Against Society - A Jane Eyre Essay

Against Society

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A Jane Eyre Essay

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“I am an independent woman now.” (Bronte 366). Jane Eyre is unlike most women of her time period. Living in a society where women were considered weak, Jane Eyre’s personality was looked down upon in most people’s eyes. She was strong willed and independent. She did not want to be the perfect woman everyone wanted her to be. She is admirable precisely because of her ability to go against society’s feelings about women. She showed them that she could make it on her own and get a good education. She did go through difficulties on the way, but everything turned out fine for her in the end. Women were not as respected then as they are now, and Jane’s struggles throughout the book were caused by the constant expectations that people had of her, especially because she was a woman.

Jane was able to accomplish many things in her life because of her independent, hardworking nature. Ever since she was a child, she was destined to do great things with her life. She was able to survive her childhood as an orphan, where her only family was abusive and hurtful to her. Afterwards, she suffered through a strict boarding school, where she became well educated enough to become a teacher. She was able to get a new job as a governess for a young girl. She married Mr. Rochester, a man who made her undeniably happy, and became a strong-willed, hardworking wife for him. Despite her hard life, she accomplished many things and became a wealthy woman, without having to give up what she believed in.

Jane had to live in a society where women were not respected as much as they are today. She went against society by believing her own thoughts about women. She believed that they should be strong-willed and independent, so she acted in that manner. Throughout her life, Jane works hard because she knows that she can make it on her own and live a happy life. Despite societies thought about her, she refuses to give in to other people who feel that they are better than her. “No, sir; I am an independent woman now.” (Bronte 366). She plainly tells Mr. Rochester that she is able to make it on her own. Even though she decides to stay with him, she wants to make it clear that she could live a happy life if she were to live alone. She fought her whole life to go against what society felt about women.

Throughout her life, Jane went against the way people thought of her. She was defiant against anyone who tried to control or change her. She believed she could make it by on her own without the help of anyone else. Her hardworking nature helped her greatly throughout her life and allowed her to achieve her goals. Even after marrying Mr. Rochester, she wanted to work. The average woman of the time was a pretty, dolled up woman who stayed quiet and obedient to their husbands. Jane was nothing like that and she seemed proud of it. Many women could see her as a good role model because of her strong-willed and hardworking nature. “I am a free human being with an independent will.” (Bronte 223). Jane is asserting that she is no different than any other human. She saw people equally, men and woman alike, and many people today would admire her for it.

Jane Eyre lived a long and successful life because she fought for what she believed in. She never let anyone phase her judgment of things and she never had to become the submissive wife everyone thought she would be. Because of her personality about things, she made it through her life despite the struggles she went through. Society believed women were weak and did not respect them, but Jane knew that everyone was equal, and she deserves to be admired for that. Judging by how the book is told, Charlotte Bronte was a avid supporter of women’s rights, and she got her feelings out to the world through Jane Eyre and her actions. She explains indirectly that just because people have expectations of you, that does not mean you have to change yourself to meet those expectations. As long as you be yourself and work hard in life, you will be successful in your goals.

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1. Clarke, Micael M. "Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and the Grimms’ Cinderella." Studies in English Literature, 1500–1900 40, no. 4 (Autumn 2000). Quoted as "Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and the Grimms’Cinderella" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Jane Eyre, Bloom's Guides. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BGJE042&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 14, 2011).

2. Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Jane Eyre." Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EFL607&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 14, 2011).

Jane Eyre Essay - Rough Draft

Jane Eyre – Feminist Approach

“I am an independent woman now.” Jane Eyre is unlike most women of her time period. Living in a society where women were considered weak, Jane Eyre’s personality was looked down upon in most people’s eyes. She was strong willed and independent. She did not want to be the perfect woman everyone wanted her to be. I admire Jane because of her ability to go against society’s feelings about women. She showed them that she could make it on her own and get a good education. She did go through difficulties on the way, but everything turned out fine for her in the end. Most of Jane's struggles throughout the book were caused by the constant expectations that people had of her, especially because she was a woman.

Jane was able to accomplish many things in her life because of her independent, hardworking nature. Ever since she was a child, she was destined to do great things with her life. She was able to survive her childhood as an orphan, where her only family was abusive and hurtful to her. Afterwards, she suffered through a strict boarding school, where she became well educated enough to become a teacher. She was able to get a new job as a governess for a young girl. She married Mr. Rochester, a man who made her undeniably happy, and became a strong-willed, hardworking wife for him. Despite her hard life, she accomplished many things and became a wealthy woman, without having to give up what she believed in.

Jane had to live in a society where women were not respected as much as they are today. She went against society by believing her own thoughts about women. She believed that they should be strong-willed and independent, so she acted in that manner. Throughout her life, Jane works hard because she knows that she can make it on her own and live a happy life. Despite societies thought about her, she refuses to give in to other people who feel that they are better than her. “No, sir; I am an independent woman now.” (Bronte 366). She plainly tells Mr. Rochester that she is able to make it on her own. Even though she decides to stay with him, she wants to make it clear that she could live a happy life if she were to live alone. She fought her whole life to go against what society felt about women.

Throughout her life, Jane went against the way people thought of her. She was defiant against anyone who tried to control or change her. She believed she could make it by on her own without the help of anyone else. Her hardworking nature helped her greatly throughout her life and allowed her to achieve her goals. Even after marrying Mr. Rochester, she wanted to work. The average woman of the time was a pretty, dolled up woman who stayed quiet and obedient to their husbands. Jane was nothing like that and she seemed proud of it. Many women could see her as a good role model because of her strong-willed and hardworking nature. “I am a free human being with an independent will.” Jane is asserting that she is no different than any other human. She saw people equally, men and woman alike, and many people today would admire her for it.

Jane Eyre lived a long and successful life because she fought for what she believed in. She never let anyone phase her judgment of things and she never had to become the submissive wife everyone thought she would be. Because of her personality about things, she made it through her life despite the struggles she went through. Society believed women were weak and did not respect them, but Jane knew that everyone was equal, and she deserves to be admired for that. She explains indirectly that just because people have expectations of you, that does not mean you have to change yourself to meet those expectations. As long as you be yourself and work hard in life, you will be successful in your goals.

Body Paragraphs?

I don't remember if we have to post these here...but why not?

1.      Examples of Feminism in Jane Eyre

a.       Jane believes that she can sustain herself, by herself.

b.      She believes that all human beings should be treated equally.

c.       She works hard in school to be able to get a job.

d.      She doesn’t believe that men are in charge of everything.

e.       She refuses to give in to other people who feel that they are better than her.

f.        Example: “No, sir; I am an independent woman now.” (Bronte 366) She goes out and tells Mr. Rochester that she is able to make it on her own. Even though she decides to stay with him, she wants to make it clear that she could live a happy life if she were to live alone.

2.      How Jane Was Different than Most People of the Time

a.       She was defiant against people who tried to control her.

b.      She believed that she could make it by on her own without the help of anyone else

c.       She was a hardworking woman

d.      She wanted to work even after she was married to a wealthy man.

e.       She believed that women were just as good as men.

f.        Example: “I am a free human being with an independent will.” (Bronte 330) Jane is asserting that she is no different than any other human, male and female alike. She has just as many rights as a man of the time in her opinion.

g.       Jane disagreed that women were owned by their husbands, and didn’t have any free will of their own. She fought and worked hard to show people that, even as a woman, you can accomplish great things in your life.

3.      Jane’s Accomplishments 

a.       Jane survived an abusive childhood.

b.      Made it though Lowood School, which was a very strictly run school.

c.       She became well educated enough to become a teacher and eventually a governess for a young girl.

d.      She eventually married and became a strong-willed wife to Mr. Edward Rochester. She was not the submissive, innocent, cannot-fend-for-herself kind of wife.

She lived a happy and wealthy life and never had to become the “perfect” wife everyone of the time expected her to be.

Jane Eyre Articles

Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre and the Grimms' Cinderella

 

As somewhat explained in the title, this article is about how the German Cinderella relates to Jane Eyre. It talks a lot about how the central symbol of both stories is the hearth. It explains how the hearth is like the relationships and emotions in the book, and life in general within Jane Eyre.

The moon was also a big symbol found in both Jane Eyre and the Grimms' Cinderella. References to the moon are found all over the novel. It represents the situations of the novel, good or bad.

 

Clarke, Micael M. "Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and the Grimms’ Cinderella." Studies in English Literature, 1500–1900 40, no. 4 (Autumn 2000). Quoted as "Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and the Grimms’Cinderella" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Jane Eyre, Bloom's Guides. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2007. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts on File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= BGJE042&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 14, 2011).

 

 

Jane Eyre: Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature

 

This article talks about Jane Eyre's struggles throughout her life. She survived the abusive living at her Aunt's house, the strictness of her new school along with the typhus outbreak, hunger and fatigue, hard work, and almost marrying a man who already had a wife. It explains how all of these things were caused because of the feminist society that Jane lived in, where everyone believed she must be a proper young lady.

 

Snodgrass, Mary Ellen. "Jane Eyre." Encyclopedia of Feminist Literature. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= EFL607&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 14, 2011).

 

Jane Eyre : The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Novels of All Time

 

This article speaks mostly about Jane Eyre's author, Charlotte Bronte, and how successful her novel was and is today. She was born in 1816, the third daughter in her family. She had a sister, Emily Bronte, who also took up writing. They both wrote numerous poems and stories, but they weren't the best at first. Though when you think about it, the professional as anything was once a beginner. After years of practice, Charlotte became an amazing writer. When she wrote Jane Eyre, it was a big hit, and now there have been thirteen different television shows and movies about it.

 

Burt, Daniel S. "Jane Eyre." The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Novels of All Time, Revised Edition. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2010. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. http://www.fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=5&iPin= NOVLR052&SingleRecord=True (accessed September 14, 2011).

Introductary Paragraph

Jane Eyre, by Charlote Bronte was an amazing novel that had a great theme behind it. You should never give up, no matter what. Living in a feminist society, Jane Eyre’s personality was looked down upon in most people’s eyes. She was strong willed and independent. She did not want to be the perfect woman everyone wanted her to be. I admire Jane because of her ability to go against society’s feelings about women. She showed them that she could make it on her own and get a good education. She did go through difficulties on the way, but everything turned out fine for her in the end. Most of Jane's struggles throughout the book were caused by the constant expectations that people had of her, especially because she was a woman.

Jane Eyre - Feminist Criticism

I decided to go with the Feminist Criticism for Jane Eyre, because a lot of the book focused on the hardships Jane had to go through in being a female.

 

How are the woman’s lives portrayed in the work?

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 In the middle of the 1800’s, being a women meant that you were the housekeeper, unless you had a maid, and you would take care of the children as the male worked. Women were not looked highly upon back then, they weren’t hated, but they definitely were not anything special in society’s eyes.

Is the form and content of the work influenced by the writer’s gender?

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I do not believe that the content of the work was influenced by the writer’s gender, because when she wrote the book I don’t think her main focus was teaching about the struggles of women. She focused on the struggles of Jane herself, though she does have to struggle a lot because she is a woman.

How do male and female characters relate to one another? Are these relationships sources of conflict? Are these conflicts resolved?

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The male and female characters of the book were definitely treated differently, especially because of the time zone they were in, the 1800’s. Men were in charge of the house and anything to do with practically anything in the household. The wife had the children and possibly household chores unless she had a maid. The women did not really have jobs, or at least good paying ones, because they were considered weak and were not great in the eyes of the men. Women had to obey their husbands at all times, because of the dominant role the men played in the 1800’s. This is definitely a source of conflict, because everyone should be treated equally, not differently because of their “weaknesses” in the eyes of others. These conflicts are for the most part resolved today because in most places, men and women are treated equally.

Does the work challenge or affirm traditional views of women?

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Yes, I believe it does. Women were always expected to get married so they could start a family and continue the population and whatnot. That is mostly what women were for back then, bearing and raising the kids. If you were in more of a rich family to start off, then you probably would not have to get a job as well, but you were always expected to marry. This was very true in the book, because Jane was constantly attempting to get married, even though she couldn’t find that special someone for a while.
Thankfully, Mr. Rochester became a good husband after some ups and downs in their relationship, and they lived happily ever after.

What marital expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these expectations have?

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Women were expected to marry, plain and simple. Jane Eyre, being a woman, was included in that. In the book, many people tried to get her to settle down, but she was looking for the right person who she really truly loved and felt loved around. The effect that these expectations have is that Jane Eyre finally did get married, and she lived happily ever after.

What behavioral expectations are imposed on the characters? What effect do these expectations have?

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Women were expected to obey their husbands, respect others, especially men, and stay  quiet. Unfortunately, this isn’t really who Jane is. She is more of a strong-willed “I can get by by myself” kind of girl. The effect that this has is it makes Jane irritated with how life is and her rebellion against that causes many of the events of the book.

If a female character were male, how would the story be different?

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Well, for one the title would change…because I have never met a boy named Jane. Anyways, the story would lose most of it’s plot because Jane had to struggle a lot because she was a girl, and if she was a boy, then she wouldn’t have had nearly as much stress in her life. It would be an extremely short book and it wouldn’t have anything unique about it because most stories had main character boys, and that is just so unoriginal.

How does the marital status of a character affect her decisions or happiness?

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Well, I am going to guess that she was happy when she was finally married to Mr. Rochester. She seemed happy at least. I think that they were a good match for each other. Jane Eyre was pretty much a loner until she met him, and she seemed almost depressed then too, with good reason. Love can make you do crazy things. Jane Eyre had fallen in love with Mr. Rochester, and when she found out he was already married and kept his “wife” in the attic, her heart was broken, and she left. If she hadn’t loved him, then she wouldn’t have left when she found out. It was too much for her though. Then, she almost got married to St. John Rivers, but she realized that there would never be any love in that relationship, so she returned to Mr. Rochester. The marital status of Jane Eyre definitely was in control of how she reacted to things.  

Extra Blog #3 - Bertha Mason

My final blog! This blog is going to be about another character from Jane Eyre, because out of all of the essays and novels I had to read this summer, I enjoyed it the most. The character I am going to talk about is Bertha Mason. During the novel, she was Mr. Rochester’s “wife” whom he locked in the attic of his home. I, for one, feel pretty bad for her even though she has gone thoroughly insane. Mr. Rochester blames her craziness on her supposed drinking problems. When Bertha and Rochester got married, it is pretty obvious they were not meant for each other. Since she began to go crazy, Rochester did the stupidest thing ever and went and locked her up. In his house, no less. She spends a few years in a room in Jamaica, and then a decade at Thornfield. She crawls around on the floor and laughs creepily. I understand how Mr. Rochester would be afraid of that, but I am not a big fan of his actions after that. Apparently she did have some sense of perception, because she was able to find out about Jane and Mr. Rochester’s wedding and she went to destroy the wedding veil. Bertha Mason is a creepy character, but I felt she was a good character to talk about.

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2003. Print