What do you think of when you think about the word ‘woman’? Personally, I think of strength and perseverance. These two words are also very prevalent in the novel ‘Jane Eyre’, where the main character Jane has many obstacles thrown at her throughout her lifetime. The role of women is something that has changed over the years. It has shifted from women being the stay-at-home moms, cleaning and cooking all day. To women pushing their rights to be able to work and vote. In the novel ‘Jane Eyre’, we were able to learn about the different places that Jane visited and get an insight on the type of people that live there. In this book we learn that the main character Jane is pretty independent. She lost her parents at a young age and was placed in her aunt’s care, which we all know that she was not treated fairly. I think that what Jane has went through encouraged her to be an independent woman, and that she does not have to rely on anyone else. The moral of the story is that, Jane believes that although women do have their assigned roles of either being a housewife or a working woman with not a lot of power compared to men, they still are able to remain strong and persevere in fighting for what is right, which could be as simple as standing up for yourself. One important character that we could see Jane standing up to in the novel would be Mrs. Reed.
Throughout our lives, we learn a lot about the people we surround ourselves with. The same situation is evident in this novel, as we learn a lot about the character, Mrs. Reed. This character is Jane’s aunt, who promised her dead husband that she would raise Jane as one of her own, which we find out does not exactly happen. You could describe Mrs. Reed’s lifestyle as Victorian because this woman has very high standards for her children and herself. She also has certain views on what is considered right and what is considered wrong, while following the guidelines set by society. Mrs. Reed is wealthy, and she spoils her two daughters while pretty much neglecting Jane. In this relationship you are able to see mistreatment of the poor by a wealthy person. In the text we learn how angry Mrs. Reed can be when Jane speaks out. When Jane made a comment to Mrs. Reed sticking up for herself, “she ran nimbly up the stairs, swept me like a whirlwind into the nursery, and crushing me down on the edge of my crib, dared me in an emphatic voice to rise from that place, or utter one syllable, during the remainder of the day” (27). This quote exposes the power that Mrs. Reed holds over Jane and does not believe that Jane has the right to stand up to her. Jane put in the effort to stand up for herself, and that is when Mrs. Reed took control, as she believes that as a motherly figure she is in charge and what she says goes. The treatment that Jane received from Mrs. Reed encouraged Jane to stand up for herself, even at times where she is not known as a ‘person of power’. Mrs. Reed taught Jane, that she does not deserve this treatment from anyone, and we will see that belief later in the novel as she stands up too many others. From then on, we are able to see that Jane follows her own path and will not be influenced by anyone, which I think represents strength in a woman.
In my head, I believe that Jane is saying that the moral of the story is that we should not be afraid to stand up for what is right no matter who you are. Jane stands up for herself multiple times in this story. I believe that she stood up to St. John Rivers towards the end of the book to allow her to get what she wanted, which was to be with Rochester. St. John tried so hard to get Jane to marry him and assured her that their marriage would be a positive thing, but Jane could never give in because she felt as if she was being used in a way because she would only be a good missionary wife for St. John. Jane believed that she was more than this, which is why she could not be with St. John. Many women will just listen to a man and marry him because she would have a good life, but Jane will not do this as she knows she is worth more than that. If Jane were to marry St. John, she would feel as if she was imprisoned. St. John made it very clear that Jane would serve as a good missionary, and Jane would feel as if she was trapped and was worth nothing more. Jane expresses her feelings by saying, “I repeat I freely consent to go with you as your fellow-missionary; but not as you wife; I cannot marry you and become part of you” (363). St. John keeps trying to make it work with Jane, and she likes the idea of being able to go to India to study a new language, but she cannot be his wife and would rather stay and do things on her own. This shows strength in Jane and teaches other women that you do not have to marry some man because he wants you to or your family wants you to. Jane teaches women that they are in charge of their decisions and that they have more power than they think.
The roles of women presented in ‘Jane Eyre’ were also found in the handout we were given in class. In a specific part of the handout, during the Victorian period, women were working really hard to earn the rights to vote. The handout states: “The position of women, too, was rapidly changing during this period. The Married Women’s Property Act of 1882 allowed married women to own property in their own right, and women were admitted to universities at different times during the latter part of the century. Since the days of Mary Wollstonecraft, women in Great Britain had been arguing and lobbying for the right to vote”. They have been working on getting the right to vote for years, but they never gave up on this idea even though they did not have a voice in this matter. This goes with the moral of the story, which is never giving up on something, no matter how impossible it may seem. It may take time, but you may get the result you want in the end. Jane had a good experience ultimately with standing up with herself in the long run. Obviously, Mrs. Reed took a while to admit her mistakes, but she eventually did, and I believe that it gave Jane a sense of happiness when Mrs. Reed finally realized this, because she was able to learn a lot about Mrs. Reed and her feelings. When Jane stood up to St. John, it allowed her to finally be with her true love, Rochester. This also shows that good things can happen when you take a chance to stand up for what you believe in.
Although, the word feminist was not a word used in the Victorian period. I believe that the book ‘Jane Eyre’ focuses on the idea of this word. The character Jane is described as just a basic girl, who is not necessarily seen as beautiful by any of the men mentioned in this novel. As a character, Jane does not let anyone hold her back, as she is willing to stand up for what she believes is right. For example, Jane is aware that the treatment that she receives from Mrs. Reed is not fair. Instead of standing back and allowing this unfair treatment to happen, she stands up to Mrs. Reed and says: “You think I have no feelings, and that I can live without one bit of love or kindness; but I cannot live so; and you have no pity. I shall remember how you thrust me back—roughly and violently thrust me back into the red-room, and locked me up there—to my dying day; though I was in agony; …And that punishment you made me suffer because your wicked boy struck me…People think you a good woman; but you are bad—hard-hearted” (35). I think this was a really important part in the book, it shows that no matter who you are or where you sit on the social pyramid, you can try and make a change if there is something that is happening that you do not like. Although when Jane said this to Mrs. Reed, it did not change how she treated her, she still put in the effort to try and make things better for herself, which allowed her to not let people disrespect her and hold her back. Jane could be a role model to other women because she stood up to people with high class when they were disrespecting her. Like states earlier in my essay, Jane also stood up to St. John Rivers and let it be known that she was not interested in marrying him. Jane shows here that no other woman or man should be able to tell her what to do, and that she is capable of living her own life without being influenced by others.
At the end of this essay, I would hope you were able to understand what I believe to be the role of women in ‘Jane Eyre’. I believe that this book allowed us to see the different roles of women through Jane’s experiences throughout the novel. To Jane, it is important that women know their roles and that it is okay to go outside of their roles and that they should not be limited to the characteristics of their roles as it can hold them back and let people walk all over them just because they are a woman. Jane was able to put behind what people thought of her and was able to guide her own life. Of course, the things that people said to her made her upset, but it didn’t stop her from living her life how she believed it should be lived. Women should not be forced to follow the roles that are said to be followed. They should test the waters and try new things otherwise nothing will ever change. Just because you are a woman doesn’t mean you have to follow the guidelines for what a woman is supposed to be.