Examine the view that in the literature of love, male characters are presented as coming to the rescue of female characters in their time of need.
In the literature of love, particularly within the context of the Gothic and Victorian novel, thematic representation of the damsel in distress is frequently explored. Situating female characters in an inherent position of vulnerability, the stylistic usage of this classic archetype traditionally reflects hegemonically patriarchal ideas of the author’s own cultural and social context. Repressing female autonomy, European tales such as Rapunzel and Snow White situate the embodiment of the eternal feminine in a critical predicament, in desperate need of a chivalrous prince to come to her aid and save her and subsequently marry her. This notion is continually explored by Charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre through the inherent depiction of Mr. Rochester as an intellectual and emotional outlet for Jane. Additionally, the establishment of a dichotomized social hierarchy between the two characters highlights the way in which Mr. Rochester financially assists Jane. This notion is further reinforced when one analyzes Jane’s conclusive marriage to Mr. Rochester, which inevitably provides her with a sense of financial security, particularly due to the patriarchal constraints of the Victorian era. However, it’s
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Reflective of Victorian hegemonic norms, Mr. Rochester rescues Jane financially, emotionally and intellectually throughout and enables her to escape her inevitable fate as a poor governess. Despite this, Jane is primarily characterized as an autonomous, independent being with a free will. This depiction is radical for Bronte’s context and inherently subverts the gender inequality present in the classic trope of the heroic male love interest coming to the rescue of the vulnerable
Rochester. Mr. Rochester asserts his dominance upon Jane, “‘Miss Eyre, I beg your pardon. The fact is, once for all, I don't wish to treat you like an inferior: that is' (correcting himself), ‘I claim only such superiority as must result from twenty years' difference in age and a century's advance in experience’” (Bronte 332). Namely, Jane has once again become the inferior.
Finally, the details about society show that Jane recognizes the standards of her victorian society and needs to abide by them. After Jane had thought awhile, she no longer “felt justified in judging” Mr. Rochester and Blanche for “acting in conformity to ideas and principles instilled into them.” Though Jane wishes to be loved by Mr. Rochester, she comes to the realization that rich men do not marry lower-class women in her
Both characters, venturing out of their gender roles, find ways to compliment and figure out who the other person really is, and, in the end, a burgeoning love fully blooms. When examining the gender roles of Mr. Rochester and Jane, both are a blend of each and life seems better when conventional gender roles are forgotten. In Rochester and Jane’s first meeting, the two begin to show their blended gender roles immediately. Rochester is first described as having a “dark face” with “stern features”, with a complexion that seems, “ireful and thwarted” (146).
Her refusal to submit to her social destiny shocked many Victorian readers when the novel was first released and this refusal to accept the forms, customs, and standards of society made it one of the first rebellious feminism novels of its time (Gilbert and Gubar). This essay will discuss the relationships Jane formed with the men she encountered throughout the novel and will attempt to identify moments of patriarchal oppression within the story. The first act of patriarchal oppression Jane experiences is quiet early on it the novel, during her childhood years spent at Gateshead. It is here where she must endure to live
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.
You think me an unfeeling, loose-principled rake: don't you?” (Brontë 313). {Rochester is honest with Jane as he tells her that he is in need of someone for his own convenience. He even tells her that he got tired of them rather quickly because, even though he is not intelligent, he knows when woman are good for him or not. He seems to be ashamed of himself for telling Jane and being so wantful of women but not being able to actually love them.}
Rochester was a major influence on Jane as this was a critical time she was maturing, yet she did not let him get in the way of her work. The work that was expected of her what always her top priority, Rochester was her second. “I believe he is of mine;—I am sure he is,—I feel akin to him,—I understand the language of his countenance and movements: though rank and wealth sever us widely, I have something in my brain and heart, in my blood and nerves, that assimilates me mentally to him” (Bronte 266). The relationship between Rochester and Jane was undeniable.
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.
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.
Jane Eyre: A Quest for True Happiness Charlotte Bronte’s classic heartfelt novel entitled “Jane Eyre” depicts how an unloved orphan constantly wishes for affection and acceptance throughout her life. Even at an early age in life, she never truly understood what it meant to be “loved” and what it means to “love” others. With this, maturing into a young lady definitely opened her eyes to the realities of life. Moreover, the novel also depicts a patriarchal society where women aren’t respected with dignity and equality. In this coming of age novel, discover how a young woman courageously faced her fears and triumphed with love in the end.
(Bronte 292). When Jane sustains the courage to stand up to Rochester’s remarks, he starts to admire her more and more for her need to rebel and her grasp to attain freedom, and begins to love her. Rochester feels this way because despite his social status, he has feelings that equal the intensity of Jane’s. They marry because
The titular Jane in Jane Eyre struggles to free herself from the power of others to achieve independence throughout the course of the book. As a child, she fights against unjust authority figures, and as an adult, she spurs multiple unequal marriage proposals. Bronte, through Jane asserts that a woman should be independent from others. When Jane was young, she tried to free and defend herself from unjust authority figures. When Jane 's aunt unfairly confines Jane to the Red Room, Jane launches into a verbal diatribe against her aunt.
Charlotte Doyle in the beginning of the novel started as a prim and proper young lady, the daughter of a cotton manufacturer and her father know the ships and her mother is a good women and is wealthy, a good student at the Barrington School for Good Girls. she was thirteen years old, she already has preconceived notions about proper behavior for eighteen century girls. However, gets turned upside down when she finds herself to be the only girl on a boat bound for America and her other family wasn't their on the boat with her . The niceties of polite society soon become a distant memory; the food is awful, there's nowhere to wash up, and, to top it all off, the crew stages, she has to get used to it so she stop doing her hair after the accident
Charlotte Bronte takes us on a journey from the point which Jane Eyre, the protagonist lives with her aunt and cousins whom very much dislikes her in Gateshead to her going to a boarding school in Lowood, after which she becomes a governess in Thornfield where she falls in love with Mr. Rochester her employer whom she later finds out is married to a mad woman by the name of Bertha Mason, upon her discovery of this she picks up and leaves Thornfield, she then ends up at Marsh End where he meets her relatives. The novel carries us through ever important event in her life, which introduces us to new aspects of her personality, up until her eventual marriage to Mr. Rochester. The novel fits this theme as its protagonist chooses individualism as she refuses to take the role subservience as that of a traditional female of the Victorian era society, she stands up for her rights and want she believes in, she ventures in her own unique thoughts, and stands by her views even if it means disagreeing with those superior to her. Jane comments on the role of women in society and the greater constraint imposed on them. V.S Naipaul’s
- Edward is an economically independent man with a favorable status and influential connections still looking for a profitable match. Jane will be the one in charge to unmask him to the audience: “I saw he was going to marry her [Blanche Ingram] for family, perhaps political reasons, because her rank and connections suited him” (Brontë 205) This manner of conduct converts Mr. Rochester from a hero into a villain, a perpetrator and “his project of