Emre OĞRAŞ Oğraş1

20143360041
IDE209 Research Techniques and Academic Writing I
Asst. Prof. Dr. Emine ŞENTÜRK

WOMEN’S ROLE IN JANE EYRE

Jane Eyre is a novel written by Charlotte Brontê. It is a love story between a girl called

Jane Eyre and a man called Rochester, but there are more important things rather than love. In

this paper, I aim to show the class distinction, namely rank system, with all the details of

romanticism occurred in Jane Eyre. The author writes this novel as first point of narration in

order to make sense in some parts of the novel. She wants to figure out the problems of

society in the 19th centuries.

First of all, in the 19th century, people were generally divided in terms of wealth. In

this sense, women were seen inferior to men since they did not hold work positions by

themselves. In Jane Eyre, we have a protagonist who strives for gaining a significant role in

the Victorian society. To illustrate this, we need to analyze the childhood of the main

character of this novel. The author firstly starts to describe the daily life of an excluded girl.

As Brontê states that “ …that I was endeavouring in good earnest to acquire a more sociable

and childlike disposition, a more attractive and sprightly manner –something lighter, franker,

more natural, as it were- she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for

contented, happy, little children”(7). As it is seen from this quotation that there is a girl who

wants to be full of life, but her life does not let it happen. Be seated somewhere; and until you

can speak pleasantly, remain silent (Brontê 8).

Emre OĞRAŞ Oğraş2
20143360041
IDE209 Research Techniques and Academic Writing I
Asst. Prof. Dr. Emine ŞENTÜRK

Secondly, we actually see the main reason for Charlotte Brontê’s writings is that the

events in her real life reflect the reality in Jane Eyre. The following quotation will be

completely translated from Turkish to English by me. Charlotte Brontê praises Jane Eyre who

aims to fix degenerate and irregular society of the era. In her real life, she loves Thackeray

and his wife is a mental patient and we know that Jane’s lover is Rochester and his wife is one

of a mental patient like Thackeray’s wife in Jane Eyre (Urgan 1157).

Finally, Jane Eyre is a governess, a conscious woman because of her awareness after

hardships which she experienced in her life. She is such a proud girl that she rejects the

marriage proposal of Rochester whom she loves because of the feelings of inferiority because

she does not see that the wealthy and rich life is suitable for her. There is a dialogue in Jane

Eyre:

“… I entreat to accept me as a husband.”

“What, me!” I ejaculated, beginning in his earnestness-and especially in his incivility-

to credit his sincerity: “me who have not a friend in the world but you- if you are my friend:

not a shilling but what you have given me.”

“You, Jane, I must have you for my own- entirely my own. Will you be mine? Say

yes, quickly.”

“Mr. Rochester, let me look at your face: turn to the moonlight.”

“Why?”

“Because I want to read your countenance-turn!” (Brontê 333)

Emre OĞRAŞ Oğraş3
20143360041
IDE209 Research Techniques and Academic Writing I
Asst. Prof. Dr. Emine ŞENTÜRK

There is an ironic expression in this dialogue. We can infer from this text that Jane

Eyre cannot trust men easily. The main important issue in her life is reliability. She does not

decide immediately on any subject.

As Mia Wasikowska plays as Jane Eyre in the Movie called Jane Eyre (2011) directed

by Cary Fukunaga, she says that “Am I a machine without feelings? ... I’m free human being

with an independent” (01:18:18-01:18:58). Therefore, we can see Jane Eyre as a person who

can control her emotions and she considers herself as free. That’s why she has a way of life

that she can overcome everything.

To sum up, Jane Eyre is considered as one of the greatest literary works written in the

Victorian period. It portrays the women’s place very deeply analyzed and depicted drastically

the class division seen in the 19th century. The literary work shows us how a woman has a role

in social structure of the society. The whole events in all chapters are about how to manage

feelings of independence and how to think rationally.

Work Cited

1- ) Urgan Mîna. İngiliz Edebiyat Tarihi. İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları, 2015. Print.

2- ) Brontê Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Scholastic Paperback, 2004. Print.

3- ) Jane Eyre. Dir. Cary Fukunaga. Universal Pictures, 2011. DVD.