl, to a charity school teacher, to a governess— in Jane’s place in the social class is one of Brontë’s first moves to get Jane over the social class barriers. And with that, Brontë did not fail in making sure that Jane appears as an independent thinker, utilizing her judgment in deciding for these major turning points in her
Jane soon meets a man named Mr. Rochester whom at first she