Imperialism in Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre - Essay Example

The trend of subordination and domination of the wealthy and powerful nations of the world on less powerful and underdeveloped territories has been continuously depicted in several major literary works. The institutionalized creation and preservation of an unequal economic and cultural interaction among their citizens, and the master-slave relationship between the empire and the conquered seemed to be the source of inspiration for some writers. Whether they support imperialism or abhor its practices, there is no doubt that a lot of literary geniuses showed interest in this subject. In the Victorian product Jane Eyre, a post-colonial examination of Charlotte Bronte’s masterpiece would entail that a pervasive imperialist culture overwhelmed the English society during that period and that the authoress (subtly) demonstrated her objection against it.

Jane’s Experiences

The character of the protagonist Jane Eyre is the center of a struggle that is purely based on class. As an orphan, Jane suffered the consequences of poverty even though she is educated. Getting meager income from being a governess, she found herself in a low social standing -- hence, powerless. As a woman, she also experienced the vicious treatment of men in a patriarchal society (Morris, 1999). 

Due to these experiences, Jane identified herself with the millions in fervent yet silent revolution against such inequalities. By studying her dialogues, it can be observed that Jane compared herself to a champion for the slaves who struggled hard for the attainment of freedom and the eradication of oppression, in a very indirect way. In her own terms, she fought against the notion that men are superior to women and attempted to subdue men's unjust treatment of women can always be justified. Although Jane acknowledged the fact that the social and economic as well as cultural inequalities are realities that she needed to embrace, she remained firm in her belief that a time will come when ‘people will be liberated from such hell-like conditions’ (Glen, 1997). A feminist in her own right, Jane remarked:

Women suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. 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. (Dunn & Bronte, 2001, p.99)

Britain’s Colonial Rule

The Victorian era marked Britain’s international expansion of power, wealth, and culture. The empire, which included India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa, Hong Kong Gibraltar, Rhodesia and several islands in the West Indies and various colonies on the African coast, was the biggest in the world during the period. Generally, the prevailing attitude of the British about the view that the English were destined to rule the world and that they had the supreme responsibility to instill culture to the ‘uncivilized’ was a key factor in its exploration and subjugation of peoples. This was heavily examined by Bronte, which can be gleaned from her works particularly in Jane Eyre (Berg, 1987).   

Although the author distanced herself on the issue of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, she still tackled slavery in some of her works. In the novel, Jane eventually inherited the wealth of her uncle which was derived from Madeira, a fictitious British colony. In an honorable manner, she divided the amount and the estates she obtained among her cousins. However, it should be pointed out that because of this inheritance sourced from slave colonies, Jane obtained the freedom that she longed for (Bell, 2008).