Hey guys!
I'm partnered with Stephanie, who is two posts down. We broke it down so I am relating everything to Jane Eyre. I found as i was reading Jane Eyre I noticed the treatment of women throughout the whole novel.
When Jane Eyre was first introduced to the Lowood Institution she noticed a scripture that was engraved above the door. This scripture told the young girls that were a part of this institution to, “ ‘Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven’-- St. Matt. V.16,” (Bronte 109). The fact that this scripture was one of the first things that stood out to Jane upon reaching Lowood is important to notice, because it is essentially telling these girls that they are living their lives for the men that surround them; that they must work to please these men. This notion of men’s superiority over women and women’s need to serve men is continued on throughout Jane’s time at Lowood. It is seen again as Mr. Brocklehurst visits the Institution and insists that all the children’s hair must be cut off. He tells Miss Temple, “ ‘Madam,’ he pursued, “I have a Master to serve whose kingdom is not of this world: my mission is to mortify these girls the lusts of the flesh; to teach them to clothe themselves with shame-facedness and sobriety, not with braided hair and costly apparel; and each of the young persons before us had a string of hair twisted in plaits which vanity itself might have woven: these, I repeat, must be cut off,’” (127). Mr. Brocklehurst admits to the fact that he is trying to teach these young girls to be shameful of themselves, that they have no right to be pleased with themselves but must only yearn to please others.
Not only does Jane have to dress and do her hair to please men when she is at the Lowood Institution, but when she is in the presence of Mr. Rochester at Thornfield hall she also has to worry about her fashion. When Jane is first invited to join Mr. Rochester for tea she inquires Mrs. Fairfax if she should change her frock. Mrs. Fairfax replies by saying that whenever Mr. Rochester is around she dresses “for the evening,” so Jane replaces her black stuff dress with a black silk one, which was one of her best ones (189). This makes it clear that women in Victorian society were expected to dress to impress the men around them at all times, that they must always take time to look presentable.
As Jane grows up and moves from Lowood to Thornfield-Hall she begins to question the stereotypical qualities that have been forced upon her since she was a child. As readers, we rarely become aware of Jane’s feelings and what she is thinking, but finally she explains to us how she feels about these stereotypes that she has had to live up to. She explains that “Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; the need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex,” (178). Jane understands that within Victorian society it is customary for women to get married or work as a governess, but she finds this hard to live with. She is frustrated by the fact that there are such different standards for her because she is a female, and wants the ability to live with the same amount of freedom that men do.
Hope this is helpful to everyone!
Sources
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Peterborough, Ontario, Canada: Broadview Press, 2004. Print.
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