Charlotte Brontë ’s character Jane Eyre, is by far one of the most interesting and influential characters I have come across by. It is true what is said about the character Jane Eyre; she is far ahead of her time. When you think of the roles women had to play in the old days, what comes to mind? A very stereotypical answer I might presume. One would most likely think of a woman in those times to be a very reserved and polite lady. A lady who keeps her place in society, never contradicts her role, and never rebels to the norms of society. That is exactly what women were confined to in those days; a maternal person, who’s only role was to nurture children, and to be a loving housewife. Jane Eyre would conform to that role, but then at the same time, would not.
I found Jane Eyre to be a very inspirational character, especially in her time. She was very educated and polite, but she also knew when to say “No”. Jane Eyre was a very morally correct and respectable character in my opinion. Jane Eyre, being the religious person that she was, knew the difference between right and wrong. She was always very polite, but at the same time, she would not let herself be put down or degraded by others. Jane Eyre always believed and cherished her self respect, and would never do anything morally wrong. But as soon as her self respect was at risk in being degraded, she would react in a manner that might not have been very appropriate for woman to do so in those days. She wouldn’t just “Shut up and take it like a woman”. Needless to say, that is what basically women had to do in those days. Women had to conform with that role in order to survive.
I’m sure any governess would have jumped at the chance to marry Mr. Rochester, they would not have cared that he was already married. The only thing that would have mattered for a woman in those days; was that he was wealthy and was able to support her, and possibly even her children. Jane Eyre had the chance to marry Mr. Rochester, but she knew that it was wrong for her to do so, because he already has a living wife (even though his wife was mad and crazy). But what did Jane Eyre do? She ran away from Mr. Rochester, and all of the comforts at Thornfield. I am absolutely positive, that no other woman in those days would have done what Jane Eyre did. Being a woman, having little or no money, and no where to go; Jane Eyre was truly brave for doing what she did. Jane Eyre was a very independent young woman, and that was extremely rare for woman in those days. That is why I truly believe that Jane Eyre is a character that women should look up to, not only in her time, but in ours as well.
I agree with you that Jane Eyre was a most interesting woman. As far as for her being ahead of her time, I believe she helped set the precedence for women with minds of their own to come out of the shadow of men and come into the light. The mid 19th century was an era where women were treated no better than children, and did not stand up for fear of becoming disinherited by their male benefactor was a strong enough reason they stayed in their place. A woman with no financial support, or family members willing to offer them a place to stay would resort to living on the streets and selling her body to survive. Financial independence for a woman was unheard of back then, so for an educated woman on her own back then, she would have to work as a governess for means of supporting herself, and even then, she still would not be independent; since, the amount of her pay would be very meek. A young governess living in the home of a single rich man 10 years her senior could be easily manipulated by her master into doing things that would have been against her belief just for the basis of being employed. I also concur that Jane truly was a unique character; she kept her moral beliefs and did not succumb to Mr. Rochester’s wishes of being his bride after finding out his dark hidden secret. She made a bold move to leave behind everything she had, and set off into the world not knowing the fate of her existence with no financial support.
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