How Does Bronte Present Mr Rochester?
How does Brönte present Mr Rochester in the novel Jane Eyre? Mr Rochester is presented as coming from a family that has “always been well respected,” within the community and owned, “almost all the land in the neighbourhood” and so is a very wealthy man, however as we learn not everything in his life is so black and white and there is a lot more to his character than we would perhaps initially suspect. Below I will discuss how Bronte presents Mr Rochester as well as the effects of this. Mrs Fairfax, whilst discussing the subject of Mr Rochester’s character with the intrigued Jane, provides answers that although are not intriguing in themselves, present an interesting point. She says, “I have no course otherwise to like him; and I believe he is considered…” This puzzles the reader slightly as to why Mrs Fairfax stresses the “I” and why it is that her abrupt answers appear to be hiding something from Jane. This sparks several questions within the readers mind and also suggests that Brönte wants Mr Rochester to appear as a man of mystery. As Jane is being shown around the house by Mrs Fairfax, Jane appears to take notice and become almost fascinated with the rooms and their decorations, noting that one of the rooms is “dark and low yet interesting.” It is said that the personality of a person is reflected in the décor of their house, and as we learn
The position of the female in 19th Century English society was of key import to Bront in Wuthering Heights, explore the validity of this statement.
'The position of the female in 19th Century English society was of key import to Brontë in Wuthering Heights', explore the validity of this statement. During the early 1800's, the period in which Emily Brontë wrote 'Wuthering Heights', English women were treated as inferior to men and as a result had sparse rights and were in possession of almost no power. Women were expected to conform to strict social protocols such as complete obedience and devotion to their husbands, were only able to pursue careers in restrictive badly paid roles such as governess, and were poorly protected by a legal system which universally favoured men- making it virtually impossible to escape from an unhappy, possibly violent marriage. Throughout Wuthering Heights, Brontë challenges the position of the female in English society by developing the characters of Catherine Earnshaw and Isabella Linton as strong, intelligent women who were ultimately broken by the social conventions which bound their spirit and ambition- forcing them into decisions which would destroy their lives. Catherine Earnshaw is the female protagonist of the novel and is described as a beautiful, passionate woman who is torn between her socially degrading eternal love for Heathcliff and the prospect of conventional marriage with the upper class Edgar Linton, Brontë skilfully uses metaphor and incorporates themes of nature from
'Rochester is master and Jane a passive victim.' Discuss power and control in Jane and Rochester's relationship.
‘Rochester is master and Jane a passive victim.’ Discuss power and control in Jane and Rochester’s relationship. AO1 AO2, AO3, AO4 Jane Eyre struggles throughout Charlotte Bronte’s novel, ‘Jane Eyre’ for equality and equal rights for women and men. However during the social context it was a common routine for the man in the relationship to have the power and expect a faithful mistress whatever their situation. A woman’s place was in the home and to build a family and build a good family atmosphere. In this view, it is expectable in ‘Jane Eyre’ for Mr Rochester a man with a high status to be able to order Jane who can be portrayed as his victim, however Jane is heavily dependant on other people so therefore she may just be desperate for Mr Rochester’s attention. Mary Wollstonecraft’s ‘Vindication of the Rights of Women’ states Wollstonecraft describing marriage as “legal prostitution” and that women “may be convenient slaves, but slavery will have its constant effect, degrading the master and the abject dependent. Mary Wollstonecraft’s idea of a relationship such as Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre’s as “slavery” may not be entirely true, however Charlotte Bronte does portray Jane as a ‘victim’ of Mr Rochester. Even after Mr Rochester’s proposal, Jane replies to Mr Rochester, “Sir, I will marry you.” Jane is still drawing on the
Conflict in Wuthering Heights. The conflict between nature and culture which forms part of the thematic structure of Wuthering Heights, is played out in the relationship between the two houses: Wuthering Heights which represents nature and
The conflict between nature and culture which forms part of the thematic structure of 'Wuthering Heights', is played out in the relationship between the two houses: Wuthering Heights which represents nature and Thrushcross Grange representing culture. This conflict can be interpreted in many ways, for instance in historical terms as a rural way of life contends against industrialisation; in psychological ways as a struggle between the ego and the id and in sexual terms as a choice between experience and representation. From the very beginning the narrator, Mr Lockwood identifies himself as a man of culture, he comes from a 'civilised society' and appropriately is living at the Grange. He, like the reader, is an outsider to the Wuthering Heights and his description of the 'stunted firs', 'gaunt thorns' and the 'narrow windows' creates a chilling and unwelcoming atmosphere. The name of the place also reflects this situation; 'Wuthering' meaning stormy hinting gothic elements. Mr Lockwood states the house is 'completely removed from the stir of society'; it is surrounded by the moors which symbolise freedom posed by nature, were Mr Heathcliff and Catherine's bond first developed. There is also almost a conflict among the house with the ill-tempered characters and its description; for instance, Mr Lockwood 'detected' that the name of the house is 'Hareton Earnshaw' yet it is
How does Bronte use the second generation to further explore the themes of Wuthering Heights?
How does Bronte use the second generation to further explore the themes of the novel? The second generation expand on the numerous themes such as love, revenge, hatred and natural imagery. The relationship between Hareton and Cathy help boost the theme of love, while the way Heathcliff uses Linton shows an element of revenge and hatred. The dominant theme for the second generation seems to be the whole idea of Heathcliff extracting revenge on the Linton's in hope that he can help the sorrow he feels for Catherine's death. The relationship between Cathy and Linton isn't a true loving relationship - it is being manipulated by Heathcliff for his own selfish gains. There is no sign of a loving bond, although Cathy does care to some extent about Linton as she visits him and wonders about him. The most important feature of Cathy and Hareton's love story is that it involves growth and change. Early in the novel Hareton seems brutal, savage, and illiterate, but over time he becomes a loyal friend to Cathy and learns to read with help from her - this is one of the scenes where Wuthering Heights is shown as a warm, open place. When Cathy first meets Hareton he seems completely alien to her world, she denies that they are cousins because of his appearance and job on the farm. This relationship also ties in with the theme of social class - Catherine has been well brought up in a totally
In Charlotte Bronts novel, Villette, Bront strategically uses the brutality and magnitude of thunder storms to propel her narrator, Lucy Snowe, into unchartered social territories of friendship and love
Storms of Providence In Charlotte Brontë's novel, Villette, Brontë strategically uses the brutality and magnitude of thunder storms to propel her narrator, Lucy Snowe, into unchartered social territories of friendship and love. In her most devious act, the fate of Lucy and M. Paul is clouded at the end of the novel by an ominous and malicious storm. By examining Brontë's manipulation of two earlier storms which echo the scope and foreboding of this last storm -- the storm Lucy encounters during her sickness after visiting confession and the storm which detains her at Madame Walravens' abode -- the reader is provided with a way in which to understand the vague and despairing ending. A long vacation from school precedes the first storm and it is during this vacation, where Lucy is left predominately alone, that the reader feels the full depth and emptiness of Lucy's solitude. She says, "But all this was nothing; I too felt those autumn suns and saw those harvest moons, and I almost wished to be covered in with earth and turf, deep out of their influence; for I could not live in their light, nor make them comrades, nor yield them affection" (230). After a resulting fit of delirium and depression, Lucy attends confession at a Catholic church solely in order to receive kind words from another human being. It is at this low, after her leaving the church, that the first storm
How do the writers of Jane Eyre and of Mice and Men, show Crooks and Jane to be outsiders in their respective societies?
How do the writers of Jane Eyre and of Mice and Men, show Crooks and Jane to be outsiders in their respective societies? Crooks plays a significant part in the novel, "Of Mice and Men," Crooks is considered the lowest man on the totem pole on the ranch. He desperately needs companionship and equality. He has the intelligence of any of the workers, but they don't listen to him because he is black. Crooks is a very lonely and bitter man who has "got a crooked back where a horse kicked him," (Hence his name) His "eyes lay deep in his head, and because of their depth seemed to glitter with intensity." His face was very lean and "lined with deep black wrinkles." His lips were "lighter than his face." Crooks is the stable Buck on the ranch, he usually keeps to himself out in the barn. Being black makes life for Crooks extremely strenuous, He lived in California as a child and has felt the pains of racism his entire life. Although he did play with other white boys as a child, society soon cast him aside. His name is the first sign that Crooks will be portrayed as an outsider, as Crooks is not a real name. This shows us that the other farm workers have given him this name as a 'nickname' to give him an inferior status, and to cast him out of their group. In the '30's when the book was written black, Afro-Americans were seen as outcasts and 'lesses' humans that 'whites'.
Wuthering Heights storyline
WUTHERING HEIGHTS In the late winter months of 1801, a man named Lockwood rents a manor house called Thrushcross Grange in the isolated moor country of England. Here; he meets his dour landlord, Heathcliff, a wealthy man who lives in the ancient manor of Wuthering Heights, four miles away from the Grange. In this wild, stormy countryside, Lockwood asks his housekeeper, Nelly Dean, to tell him the story of Heathcliff and the strange denizens of Wuthering Heights. Nelly consents, and Lockwood writes down his recollections of her tale in his diary; these written recollections form the main part of Wuthering Heights. Nelly remembers her childhood. As a young girl, she works as a servant at Wuthering Heights for the owner of the manor, Mr Earnshaw, and his family. One day, Mr Earnshaw goes to Liverpool and returns home with an orphan boy whom he will raise with his own children. At first, the Earnshaw children - a boy named Hindley and his younger sister Catherine - detest the dark-skinned Heathcliff. But Catherine quickly comes to love him, and the two soon grow inseparable, spending their days playing on the moors. After his wife's death, Mr Earnshaw grows to prefer Heathcliff to his own son, and when Hindley continues his cruelty to Heathcliff, Mr Earnshaw sends Hindley away to college, keeping Heathcliff nearby. Three years later, Mr Earnshaw dies, and Hindley inherits
How far do you agree that the character Jane Eyre challenges Victorian ideals of social class?
Thahira How far do you agree that the character Jane Eyre challenges Victorian ideals of social class Charlotte Bronte’s protagonist ‘Jane Eyre’ challenges the structure of Victorian society through the use of first person narrative, the negative construction of characters such as Mr Brocklehurst, Blanche Ingram and through the developing relationship between Jane and Rochester. Presenting Jane’s strong sense of morality, Bronte describes Jane’s challenging experiences throughout her life - simply because she was poorly connected and dependant on those in more fortunate positions than her. Social class was particularly important within this era, as this depended on how you were judged and treated. This is emphasised by the Reed family’s treatment of Jane as the Reed children were ‘clustered around their mama’ indicating their tight bond and how inseparable they are and how impenetrable their circle; Jane being the only one ‘dispensed’ from the group emphasises Jane’s loneliness and separation from them. The reasoning of Jane’s separation from the upper class children is because they have been accustomed to being disparaging towards the poor. This is even evident from Jane when she comments that “she would not like to belong” to poor relations even if they were kind, she admitted that she did not understand, “how they had the means of being
How is Linton Heathcliff presented in Wuthering Heights?
How is Linton Heathcliff presented in Wuthering Heights? Consider the narrative voice and Bronte’s language choices. Linton Heathcliff is a major character in the second generation of Emily Bronte’s novel ‘Wuthering Heights’. We are able to create an adequate picture of him in our minds due to the avid description provided by Ellen Dean – the narrative voice, and the language used by Bronte. He combines the worst characteristics of both parents and he uses his status as an invalid to manipulate the tender-hearted younger Catherine. After Isabella’s death, Edgar decides to care for his nephew described as “a pale, delicate, effeminate boy, who might have been taken for my master’s younger brother… but there was a sickly peevishness in his aspect that Edgar Linton never had.” The adjectives “pale”, “delicate” and “effeminate” give the audience an image of how unwell he looks. The noun “boy” suggests that Edgar doesn’t seem him as a nephew, but just as an ordinary boy. At this stage, the reader feels sympathetic towards Linton despite his peevish weakness since his dad Heathcliff is not caring for his son. The readers feels more sympathetic towards Linton is when making his refusal to let go of Nelly when the time comes for him to go back to his father one of the most touching scenes of the novel. Because he’s never seen his father
