Victorian Women

Bronte successfully presents an independent woman struggling for her life within the patriarchal
system at that time in the Victorian era through her invented character, Jane Eyre. Jane as the
main character is an orphan suffering from discrimination and oppression in her childhood to
adulthood.The concept of “pater Family” where men is the autonomous figure of the household,
where an ideal Victorian women were considered as secondary to their husband and this whole
structure is tied with the bond of patriarchy where women were brought up for handling the
domestic sphere, weren't expected to express their opinions, or read and write their views where
as Jane being a women having her own identity is one of the main notion that counters
patriarchy. Indeed, she believes men are "narrow-minded" to suggest women should satisfy
themselves with domestic pursuits.

Bronte’s Jane attained autonomy on a certain level where she boldly experienced her ways
throughout the novel. In Fact, Charlotte wrote the novel without highlighlighting author’s gender
reflects the scabrous condition of women during the 18th century.As a parentless child, Jane is
dependent on the assistance of others around her for her continued existence, which puts her in a
class lower than people whose lives are based on working. Because of this, she is deemed and
shown contempt by the Reeds, her family relatives, at Gateshead, and forced to believe that she
owes them an excessive amount for looking after her.

This section deals with the third phase of Jane’s life where she begins her career as a governess
in Thornfield. Now during the victorian era women were not allowed to make their own
individual identity and if they wish to do so they had an option of settling themselves as
governess.A good example of this is when Blanche Ingram’s refers to Jane Eyre as Adele’s
governess “Why, I suppose you have a governess for her; I saw a person with her just now. Is she
gone? Oh, no there she is still behind the window-curtain” (Bronte pg. 155). Here Blanche
Ingram and others are dismissively talking about Jane and governesses overall. In the time period
that Jane lived in where governesses were said to have no social status worthy of attention, they
might be considered lower than servants.

However, the barriers stated in the novel are not only concerned with Jane Eyre but also with
others. Blanche Ingram couldn't inherit the property of his father might be because women had
no right on their father’s property, the reason she lacks behind to cross the barrier of hegemony
juxtaposed to Austen’s Pride and Prejudice where Bennet Sisters had no access to make their
own individual place in the society in fact they were born to be married.
The “Madwomen in the Attic”, Bertha Mason is one of the central characters in Jane Eyre who
struggled to fight against the patriarchal normatic society. Bertha was brought up as an
independent woman, bold and courageous enough, though she was compelled to marry
Rochester in order to attain rights over her property just like Ingram did.

It is said, Feminism being a social movement encourages women to defy the societal norms put
forward by patriarchy but if a women attempt to subvert the system was labelled as ‘mad’.
Bertha being a Victorian woman was far ahead of her time, she could be just like any other 21st
century woman, nevertheless many critics attempted to question her aggression and drunkenness
does not suit the qualities of a Victorian woman. My question to the critics as well as the author
would be that is it correct to term a woman as “mad” on the basis of her contradictory qualities,
an imprisoned woman is not expected to behave normally even in the 21st century.

Bronte’s representation of good women and Bad women has been defined with two central
characters of the novel.Both Jane and Bertha suffer from patriarchal oppression but their
reactions to the situation acts in a different manner.The phrase “Angel of the house” is taken
from a title of a Victorian poem by Coventry Patmore.”Every Women has its Angel” says
Virginia Woolf infi=act she believes that every Victorian house has its angel who is responsible
for the domestic world. ‘Angel afflicts a great deal of harm in Woolf's life which constrains her
to not to hold ink in her life, pleading with her to praise the social normatic life being followed
by the Angels and that's how the petty patriarchal structure works.

Author defines Jane as docile, submissive, independent just like a working woman while on the
other hand Bertha is described as the bad woman who outburst her frustration of being engaged
in the patriarchal agreement. Despite the fact both being suppressed by the society, Bronte
portrays them through a different light.The novel sets up in the Victorian era gives us the liberty
to experience different aspects reflect throughout , we as readers need to grasp the way
characters portray their roles from the pov of several themes reflected whether it is Jane being
‘Angelic’ or Bertha being a ‘Madwoman’. Things are different in 21th century where women
like Bronte and Woolf can express their thoughts freely but even today if they wish to aim a goal
beyond the level or which is unacceptable by the patriarchal world they would probably face
some serious obstacles in their lives.

Name : Sneha Dhawan

Class : BA English Honors
Roll No. 20203639