Jane Eyre Essay, Research Paper

Throughout history in literature achievements of widening popularity always seem to create tension. In Charlotte Bronte’s novel, “Jane Eyre,” the pursuit of dependence and self-fulfillment is confronted by her romantic characteristics in a Victorian age. “What makes Victorians Victorian is their sense of social responsibility, a basic attitude that obviously differentiates them from their immediate predecessors, the Romantics”(Landow 1) who are more open-minded, much like Jane. Although her romantic qualities simply identify herself , they create tension between the Victorian idea’s of gender, status, realness, passion and emotion.

The uniqueness of Jane’s personal and artistic identity is confronted by the containment of feminism and stature. The tension between Jane and those who are under Victorian beliefs, such as Mr.Brocklehurst, and Mrs.Reed is created directly by their indifference’s towards women and the poor. The feminisitic views that are abundant in Jane’s life creates tension to the point where “she has trouble settling into society, not just because of her over-jealous passions, but also because of her gender.(Jackson 1)” Early in her life Jane encounters feminism not only on herself but many others. At Gateshead Jane is unaware of the purpose of Lowood School and “indeed would like to go to school”(Bronte 30) despite not knowing its reputation. At Lowood School Jane encounters the gender problem which puts herself and the others into a position which isn’t favoured. The “black pillar”(Bronte 63) upholding the conditions of feminism at Lowood is Mr.Brocklehurst who has a superior effect. The authoritarianism of Brocklehurst is exemplified by the intention to “teach them to clothe themselves with shame-facedness and sobriety”(Bronte 75). The reason behind his cruelty to the students is of intentions not to “mortify in these girls the lusts of the flesh” but to render them hardy, patient, and self-denying. Although feminism is evident for the reasoning of Brocklehurst, Maggie Berg states that ” Lowood deprived its pupils of their female individuality because of their corporate identity as orphans.”(48) This prudence towards the originality of Jane and the other students creates a level of stature that isn’t respected by the higher authority of Lowood. The “custom” of feminism in the Victorian age is riddled by this status which Jane encounters while growing up as an orphan. “It is abundantly evident that women continued to rank as second-class citizens”(Norton 903) to men and Jane realizes this through her work as a governess. At Thornfield Jane realizes that there is a gender problem while subdued to her status underneath that of Rochester:

“women feel that just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a constraint, two absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn then, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more then custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.”(Bronte 129)

Jane’s sudden outburst is partially fueled by troubles with Rochester but mostly caused by her past of constant feminism. The time spent at Gateshead and Lowood gave her the experience of feminism and its qualities in status to which she couldn’t relate to the Victorian attitude. Her understanding of the problem much associated with the Victorian age at Thornfield helps develop her self-fulfillment and homogeneity.

Jane’s strong authenticity is rivaled by relationships with those who express a Victorian aspect of mind rather than heart. This tension between Jane’s purity and the humility of society is expressed by her interactions with Helen Burns and St John Rivers. Jane’s genuineness is created by her strong virtues and courage towards reaching self-fulfillment even though the influence of Helen or St John Rivers’ humble opinions try to change her course. Helen’s central motivation of humility is matured in Jane and gives her emotional control. To Jane the tension created between each others views is beneficial in understanding more about the world. In their discussions of “good for evil”(Bronte 65) there is anxiety in Jane to understand the reasoning behind Helen’s pensive actions, yet a moral sympathy not to question her. Jane asks Helen,” you say you have faults: what are they?”(Bronte 66) in a pressing manner but dismisses from asking deeper about her humility: “I would not ponder the matter deeply.”(Bronte 66) This need for conversation and information expresses Jane’s genuineness towards respect for others that she feels sympathy for and can relate to. “Jane cannot accept such a lofty view at this time, but her acknowledgment, later, that she loves Rochester to the point of idolatry and her subsequent rejection of him, show that she eventually learned the lesson Helen tried to teach.”(Cole 82) As well as Helen, St John River has an identity of humility which creates tension between himself and Jane but not of beliefs. His rather bland, humble attitude and religious feelings is very reminiscent of Helen, but his effect on the aged Jane is of realization. Jane realizes that “no happy reconciliation was to be had with him”(Bronte 456) and the “recesses in her mind”(Bronte 453) are only opened to her true love Rochester. St John represents the religious figure in the Victorian age and during Jane’s time spent with him, comes to realize that Rochester is much like her, based on romantic qualities. With the genuiness perception of friendship among Helen Burns and St John Rivers, Jane withdraws from a longing relationship due to the “conveyed connotations of prudish, repressed and old fashioned”(Landow 1) thoughts of the Victorian age. Her realization of differences among her purity and those of humble qualities coincides her journey for self-fulfillment and passion.

The direction of passion that Jane takes is constrained by the Victorian perception that love is to be derived from service to the husband and your own self-truth. With the worker-boss relationship of Rochester and the involvement religion has in her decisions of love, the tension created in Jane’s romantic choices shapes her desire for self-fulfillment. The desire for love…

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