Thesis
The only option for women in the Victorian society is marriage, but
marriage is not freedom for them.
Back ground
From the times immemorial, men and women have been living together.
During primitive world, both man and woman were gatherers. Woman somehow shared
equal footing with men during those days. The society changed with the time,
and men began to suppress their companions as men got involved in more outdoor
gears. The sons and brothers turned to be oppressor and repressor of sisters
and their own mothers. Thus, the woman’s world was narrowed to the four walls.
Their freedom and their world is owned by what is referred by Mary
Wollstonecraft as a ‘supreme being’ (2000, p. 171).
Hazari, Shyam. Lethro L. Phuntsho, Sherub. "The world of
man-woman relationship in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre", School of Arts
and Humanities ,Sherubtse College,Kanglung, Bhutan B.A. Programme, 12:2
(2012)
3 comments:
I agree with the idea since I've read some articles about the marriage at that time, and I've read "Pride and Prejudice" written by Jane Austen, and the idea was reflected on the story as well.
In those sentences, women were described as a people with less freedom compared to men.
I'm sorry but I do not completely agree with this thesis. Women in that period at least had one option except marriage. That is to be a nun. The younger daughter of Mrs. Reed (I do not remember her name) is going to be a nun after leave Gateshead Hal.
Masa, your comment shows very good understanding and observation of the text. Eliza Reed does indeed become a nun at the end of the story. However, there are two points to notice. The first is that nuns are usually Catholic. The fact that Eliza goes to France suggests she also becomes a Catholic. The Church of England is a Protestant church, and Protestant nuns are quite unusual. Most English women of that period would not have considered becoming a nun.
The second thing I think it is worth noticing is that Bronte clearly does not approve of what Eliza does. Instead of learning how to deal with her emotions, Eliza is presented as repressing her feelings. Whereas St. John Rivers is presented as having a sincere religious calling, Bronte paints Eliza as choosing a wrong path.
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