ipl-logo

Gender Stereotypes In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

849 Words4 Pages

In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, gender stereotypes and roles are often brought up as cages people must live in to be successful in life. However, schools like Lowood are almost one large gender stereotype, teaching girls to be ladies: to sew, to sit up straight, to endure, to be calm, collected, and tranquil. Gender stereotypes are defied by Jane’s early childhood behaviors, but through her time at Lowood become upheld. Bronte makes this point because it shows how people are shaped by their upbringing, as seen in Jane’s behavior as an adult.
Jane’s childhood behavior defies gender stereotypes because at this time, children were supposed to be quiet and obedient, especially female children, yet Jane is impassioned, loud, and relatively disobedient. …show more content…

In this time period, women were supposed to be content with tranquility, inaction, and passivity, all things a governess must uphold, with a fair degree of assertiveness to be a respectable teacher. Jane believes she is “obliged to be plain” (90) and “by nature solicitous to be neat” (90). She believes that she should be refined and reposed, she should not laugh or speak too loudly, or truly speak her mind. Jane was taught these things in her eight years at Lowood, and continues to uphold and teach them now. However, she views inaction as unsatisfactory, “It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it” (114). This discrepancy in her behavior is the dilemma of all modern feminists. Jane may wish to act in a feminist way and defy the stereotypes she is trapped in, yet it is the fact that she is trapped in them that is holding her back. One could argue that by this alone, Jane defies gender stereotypes, yet her behavior as an adult woman is largely refined, reposed, unemotional, and ultimately in favor of gender stereotypes.
In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte brings up several feminist ideas. However, by forcing Jane into the role of teacher, she serves to uphold the gender stereotypes she at first allows Jane to defy. Gender stereotypes in Jane Eyre are at first defied in Jane’s early childhood, and then upheld in her later years. In a society where women were expected to be calm and tranquil, even in the face of suffering, Jane’s behavior is conflicting, as most women’s behavior tends to be, and still is

Show More
Related
710 Words | 3 Pages

When Jane meets Helen at Lowood school, Jane is amazed and confused at Helen’s ability to tolerate the abuse directed at her by the teachers. Both Helen and Jane struggle at the school however, Helen and Jane endure the mistreatment from the teachers individually. “I heard her with wonder: I could not comprehend this doctrine of endurance” (Brontë 6). Jane refuses to conform to the teachers complaints, her free

Read More
1302 Words | 6 Pages

Jane develops a *find quote about jane thinking her crush on Rochester is childlike* but is morally derailed when it is revealed that Mr. Rochester has been hiding his feral wife in the attic. This presents Jane with the arduous decision of choosing to stay with her love or to leave in the night. Jane chooses the latter the author, Emily Brontë writes, ***find quote**. Though this must have been a difficult decision, Jane choose, out of her selfless nature, to pursue an uncertain and dangerous path just to preserve a principled world. This is not only an impressive response when she was tested but it is a display of feminism.

Read More
1041 Words | 5 Pages

Jane doubts herself and her self-worth, “Why was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, for ever condemned? Why could I never please? Why was it useless to try to win anyone’s favor?” (Bronte 36). Jane questioned her own perseverance.

Read More
1118 Words | 5 Pages

The stereotypes applied to nineteenth century women were not just stereotypes, they were realities. Women were expected to stay home and do all the cooking and cleaning for their family. They were entirely dependent on their male counterparts for all their tasks outside the domestic sphere. They were generally considered unintellectual and uneducated. Women were generally suppressed in early society.

Read More
991 Words | 4 Pages

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

Read More
1588 Words | 7 Pages

Bronte 's Jane Eyre transcends the genres of literature to depict the emotional and character development of its protagonist. Although no overall genre dominates the novel exclusively, the vivid use of setting contributes towards the portrayal of Bronte’s bildungsroman (Realisms, 92) and defines the protagonist’s struggles as she grapples with her inner-self, and the social expectations of her gender. The novel incorporates Jane’s frequent conflicts, oppression, isolation and self-examination as she defends her identity and independence. Set amongst five separate locations, Bronte’s skilful use of literal and metaphorical landscapes, nature, and imagery, skilfully intertwines with the plot and denotes each phrase of her maturity.

Read More
1638 Words | 7 Pages

Examine how either text represents either class or gender. Are these representations problematic or contradictory? How do they relate to the plot and structure of the novel? Jane Eyre is a female Bildungsroman written by Charlotte Brontë in 1848.

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

One of the biggest character foils in Jane Eyre is between Mr. Edward Rochester and St. John Rivers. From the first time we meet these characters, it is easy to tell the two apart. While one is ruled by a religious forces the other is controlled by emotions. Jane has to make a choice, and decide how she is going to live the rest of her life. At the end of the novel, she makes a choice between what is expected of her, and what she wants.

Read More
826 Words | 4 Pages

In author Jane Austen 's 1813 romance novel Pride and Prejudice, social class stereotypes play a very key part when affecting the rolls of the Bennet sisters. Very clear distinctions between people who are grouped into classes are shown throughout the novel by characters of different classes stereotyping against others. This causes problems for many of the main characters who often fails to meet the social standards of others and stereotypes others themselves When it comes to social stereotypes Elizabeth Bennet, the second oldest Bennet sister, is no stranger. Throughout the novel her mother is often reminding her how to properly dress and correcting her on her manners.

Read More
1691 Words | 7 Pages

In Charlotte Brontë 's, Jane Eyre, we see a reversal of gender roles for both Mr. Rochester and Jane. In multiple scenes of the book the two switch back and forth from their “natural” roles, which ends up benefiting the two. In the story, Mr. Rochester, the big burly owner of Thornfield, occasionally drops his natural patriarchal role to become a feminine character. Jane also does this as she takes on a more masculine role from time to time, and drops her feminine complacency. While usually both characters dropping their gender-specific roles could turn out bad, in this story, dropping the stereotypical gender roles by blurring them leads to happiness by the end of the story.

Read More
901 Words | 4 Pages

In Charlotte Bronte’s novel “Jane Eyre” Edward Fairfax Rochester plays a contributing role in Janes development and growth as a character and human being in the Victorian time period. Not only does he play a large role in her independency, but in her emotional and spiritual growth as well. She grows around him whether she likes it or not. Due to Edwards manipulative and seductive nature, jane has to grow and develop in a way that has her frequently questioning her own ideals, whether that be spiritually or morally, and strengthening her independence by constantly refusing her feelings for him and adapting to punishing situations. Edward also opens Janes eyes to a world that is bigger than she realized due to his company at the house, wealth, and opportunities at the favorable Thornfeild manor at which she was employed by him.

Read More
933 Words | 4 Pages

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.

Read More
2801 Words | 12 Pages

Jane Austen lived in a period at the turn from the eighteenth century to the nineteenth century, which was a period of mixed thoughts, which conflicted all the times. Among all the conflicts, the most important one was the disparity in social status between men and women. Not only men’s status was in the center of the society but also common people thought it was right that men were much more important than women were. In those days girls were neither allowed nor expected to study much because they did not have to work for a living. They were supposed to stay at home and look beautiful in order to get suitable husbands.

Read More
1485 Words | 6 Pages

Jane goes against the expected type by “refusing subservience, disagreeing with her superiors, standing up for her rights, and venturing creative thoughts” (Margaret, 1997, p. 325-346). She is not only successful in terms of wealth and position, but more importantly, in terms of family and love. These two needs that have evaded Jane for so long are finally hers. Adding to her victory is her ability to enjoy both without losing her hard-won independence. Everybody has the rights to pursue happiness, to pursue the true spirit of life, which can be seen from Jane Eyre’s struggle for independence and equality.

Read More
805 Words | 4 Pages

Topic: Marriage in “Jane Eyre” In “Jane Eyre” Charlotte Brontë rejects the traditional role of women subdued by social conceptions and masculine authority by generating an identity to her female character. Thesis: Jane´s personality will bring into being a new kind of marriage based on equality, meanwhile her choice for romantic fulfilment will depend solely on her autonomy and self-government. Introduction Charlotte Brontë´s “Jane Eyre” stands as a model of genuine literature due to the fact that it breaks all conventions and stereotypes and goes beyond the boundaries of common romance in order to obtain love, identity and equality. 1.

Read More

More about Gender Stereotypes In Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

Related Topics

Open Document