Jane Eyre
Social protest is an act of express opposition through words to do with social issues. This is what charlotte Bronte did by writing this book, ‘Jane Eyre’.
Mainly Charlotte Bronte was protesting against the position of middle class women, social inequality between the rich and the poor and marrying above or below status. These issues were very important in the Victorian times. Charlotte Bronte was very critical of the Victorian society. To her everything was not fair. The book ‘Jane Eyre’ is based on a true-life story. It is just like a reflection of Charlotte Bronte’s life and the way she was treated. People were divided into different classes: upper, middle and lower class. All these classes were treated differently and unfairly. The upper class were the highest of the classes; they were treated with the most respect and honour. Middle class then was divided into, upper and lower middle class. Upper middle class were treated more or less the same as upper class individuals, they were respected and people below them obeyed them. Lower middle class middle class mostly consisted of orphans who were dependents; people who were of a higher class then raised them. Working class was the lowest class of them all; the majority of them were treated like slaves, and were not given any self-respect. Nearly all of them had jobs even the children. Women of that age were not given any rights: they were not allowed to vote, they were not allowed to pursue an occupation outside of their home, even if they had a job it would have been lower down the scale. Children at that time were seen, but not heard. Lower class children were mostly treated like slaves, while a nanny or governess raised upper class children. Charlotte Bronte Has written this novel because, she wants to verbalize her own views on the Victorian society, and how she disagrees with them. She also wants to declare that people, should be treated fairly and equally no matter their class.
In the book, Jane Eyre is treated differently because she is an orphan and has no money or savings. This is why she was bullied by the young Master Reed in chapter one.
“You have no business to take our books, you are dependant mama says. You have no money, your father left you none, you ought to beg and not live here with gentlemen’s children”. This shows that they think Jane is not equal to them because she is from a poor background and this would have been the case in the Victorian times.
Jane Eyre lives with her aunt who is very unkind to her. Her aunt feels that she or her children, who are wealthy, cannot be around Jane Eyre because apparently she says Jane Eyre is “a wretched child”. This is similar to the life that Charlotte Bronte was living. Charlotte Bronte was born in 1816. She had five siblings. Soon after, Charlotte’s mother and two out of her four sisters died. Charlotte’s father couldn’t cope so an aunt, Elizabeth Branwell, aided their upbringing. Charlotte and her sisters were sent to a school called. The Clergy Daughters School at Lancashire. The fees were low, the food was unattractive, and the discipline was very harsh and unbearable. Even at that time Charlotte Bronte realised at the age of 14 that life was very unequal. Even though Charlotte Bronte was treated badly she noticed that her aunt didn’t go to work and it was very difficult for women at that time to get jobs. The only jobs that were offered were to be governesses. This is when Charlotte Bronte finally opened her eyes and realised that life was really unfair for the poorer middle class people.
