In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, eponymous character struggles to become a Victorian lady, adopting class attitudes and triumph over Blanche Ingram, a woman who is regarded as a Victorian lady but who lacks Victorian morals. The struggle between Jane and Blanche’s perfection is first illustrated when upon hearing about Blanche’s beauty Jane decides that she is inferior to Blanche and that Mr. Rochester could never love her. To prove that Blanche is better than she, Jane paint to portraits, one of herself in an ugly light, and one of Blanche in a beautiful light so that she will “take out these two pictures and compare them: say, ‘Mr. Rochester might probably win that noble lady’s love, if he chose to strive for it; is it likely he would …show more content…
Through painting the two pictures, Jane struggles to see herself as inferior to Blanche and undeserving of Rochester’s love; she struggles to adopt Victorian class attitudes and accept that she will never triumph over Blanche. Despite her initial struggle with the idea of Blanche, upon meeting Blanche, Jane realizes that while socially inferior to Blanche, she has better Victorian morals than Blanche will ever have. Blanche’s lack of proper morals is demonstrated when, in the drawing room, she calls governesses “a nuisance” and describing how she tortured the governesses of her youth (180). In this display, Blanche’s true colors are revealed and her lack of proper, Victorian morals comes to light, as a true Victorian lady would not insult anyone, especially not when they were in the room. In contrast, Jane’s morals are upright and a point of superiority over Blanche, allowing her to defeat Blanche and win Mr. Rochester’s affections because Mr. Rochester cares more for the mind than for the body. Jane’s perfect ethics are divulged when she accepts Adele despite her parent’s flaws saying, “Adele is not answerable for her either her mother’s faults or [Rochester’s]… [Jane] shall cling closer to her than before”
By saying this, Louis wants to point out that nothing except politics exists in the USA and that all religious movements and the strife over race are actually about politics. Even though he deeply wishes to portray himself as a Leftist progressive and would never admit to sharing the particular right-based, Locke-inspired creed of liberal America, he does, according to Corby (22), clearly subscribe to the notion that America’s identity is creedal. He infuriates Belize, a gay African-American, by suggesting that in America “it’s not really about race” (Kushner 2011: 98). Indeed, for Louis, this is what gives America a radical potential and why he continues to believe in America without a “monolith” (Kushner 2011: 96) such as race to overcome;
Blanche is projecting the self-image of a person who believes that they are above others. She acts as though she is of a royal family and demands the respect of everyone around her. She loses her family's home to the government and blames it on her sister who left in order to search for her own lifestyle. From the beginning of her visit, Blanche gets an off feeling about Stanley. When she arrives, he starts to stare at her with a sense of caution then soon begins inspecting the paperwork that she brought with her in order to validate her story.
Finally, the details about society show that Jane recognizes the standards of her victorian society and needs to abide by them. After Jane had thought awhile, she no longer “felt justified in judging” Mr. Rochester and Blanche for “acting in conformity to ideas and principles instilled into them.” Though Jane wishes to be loved by Mr. Rochester, she comes to the realization that rich men do not marry lower-class women in her
Jane requests to return to the Reed house, after learning about her cousin’s suicide and her aunt, Mrs. Reed’s, illness; however Rochester questions, “And what good can you do her… you say she cast you off,” Jane replies, “Yes, sir, but that is long ago; and when her circumstances were very different: I could not be easy to neglect her wishes now” (Brontë 227). Jane looks beyond that Mrs. Reed “cast[ed] her off,” implying that she has grown to let go of grudges and developed a mature mentality. The irony of Jane’s inability to “neglect her wishes,” infers how the injustice treatment of Mrs. Reed unaffectedly brings Jane to look past the situation by visiting the Reeds in a time of sorrow. In addition, Rochester attempts to convince his wedded Jane to stay with him, after learning about his mad wife; Rochester claims that his father had “sent [him] out to Jamaica, to espouse a bride already courted for” him but only so his brother and father to get “thirty thousand pounds,” Rochester further admits to Jane that “you know now that I had but a hideous demon. I was wrong to attempt to deceive you…
Both characters, venturing out of their gender roles, find ways to compliment and figure out who the other person really is, and, in the end, a burgeoning love fully blooms. When examining the gender roles of Mr. Rochester and Jane, both are a blend of each and life seems better when conventional gender roles are forgotten. In Rochester and Jane’s first meeting, the two begin to show their blended gender roles immediately. Rochester is first described as having a “dark face” with “stern features”, with a complexion that seems, “ireful and thwarted” (146).
Throughout all of these encounters, Blanche still maintains a mirage of innocence and purity. Having grown up in a society that requires her to suppress her desire, she hides it from those around her, and attempts to maintain her sense of entitlement and social status. She plays the role of the person she would like to be, and instead of telling the truth she tells “what ought to be. Instead of embracing her sexuality, she pushes it deep down. “After all, a woman’s charm is fifty percent illusion”.
{Rochester’s feelings for Jane were more complex and unique compared to
Blanche is emotional, dramatic and strongly feminine. She has very specific ideas about proper behavior and feminine matters, becoming highly critical of her sister’s appearance as soon as she sees her: “You messy child, you, you’ve spilt something on that pretty white lace collar! About your hair—you ought to have it cut in a feather bob with your dainty features.” She places a high value on being upper class and dresses “as if she were arriving at a summer tea or cocktail party in the garden district” and does not hesitate to insult Stanley’s “not so highbrow” social status. Stanley, on the other hand, is blunt, simple and rough-natured, often described as being a true man in behavior.
To Blanche, Stanley originally comes off as appealing however once he rapes her, he becomes monstrous in her eyes. On the contrary, Blanche is not exactly humane as well. Blanche is the extreme version of how a female was represented in the mid-1900s, but takes crazy too far. As opposed to helping Blanche deal with the world, her fantasizing is more destructive then helpful. Stanley’s violent rape of Blanche is a wake up call from her fantasy life, the final straw in her mental decline, leading to her
During the Victorian Era, it was difficult for women to achieve a respectable position. However, an author, Charlotte Bronte, obtains respect in the world of English literature, even as a woman. She depicts her struggles as a female author in her books, and even brought in altered versions of her real-life experiences. Bronte’s accomplishments compliment the ideal of feminism, showing that the perseverance of women produces results. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, interactions between Jane Eyre and characters show support for emotional equality between men and women.
For me, I felt at home in this sort of discourse. I could never rest in communication with strong, discreet, and refined minds, whether male or female, till I had passed the outworks of conventional reserve, and crossed the threshold of confidence, and won a place by their heart's very hearthstone. ( chapter 32). Here Jane is speaking up for herself instead of restraining her feelings. When Rochester wants to buy expensive gifts for Jane she insists that he does not.
First, Jane Eyre’s attributes displays women in our society who are still in search for meaning and love in their lives. Just like Jane’s spirit of passion despite abuse, these women continue to search for respect from other
At this point of the novel, Jane is becoming more of an adult, and adapting her opinions and values into real world situations, especially in those where Jane’s social status is questioned. While in conversation with Rochester, her shyness starts to dissipate and her opinions start to be heard and valued. “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you-and full as much heart!
She ends up falling in love with two men, who love her, (at least that’s what she thinks) who have two different ways of showing love. Mr. Rochester was more mysterious which Jane realizes because he does not want to express his identity to her. Jane does not push Mr. Rochester away just because he will not show his identity to her. Mr. Rochester expressed his love for Jane. He proclaimed, “My bride is here,” he said again drawing me to him, “because my equal is here, and my likeness.
- Edward is an economically independent man with a favorable status and influential connections still looking for a profitable match. Jane will be the one in charge to unmask him to the audience: “I saw he was going to marry her [Blanche Ingram] for family, perhaps political reasons, because her rank and connections suited him” (Brontë 205) This manner of conduct converts Mr. Rochester from a hero into a villain, a perpetrator and “his project of