Representations of women in Jane Eyre
... Charlotte published her first novel “The Professor” in 1847 but it did not do well at all, compared to her second novel “Jane Eyre” which appears in the Cannon of English Literature. During the 19th Century women were seen only as trophies, there to cling on to the arms of men – it was thought that they could never achieve anything on their own. Women were seen as; submissive, dependant, beautiful but ignorant. The story of Jane Eyre is about an independent woman trying to overcome all the oppression she faces throughout her life, from society and from those that are supposed to care for her the most. Jane Eyre is the story of a young girl growing up into a woman. ... Jane gets sent away to school were she meets a good friend Helen, who teaches Jane about the hardships of life, although Helen dies later on Jane keeps Helen’s wise words in her mind always. Jane grows older and becomes governess to a young girl Adele who is the illegitimate child of her employer Mr Rochester. ... Mr Rochester when he told Jane he was happy about the way she had helped Adele, “I have examined Adele, and find you have taken great pains with her. ... ” Jane Eyre was written in subjective narrative voice which means we only hear Jane’s own point of view, which is bias as we don’t get to hear other people’s views of events that happen in the story. Upper class women had to show that they had money to make themselves look good like Blanche Ingram; Lady Ingram’s daughter who was greatly respected and loved, she was; beautiful, lively, materialistic but greedy. Blanche wanted everything she could get her hands on even though she was very wealthy she wanted to be with Mr Rochester to add to her wealth not for love but for money, Blanche and Mr Rochester were seen as on an equal level on Mr Rochester’s return to Thornfield Hall Blanche rode along with him, she was the only women to do so, showing she has a mind of her own. ... Jane was an unusual character for that period of time, unlike other women Jane was; Independent and had great morality. Jane wanted to show that it was possible for any woman to achieve independence and success no matter what odds were against them. Jane also had to deal with the oppression women faced, she had a strong attitude towards those who bullied others, and Mr Rochester is an example of this, Jane is expected to; sympathise with Mr Rochester’s every problem, to do chores, and to love him if he asked - Jane rebels against his demands (only to fall in love with him anyway).