Jane refers to herself as “poor, obscure, plain, and little” these words conjure up images of her as a helpless girl abused by an overbearing aunt. As a child her aunt locks her in a red room and this scene is symbolic of the constraints females faced. She is bound by a pair of female garters, a metaphor for the fate of Victorian women bound by their gender role. Jane’s aunt says, “It’s only on condition of perfect submission and stillness that I shall liberate you,” (Bronte 67) she is echoing the predominant misogynistic sentiment. Jane refuses to accept this fate as her soul starts “to expand, to exult, with the strangest sense of freedom” (Bronte 31). This is the impetus of her revolt against the confines her sex suffers.
Jane Eyre carries forth this attitude later on in her life as she defies Lowood School’s headmaster Mr. Brocklehurst. This domineering man symbolically represents the societal force that attempts to subdue women as he reigns over a school of girls. At one point he says to the headmistress,
"You are aware that my plan in bringing up these girls is, not to accustom them to habits of luxury and indulgence, but to render them hardy, patient, self-denying. . . Oh, madam, when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into these children's mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you starve their immortal souls" (Bronte 53)
He views the female body as ‘vile’ and is intent on controlling their appetites as well as their bodies by sheering docile Helen Burns’s hair and humiliating Jane. He clearly views himself as the master over the girls and the female staff; a dominant male tendency of the period. However, the unconventional heroine emphasizes her willpower as even when punished she regained control and “mastered the rising hysteria, lifted up [her] head, and took a firm stand on the stool.” (Bronte 54) Jane unfalteringly holds on to her dignity and autonomy.
For Victorian women marriage is their means to financial stability yet Jane Eyre courageously refuses to be Rochester’s mistress choosing independence instead. Her stay at Moor House gives her economic liberation proving to her that she can be self-reliant. Jane exercises an unmistakable luxury by refusing a betrothal to St. John as marriage is seen as the culmination of a female’s life and is what women were bred for. Furthermore, her return to Rochester is not out of need but rather an exercise of free will and she comes back to him as an equal.
Whereas, in Jane Eyre Bronte created the nonconforming feminist some of the other women are unable to escape the dominant male influence. Take for example Jane’s widowed aunt, Mrs. Reed who has minimal power under English law and thus must pander to the wishes of her son who will inherit the fortune once he is of age. (Burnett) She has limited choices as not only was she forced to care for her niece by her husband but also has to rely on her son to take care of her later on. She persistently attempts to uphold patriarchal structures, even if it is injurious to female liberty. She rebukes Jane for not being the characteristic submissive female and goes as far as to compare her to an animal, “as if an animal that I had struck or pushed had looked up at me with human eyes and cursed me in a man’s voice” (Bronte 533) She evokes animal imagery to imply that Jane acted in an uncivilized manner and animals do not follow the laws of the social world. Mrs. Reed is herself a victim of a misogynistic society as her son squanders away all the money and she dies alone. It is clear that Bronte is critiquing her anti-feminist ways by dealing her such an end.
Another notable female in Jane Eyre is Blanche Ingram to start with her name is French for white, which symbolizes purity as well as blankness much like her personality that lacks substance. Blanche is Bronte’s clever juxtaposition the absolute opposite of Jane. She is the marriageable type of woman that society would expect someone of Mr. Rochester’s caliber to marry. Blanche is a rich heiress, skilled horseman with the necessary accomplishments of a lady. Yet, according to Jane she “cannot truly like him, or not like him with true affection. If she did, she need not coin her smiles so lavishly, flash her glances so unremittingly, manufacture airs so elaborate, graces so multitudinous” (Bronte 164). These actions show that Blanche is artificial as she is not only vain and obsessed to fault with her fancy garments but that she is also a social climber a custodian of the hierarchical system. Blanche Ingram is the type of woman that is significant in terms of societal rules.
While Blanche is the stark opposite of Jane Eyre, in Elizabeth Bennet Jane Austen’s protagonist from Pride and Prejudice we find a similar heroine that refuses to adhere to the norms of social conduct. Elizabeth is headstrong, stubborn and independent an antithesis of the typical female as she determinedly sets out to see her sick sister Jane in Netherfield. Even though her mother argues, “Walk three miles in all that dirt? You won’t be fit to be seen!” (Austen 32) she cares little for appearances and wades through the mud anyways. While she is never unladylike she does not shy away from expressing her impudent opinions. After overhearing Darcy refer to her as a “tolerable dance partner” (Austen 22) she refuses to dance with him at another event. Elizabeth demonstrates her independent nature when she rejects Mr. Collin’s proposal stating, “You could not make happy, and I am convinced I am the last woman in the world who would make you so” (Austen 102). It was unheard of for a girl in Elizabeth’s position to turn down a suitor, yet she does just that. Her view on marriage is rather mannish as she shares her opinion on Wickham and Miss King’s affair, “He shall be mercenary, and she shall be foolish.” (Austen 180) She reasons that women are naive and romanticize marriage also she does not condemn Wickham’s mercenary attitude towards marriage.
When Darcy proposes to Elizabeth she exhibits her rebellious nature again. Offended by his condescending proposal she rebukes him harshly, “…I had not known you a month before I felt that you were the last man in the world whom I could ever be prevailed upon to marry.” (Austen 135) She haughtily dismisses the offer mindless of his wealth and male ego that expects her to willingly submit. A gender role reversal occurs near the end as she becomes more masculinized and Darcy starts to show feminine characteristics by blushing in her presence. While he may have the social clout, wealth, and family name it is Elizabeth who educates him on “how to please a woman worthy of being pleased” (Austen 369). It is ironic that he has to learn the proper courtship methods being the dominant male.
While Elizabeth is uninhabited her mother, Mrs. Bennet is the typical domestic woman. As, “the business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.” (Austen 45) For Mrs. Bennet the prospect of marriage for her offspring is her sole concern. This exaggeration of her matrimonial desires distorts her essence so readers only view her in this one-dimension. Mr. Darcy remarks, “Your mother’s family, though objectionable, was nothing in comparison of that total want of propriety so frequently, so almost uniformly betrayed by herself” (Austen 218). Mrs. Bennet’s rank, though far beneath his was not as much of a hindrance as her mannerisms.
Another female caricature is Elizabeth’s sister Lydia Bennet who has been raised to think about nothing other than attracting men. At balls, “[she] had been fortunate enough to be never without partners, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a ball” (Austen 51). Her concern is to socialize, flirt and chase men. Her antics culminate in a scandalous marriage to Mr. Wickham; yet she does not consider the event sensibly, priding herself on being the first Bennet girl to wed. Following her marriage she declares, “Ah! Jane, I take your place now, and you must go lower, because I am a married woman.” (Austen 322). Lydia’s insolent manner of announcing superiority to her sibling that was attained by such improper means comes across as ridiculous. This portrait of Lydia could be Austen’s way of urging aspiration that went beyond seeking a husband to depend on.
The image of women in the 19th century was based on the assumption that females were biologically inferior to males both mentally and physically. Literature reflects the views of a time period and as such women were hardly given a voice in novels. Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte’s heroines clearly deviate from the norm as can be seen when contrasting them with other female characters within the respective works. Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre depict protagonists that are unable to identify with the traditional ideal of women. The novels can be seen as didactic in the sense that those females that champion misogynistic views do not fare well whereas the feminist ones have happier ends. The dominant nature of patriarchy is undeniable in literature yet decades of suppression finally resulted in feminist movements as such the image of females began to change in both literature and society.
Bibliography
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Ed. Donald Gray. New York: Norton & Co., 1998.81-82. Print.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. New York: Norton & Co., 1998.81-82. Print.
Burnett, John. "The Hidden World of the Victorian Working Classes." The Victorian Web: An Overview. Web. 17 Jan. 2012. <http://www.victorianweb.org/history/work/burnett1.html>.
