Charlotte Brontë´s novel Jane Eyre is considered one of Britain´s most classical literary work. The story consists of a hybrid of three genres, the Gothic novel, the Romance novel and the Bildungsroman and many critics have praised the novel. Though, the novel got a great deal of good criticism in contemporary time, its immediate reception was controversial. The story plays out during the Victorian period in Britain where the social norms were strict and there was a big gap of equality between the genders. This essay will analyse how the gender roles are portrayed and if they are modern or traditional.
Jane Eyre is a novel where a modern view on gender roles get in the discourse of the traditional Victorian social hierarchy and patriarchal
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She states a more modern view upon the subject about the female role in society where she states a desire that women should be able to do the same things as men, without a judgemental view from society. This view of gender roles was controversial in the Victorian era, but Jane Eyre represents a new and fresh feature in the early feminist movement with a more equal view upon the subject.
Though, upon the marriage with Mr. Rochester, Jane shows another side of her feministic character. The independent Jane, starts to question her role in the marriage. Jane hated that Mr. Rochester bought pretty jewelleries and dresses for her;” the more he bought me, the more my cheek burned with a sense of annoyance and degradation” (Brontë, 321). One can interpret this as Jane worries that the marriage would lessen her independence and put her at an inferior position. The fact that Mr. Rochester buys her all these things makes Jane feel objectified, and she could not tolerate it. Once again, this signals the feministic opinions that the character of Jane is associated with. Jane and Mr. Rochester does not get married during this section of the book, due to the fact that he is already in a marriage. The way Jane distance herself from objectification, and the fact that they do not get married (in this part of the book) contradict the ordinary romantic novels in this contemporary