Feminist Agenda in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre: Pros and Cons

“Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel… 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”

The classic work of literature “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte was first published in
1847 and had a big influence on society. This book attracted many people in the past and
attracts many people in our days. “Jane Eyre” is the first, and I think the most powerful and
popular novel, which reflects a modern view of the position of women in society. Since its
publication, many people have looked at it from different angles. Using the examples of the
heroes and their relationship in Bronte's book “Jane Eyre”, I would like to consider the pros
and cons of feminism and it`s importance in literature.
Firstly, I would like to describe the era in which the work was written. During the
Victorian period, society was ruled by men and dominated by men, and women were obeyed
by the voice of men. It is impossible for a woman of low status to have a good life or a good
marriage. Women are discriminated in a patriarchal society even now, but in Victorian age it
reached the top of public pressure . Victorian people believed that people wasn`t born the
same, high-ranking people despised low-ranking people, and men was superior to women.
Consequently, women like Jane are treated differently in all areas. When Jane realizes an
unfair situation, she constantly rebels for her basic right to equality. This reflects well Jane's
determination and persistence in her struggle for self-realization as a feminist woman.
The most important advantage of feminism in the book can be considered that it forces
readers to compare themselves with the main character, think about stereotypes and push for
changes in their thinking. It is very important to write about such things, to make them
public, because the problem can be solved only by talking about it.
The first example of a hero who went against the rules is Jane Eyre's mother, who,
being a girl from a wealthy family, marries a simple vicar, begins to defend her right to love.
It was a very serious and responsible event for woman.
Girls of that time were brought up to be weak and indifferent personalities, taught to
completely obey their fathers, brothers and then their husbands. For a girl of that time, the
meaning of life was marriage. In Bronte's book, Jane also dreams of marriage, but she is
motivated not by the fear of being an old maid and the pressure of society, but by a pure
feeling of love.
I noted that all book is structured to highlight the protagonist and her personality.
Therefore, from the very beginning of her life, Jane is surrounded by rude and angry people
who refuse her care and even humiliate her. Thus, the strength of the character's spirit is
emphasized, as well as her certain fragility, defenselessness.
As a negative example, I can mention Jane aunt, Miss Reed. I believe that in any
educated and developed society, women should support other women, and mothers should
not use stereotypes about the “weaker female sex”. Mrs. Reed dislikes Jane for her simple
appearance, her ability to stand up for herself, and especially her strong and hot temper. Mrs.
Reed seems to us terrible and cruel, but, unfortunately, I do not think that victorian readers
will find much bad in her.
The next advantage is that the dissemination of the theme of feminism may help to
break patriarchal system. In Jane Eyre, nearly all of the male characters — St. John Rivers,
John Reid, Edward Rochester — all take up patriarchal positions of one kind or another. The
first and youngest of the representative is John Reed: the heroine's cousin, a reckless, bully,
rude boy. He only offends Jane because she is different from him and can stand up for
herself.
The next important male figure is Mr. Edward Rochester, Jane's lover and her future
husband. Here I can single out one of the few cons of the agendas of feminism in the book
 speaking of women's rights, some people forget that men are also under pressure from
society. For example, Mr. Rochester does not fit the criteria for the ideal patriarchal
Victorian. He is liberal, non-standard and irreligious, he does not care about gender, class
and race. In most cases, he is in conflict with the so-called traditional patriarchal rules, does
not follow patriarchal ideals and has a desire to change them. He challenges the marriage
system and destroys unfair relationships between men and women.
Meeting Rochester and falling in love with him reflected feminism in Jane and her
new thoughts. She believes that they are equal and should respect each other, we can see this
in her words: “I do not think, sir, you have a right to command me, merely because you are
older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to
superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.”
 When the heroine is touched by his sincerity, they fall deeply in love. But during their
wedding, she discovers the fact that Rochester had a legal wife. The news is heartbreaking to
Jane, and it leaves her trapped in a dilemma: stay or go. Although she had a deep affection
for Rochester, she could not tolerate this in her marriage. She will not give up her
independence and self-respect. Therefore, she decided to leave her beloved and wanted to
start a new life. And this is another advantage of feminism, since over time it changes the
attitude of society towards marriage: now a woman is not obliged to get married without
love.
In a sense, Rochester is trying to buy Jane with a mirage of wealth. But Jane
constantly rejects jewelry as it has nothing to do with real life. She knows very well that if
she marries him, she will completely lose her identity, even her personal name, and she will
be identified in her husband's name. In the beginning, Jane was not ready to marry him due
to patriarchal views, but when he changed, he received his reward of marriage. Jane chooses
a happy ending with an equal marriage. And I would like to note that the last chapter began
with the fact that Jane wrote “Reader, I married him”, and not “Reader, he married me”.
For Rochester, Jane is a kind of trophy, he pays a lot of attention to Jane and begins a
kind of courtship, but she doesn't need much. It is easy for him to conquer this girl, only
certain moral principles keep Jane from the fatal step of marriage with him. But Mr.
Rochester continues to play a “noble man” and arranges a “wedding”. The consequences of
this wedding will be terrible for Jane, but not especially for Mr. Rochester. Will a man who
really love an innocent and defenseless girl behave this way? I think it was not love, but
passion.
And the last, but not least, example is Saint John. The power-hungry Saint John is a
cruel patriarchal villain. His inhuman religious enthusiasm and agenda serve as a vehicle for
male dominance. He became a combination of complacency, a superiority complex, and a
God complex. Although, like Brocklehurst, St. John also uses religious dogma as an
instrument of control Jane and brags about his power. Saint John sees Jane as his future wife,
wants to marry her and take her with him to India to be missionaries.
Jane Eyre cannot accept him because his love will be “one of duty, not of passion”. He
only proposes to Jane because he thinks Jane Eyre is a good choice for a missionary wife. He
finds Jane Eyre obedient, firm and steadfast. Because he just needs such an assistant. He just
finds her comfortable to use for his purposes. I believe that respect and love excludes the use
of a person for their own purposes. A loving person should give his partner the opportunity
to develop the way he wants, and not in order to serve him. Jane Eyre insists that true love
should be based on equality, understanding and respect. Therefore, she refuses John's offer.
The author raises the topic of women's independence. Because of love, you cannot
lose your head and betray your dreams and aspirations. A woman has the right to pursue her
goals. A man and feelings for him should not limit her. Women's life is not only about
raising children and serving husband. Jane doesn`t afraid to express her feelings and to show
her weakness, we can see it in her words: “Do you think I am an automaton?–a machine
without feelings?...” For the woman of her age it was challenge to society, which viewed as
something bad and shameful.
I want to add another expression of a strong woman and feminism to the image of Jane
Eyre. Jane considered herself as an ugly and plain girl, which we can see in this quote: “And
if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth…” From childhood, everyone
around her considered her appearance unattractive, considered it necessary to tell her about
it, it is not surprising that as growing up, this prejudice was already hammered into her head.
What is surprising is that she is completely free of misogyny towards other girls. She is very
kind to them. Jane sincerely admires the beauty, character and talents of the girls around her,
she is not characterized by hypocrisy and envy. This is especially true in relation to Diana
and Mary Rivers, who represent the ideal feminine strength and, therefore, are also positive
role models. She does not envy their beauty and talent, on the contrary, as a strong self-
sufficient woman, she admires them.
Jane demands equality, autonomy and power for women, strongly condemns intolerant
patriarchal designs. She is an independent woman looking for true love and equality. Jane
goes against the expected pattern of the era, refusing to obey, asserting her rights and daring
to think creatively.
Summing up, I want to say that of the shortcomings of feminism, I can only note that
such a book may be incomprehensible to people with conservative views, it can be
interpreted in different ways due to the lack of education in this topic. At one time, this book
made a splash. Unfortunately, even in our time there are people who believe that it makes no
sense for women to fight for their rights, that they already have everything. But this is not so,
it is necessary to talk and talk a lot about it. Jane Eyre is a perfect example of this.