Charlotte Brontë presents several different images of women in Jane Eyre- discuss these with reference to contemporary social, historical and cultural influences on the role of women in society.

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“A true lady is… sweet, delicate and refined… her sphere is to cheer, to refine, to beautify, to bless.”

Charlotte Brontë presents several different images of women in Jane Eyre- discuss these with reference to contemporary social, historical and cultural influences on the role of women in society.

Jane Eyre is often called a feminist novel because in the story there are images of strong women who think for themselves, for example, Mary and Diana Rivers and Jane Eyre. It certainly does give images, which contradict the quote above given by Charles Day in his book, “Hints on Etiquette”, which was published four years before Jane Eyre. I think that the novel Jane Eyre merely expresses Brontë’s beliefs that women are emotionally and spiritually equal to men (as Jane and Mr Rochester discuss when they are having the conversation by the chestnut tree) and does not call for political or legal equality in the way feminists do.  

Charlotte Brontë, a female novelist, wrote Jane Eyre in the nineteenth century. Brontë published her work under a male pseudonym, Currer Bell, because at the time it was not considered proper for a woman to work, let alone write. Her sisters Emily and Anne also published their novels (Wuthering Heights, Agnes Grey and The Tenant Of Wildfell Hall) under male pseudonyms.

The role of women in society at that time was more or less as Day’s quote says. Joan Perkins said in her book, “Victorian England”, that a popular image for women was “an angel in the house” and Paula Bartley said in her book, “The Changing Role Of Women 1815-1914” that a Victorian ideal of the perfectly educated woman was “a decorative, poised and empty-headed companion for a future husband.”  

In this essay I am going to discuss how the different women in Jane Eyre measure up to the contemporary view of how women should be and to see how well they do that. First I will look at the character of Jane Eyre, then discuss Helen Burns and Miss Temple, then look at Blanche Ingram and finally examine Bertha Rochester. I will compare them to Day’s quote; I will see if they cheer, refine, beautify and bless. I will also compare them to my own knowledge of how Victorian women were expected to behave.

At the beginning of the novel Jane Eyre is certainly not a typical Victorian woman. During the period in which the book was written even children were expected to act gently and sensibly and one common saying which was popular in the Victorian era is “children should be seen and not heard.” Jane as a child certainly is seen and heard. She answers back to her Aunt Reed, p1 “What does Bessie say I have done?” She shouts at her cousin, p3 “Wicked and cruel boy!” Jane also answers back rudely again at Mr Brocklehurst when he tells her that naughty children go to hell and asks her what she is going to do about it: “I must keep in good health, and not die.” This is particularly shocking because Mr Brocklehurst is a clergyman and someone she has never met before. Of course a modern child would be expected to behave like this especially after being treated as badly as Jane is but a Victorian girl should suffer in silence. As Helen Burns informs Jane: “The Bible bids us return good for evil.” Even when Jane is treated badly she ought to still conform. Whilst being established as a stereotypical “poor orphan” Jane refuses to act like one. As a child Jane certainly does not measure up to the Victorian ideal as we see in Day’s quote. Jane does not cheer, she is a constant annoyance to the people around her, she does not refine, in fact she is very unrefined and passionate, she does not beautify, in her physical appearance she is likened to “a little toad” and there are frequent mentions of how plain she is, and she does not bless, she tells Mrs Reed that she is “bad, hard-hearted” and she constantly tells people that she will have revenge on them. She does not fit the right sentimental picture. A modern reader sees the good points in the young Jane: she is honest and intelligent.

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At the end of the novel Jane has changed a great deal as a consequence of all the events she has experienced, even though she still upholds truth, honesty and a strong faith in Christianity. But she is now in an environment where she can be truthful and honest about her feelings for Rochester, without compromising her Christian ethics. She has become much more like the Victorian ideal of the perfect woman however she is definitely not like the Victorian woman described in Paula Bartley’s quote: “a decorative, poised and empty-headed companion for a future husband.” Jane does cheer, as ...

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