Essay on Women Oppressed in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre: Women Oppressed Gender is not a biological fact but a social construct. However, so many assumptions have been made in the attempt to define the terms gender and sex that society often defines gender as being solely male and female. The female sex has traditionally been oppressed due to inferences on physical and mental constraints that male-dominated society has imposed. As with culture, gender socialization begins with birth and the family structure, though many believe that specific events also have a great influence on the boundaries of gender. It has been suggested, for example, that schooling and education systems have a large responsibility in the formation of gender divisions. Gender differences have†¦show more content†¦For example, within the family, many women are expected to hold a job outside the home while acting as the primary caretaker of children. In some cases, though, the division of labor separates women from the workplace; The division of labor in the typical fami ly leaves most women far less capable than men of supporting themselves, and this disparity is accentuated by the fact that children of separated or divorced parents usually live with their mothers (17). Therefore, both females and youth are put at risk by the effects of gender separation on the family. Left orphaned and under the care of extended family, Jane Eyre faced oppression from a young age. Though strong-willed and independent with an unusual (and considered unnatural by some) brand of spunk, Jane worked hard to appease her aunt, Mrs. Reed, while at the same time representing everything that a young woman of the time should have shunned according to cultural practices; I dared commit no fault: I strove to fulfill every duty; and I was termed naughty and tiresome, sullen and sneaking, from morning to noon, and from noon to night (Brontà « 14). Hints from nursemaid Bessie were of no avail to Jane, You should try to be useful and pleasant, then perhaps, you would have a home here; but if you become passionate and rude, Missis will send you away, I am sure (12). Bessies words prophesized Janes future departure, but ten year-old Jane didShow MoreRelatedCharlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢S Writing Was Considered Controversial1019 Words   |  5 PagesCharlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s wri ting was considered controversial because of the position of the main character being opposite of what was represented by women in the time period. Her style of writing was influenced by her life, her loss of several family members and her sister’s similar styles of writing. Charlotte Brontà « was brought up among terrible conditions, with much loss and change in her lifetime. Charlotte Brontà « was born on April 21, 1816 as the third daughter of Maria Branwell and Reverend PatrickRead More The Oppressed Female in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre886 Words   |  4 PagesThe Oppressed Female in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontà « clearly demonstrates the relationship between sexuality and morality in Victorian society through the character of Bertha Mason, the daughter of a West Indian planter and Rochesters first wife. Rochester recklessly married Bertha in his youth, and when it was discovered shortly after the marriage that Bertha was sexually promiscuous, Rochester locked her away. Bertha is called a maniac and isRead MoreThe Exposure of Feminist Critique in 19th Century Literature: a Look at Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre1749 Words   |  7 Pagessatirical. Charlotte Brontà «, a 19th century Victorian feminist wrote her novel Jane Eyre as a means of exposing the confining environments, shameful lack of education, and pitiful dependence upon male relatives for survival (Brackett, 2000). Charlotte Brontà « used literature as a means of feminist cultural resistance by identifying the underlying factors of how the Victorian ideologies, gen der and social construction of that time was limiting, and brings to light barriers that faced women in the earlyRead MoreEssay on Jane Eyre - Challenging Victorian Beliefs1028 Words   |  5 PagesJane Eyre - Challenging Victorian Beliefs Charlotte Brontà « challenges the view that men are emotionally, socially and intellectually superior to women. Just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at Gods feet, equal - as we are! The 19th century was a period of oppression for women. The patriarchal system that dominated the Victorian period in Englands history, was one during which Charlotte Brontà « wrote and set the novel, Jane Eyre. Brontà « denounces the persecutionRead MoreThe Victorian Century Woman And A Victorian Woman Essay1079 Words   |  5 PagesWhat is the difference between a 21st century woman and a Victorian woman? Most women in the 21st century are exhilarating, lively, intelligent, passionate, and full of life, but who is to say that Victorian women were not? It is said that the typical Victorian woman must have â€Å"inherent qualities of femininity [such as:] emotion, passivity, submission, dependence, and selflessness† (Historical). Most of the Victorian women abode by these social standards and therefore could not speak their true thoughtsRead MoreJane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte1601 Words   |  7 Pagesfeminist’s beliefs would likely shock her, so to interpret t his novel as feminist, one must see it through the lens of the time and place Brontà « wrote it. Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s Jane Eyre was a feminist work in that Bronte expressed disdain for oppressive gender structures through the voice of Jane Eyre, and the actions of Bertha Mason. Jane Eyre was a steamy novel for its time, with imagery as blatantly concealed as Jane’s description of Rochester’s hand as being â€Å"rounded, muscular; and vigorous†¦longRead MoreCharlotte Bronte1859 Words   |  8 PagesCharlotte Bronte was born on April 21, 1816 at Thornton in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Charlotte was the oldest daughter of six kids in the Bronte household. She helped raise her brother, Branwell, and her two sisters, Emily and Anne. As Charlotte and her sisters grew up they started to grow a very vivid and creative imagination. They would play in made up kingdoms and would write stories and poems based on their childhood adventures. These writings that she developed with her sisters were theRead MoreConforming To Society’S Rules Is Not An Option For Everyone.1127 Words   |  5 Pagesorphan Jane Eyre. Jane lived during the Victorian Era in England. During this time period women did not have the same freedoms as men, so as of resul t women lived under constant oppression. Women had to suffer loveless marriages and the inability to survive without men. Not only, were women oppressed emotionally they were not able to be independent from men. Jane Eyre objects the rules of society and attempts to find passion and independence in her life. Within Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontà «, Jane Eyre’sRead MoreFunhouse Mirrors: Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason Essay1717 Words   |  7 PagesTim Bartlett ENG 396 March 23, 2011 Funhouse Mirrors: Jane Eyre and Bertha Mason â€Å"Jane Eyre† is a book centred around female duality. In a time when females were still expected to fulfill their â€Å"womanly duties,† Charlotte Bronte wrote a novel dealing with a woman’s view on morality sexuality, passion sensibility, and conformity insanity, among other themes. This motif of duality plays a strong part in the dynamism that makes up the book, and is not limited to the themes, but is also usedRead More Comparing the Quest for Self in Jane Eyre and Villete Essay3561 Words   |  15 PagesQuest for Self in Jane Eyre and Villete      Ã‚   Why is Villette so disagreeable? Because the writers mind contains nothing but hunger, rebellion and rage. Matthew Arnold, 1853.    Matthew Arnold was certainly forthcoming about the defects of both Charlotte Brontes   mind and of her novel. Indeed he was not alone in his reaction to her; Anne   Mozley in The Christian Remembrancer ;in April 1853 wrote in reaction to   Brontes other great work of rebellion, Jane Eyre, that she had