At the first meeting of Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre, Mr Rochester is represented the best and worse of the men at the time. He is introduced ordering Jane around, ‘bring me my horse,’ although at the time, Jane does not know Mr Rochester is her master she still obeys him. This could show that Jane instantly gives respect to people she meets and respects the rules of society, and so Jane can not be viewed as a ‘passive victim’ in ‘Jane Eyre’. Most women at the time was expected to oblige to men as it was their authority in society, Jane represents this even if she wants to do as she wants. While Mr Rochester gives the reader the impression that he is masculine and has instant control with a high status.
In the later time through Thornfield, where Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre’s relationship had developed to some extent, while her master’s speech confiding his love for her. Jane’s feelings are shown to the reader, “All I had now to do was to obey him in silence,” there is a clear demonstration of the power and control Mr Rochester has over Jane Eyre. Her thoughts reveal that she has to follow him in ‘silence’ implying Jane herself has no choice but to follow his orders, she may feel provoked by him and a passive victim. However Mr Rochester’s intentions may not be to master Jane as earlier on in Thornfield, he begins flirting with her, which he shouldn’t be, especially not in that manner to his governess. Mr Rochester views Jane as equal to each other, “Miss Eyre: and though you are not pretty any more than I am handsome,” he is being straightforward with Jane, he would not talk in an honest manner to someone the same class or higher, maybe he knows he has to make a transition from his own life to life with Jane. This does not agree with the statement that Jane is a passive victim, but that she is viewed more as a friend or a companion.
In chapter XII of the novel, Jane gives a speech, she speaks freely of her thoughts and feelings. She claims that, “Women feel just as men feel; they need to exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer,” Jane gets her thoughts across in an angry tone, showing her strong feelings about equal rights between men and women, therefore she may not necessarily put up with being a passive victim of someone. This feminism speech may relate to Charlotte Bronte’s struggles throughout her life; Charlotte Bronte was accepted as a position as a teacher at Roe Head. However teaching is not what she wanted to do, writing was her passion, when she was told, ‘Literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life and it ought not to be,’ Charlotte Bronte’s feelings appeal to Jane’s in this chapter. Jane’s anger towards the unfairness towards woman comes across strongly to the reader.
During the proposal of Mr Rochester to Jane, Jane’s thoughts is that she is uncontrollable for her words which come out, “for my voice was not quite under command,” Jane, herself states that she is not in control of her thoughts and feelings as Mr Rochester has power over her. The idea of Jane being a passive victim is shown here, however Jane was out of control for her feelings towards Mr Rochester, therefore she may like the attention she gets from him and the idea of pleasing him makes her happy. When Jane finds out about Bertha and the lies Mr Rochester has told her, Jane decides to leave, this was her own choice showing that Mr Rochester does not have full control over her and that she chooses to follow him if she wishes.
In conclusion, I believe that the statement, ‘Rochester is master and Jane a passive victim,’ is not true to some extent. Throughout the novel, there are hints to support this statement however Jane is shown to be an outspoken woman who gives outbursts of her thoughts. She follows and obeys Mr Rochester as he is her master, throughout the novel Jane is heavily dependant on other people therefore she may find pleasure in Mr Rochester’s attention.
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abby1505 (student)
