FREE ESSAY ON FEMINISM IN JANE ERYE

FEMINISM IN JANE ERYE

Feminism in Jane Erye
Feminism is a very contradictory theme throughout literary history. It does not have to
be seen as a complete rebellion against men, but can simply represent intelligence and
self-worth in a female. This philosophy is shown in many of the works of Charlotte
Bronte. She uses independence as a "keynote in her thinking about her own life and the
life of all unmarried women" (Ewbank 157). One such work is Jane Erye. In this novel
Charlotte Bronte personifies her philosophy through the main character of Jane. As Jane
matures from child to woman her strength of character is what makes her memorable.
Through her endurance, moral convictions, and intense emotional capacity Jane is shown as
the epidemy of feminism.
Jane's strength to endure harsh circumstances is shown throughout the novel. The novel
"arrests attention in its opening chapters by disclosing an individual character enmeshed
in, yet independent of, unusual circumstances" (Tillotson 28). Under the care of her
aunt, Jane must endure a loveless childhood. She is always seen as an outsider looking
in. Jane's strength is shown by her lack of self-pity. Although she is like a terrified
cornered animal she fights back with intellectual and imaginative resourcefulness
(Tillotson 28-29). "There is no emotional indulgence in Jane's childhood sufferings"
(Craik 77). This behavior is continued with her stay at Lowood school. Here she continues
to be neglected and ignored. Only through her friendship of Miss Temple and Helen Burns
is she shown hope. The school section shows "the mind of the child that was going to grow
into Jane Erye, the woman. Every incident and every character has a bearing on the growth
of Jane into a woman of passion and absolute moral integrity"
(Ewbank 174)
As Jane enters a new phase of her life, at Thornfield, her endurance is once again
tested. Her relationship with Mr. Rochester causes emotional conflict from its beginning.
Mr. Rochester persists in making physical and emotional barbs at Jane while awakening all
her hidden desires. This contradiction causes Jane great emotional turmoil. The
culmination of this conflict is the wedding scene. Upon finding out her love's betrayal,
Jane is left in emotional chaos. "After the tumult that follows the interrupted wedding,
Jane is finally left alone to think and to receive in her consciousness the full impact
of the blow" (Ewbank 182). She assesses her situation and comes to the conclusion that
she must leave.
Another characteristic presented by Jane is her moral conviction. This strength begins to
come forth with her relationship with Mr. Rochester. Mr. Rochester awakens all of Jane's
greatest desires. She sees her attraction to him as a dilemma that must be avoided.
"Jane, who cares passionately for Mr. Rochester, preserves her detachment from him"
(Craik 73). The emotions between Mr. Rochester and Jane become so intense that "by the
time this marriage is reached it has come to represent the resolution of moral and
emotional conflicts" (Craik 72). Those conflicts become even more profound with the
wedding's interruption. At this point Jane realizes that her love has no hope. She said,
"The whole consciousness of my life lorn, my love lost, my hope quenched, my faith
death-struck, swayed full and mighty above me in one sullen mass" (p.301). She longs to
stay but knows it cannot be. "Jane expresses the tension between her desire to be
Rochester's and her moral knowledge that she must leave him" (Ewbank 183). The reader
must begin to "perceive as one Jane's agony and its emotional and spiritual implications"
(Ewbank 185). In the end Mr. Rochester pressures Jane to become his mistress. "The
intensity of pressure which he puts on her is matched, not by fear or revulsion of the
popular heroine, but by a responsiveness which she barely masters" (Heilman 35). But Mr.
Rochester lets her go because he "too, recognizes that without her soul and spirit she is
not worth having" (Ewbank194).
A contrasting moral dilemma is shown in Jane's relationship with St. John. He pressures
her to enter into a loveless marriage. "Jane is deliberately made to draw attention to
the parallelism between this temptation and the earlier one, between, as it were, an
attempted physical rape and a more grievous attempted spiritual rape" (Ewbank 196). St.
John seeks to bind her to him through spiritual manipulation and restriction. Where Mr.
Rochester appreciated her independence, St. John seeks to control it. Only a lone call in
the night saves her from this fate. "As she breaks away from St. John, Jane sees her
position as one of regained will power, and thus regained identity" (Ewbank 196-197).
Jane's intense emotional capacity also shows feminism. She can feel as deeply as any
other and yet she is not weak. She has a self-control few possess. She does not display
her pain for others but holds it within for protection. She was taught this self-defense
mechanism from childhood. She learned from Mrs. Reed's rejection to hide her pain from
those who would take advantage of it, but this does not mean she does not feel. "Above
all, in these early chapters there is gradually disengaged form the generic impression of
a child robbed of its birthright the individual figure of a heart hungering for
affection" (Craik 30-31). This continued at Lowood school. "Lowood opens inauspiciously,
with still harsher physical discomfort-not merely piercingly actual but symbolic of a
loveless order of things" (Craik 31). Both these environments set up the basic emotional
beliefs in a young Jane's mind.
Even through the continual abuse of her childhood, Jane always possessed a great capacity
for love. This is shown with her forgiveness of Mrs. Reed, her acceptance of Adele, and
finally in her all-encompassing love for Mr. Rochester. Even after her childhood
rejection Jane did not grow bitter. She gave her forgiveness freely and set her past at
rest. As she worked at Thornfield she began to see Adele as her own daughter. At the end
of the novel she insisted Adele be brought back because she was a part of the family.
Jane gave love wherever it was wanted. She was kind in spirit and generous in heart
despite her upbringing. Although she loved many, none could compare to her love for Mr.
Rochester. She loved him completely and life without him was agony. "When she has run
away from Rochester, her heart becomes 'impotent as a bird' which, 'with both wings
broken...still quivered its shattered pinions in vain attempts to seek him" (Ewbank 184).
Only once she has returned can the pain ease and her heart seek peace.
The theme of feminism plays a very significant part in the novel Jane Erye. Jane's
strength of character allowed her to persevere through harsh circumstances and a loveless
existence. Her endurance, conviction to faith, and strong emotional capacity gains her
respect as one of the truly great characters of English literature. She accepted the
little life gave her and never lost hope. She was thankful for what she received and used
her strength to better her situation. She fought to maintain her identity and stay true
to her moral convictions as life threw countless obstacles in her path. Yet, no matter
how overwhelming her plight, Jane treated the world with open affection that wins the
heart of any reader. There is no one more deserving of a happy ending than Jane is. Jane
should be an inspiration to all women that they may endeavor to use their own strength
and judgement to lead them through life's most fearful turns.
Bibliography
WORKS CITED
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Erye. New York: First Signet Classic Printing, 1960.
Craik, W.A. The Bronte Novels. London: New Feather Lane,1968.
Ewbank, Inga-Stina. Their Proper Sphere. Massachusetts: Harvard UP, 1966.
Heilman, Robert B. From Jane Austin to Joseph Conrad. 1958. Critics on Charlotte and
Emily Bronte. Ed. Judith O'Neill. Miami: UP of Miami, 1968. 32-35.
Tillotson, Kathleen. Novels of the Eighteen Forties. 1958. Critics on Charlotte and Emily
Bronte. Ed. Judith O'Neill. Miami: UP of Miami, 1968. 25-31.