The Nature and Function of Family for Jane Eyre - Essay Example

The Nature and Function of Family for Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Bennett Jane Austen and Charlotte Brontelived in a rapidly changing world, yet one in which half of its population still lived under rigid constraints and traditional expectations. However, men and women's roles were changing as a result of tremendous shifts in understandings as traditional economic and social structures moved from the fields to the factories and needs changed (Greenblatt). Young women suddenly found themselves capable of achieving much more than their mothers, but also underwent significant new pressures brought on by a variety of sources. It is not surprising that the world captured in Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre reflect some of the dynamics of these economic and social upheavals as they rippled through the country and restructured families as well as individuals. In both the real world and the fictional worlds of these novels, new roles also meant changes in the rigid system of manners that had typified the upper classes. This is reflected in the books as well since wealthy merchants and sailors began to afford the properties of the decadent rich who began losing their former status because of their traditional idle lifestyles (Priestley 60). Both Austen and Bronte introduce women who are thinking, feeling and reasonable people, planting the early seeds for the future feminist movements in characters such as Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre in the novel bearing her name. In both books, the nature and function of family is seen to be changing in the face of these changed female characters, yet they still play a significant role in the ability of these women to achieve their dreams. In the Victorian world, it is clear that one of a daughter’s principle responsibilities in life is to take care of her family in any way she can. This referred both to her family in terms of parents and siblings as well as her family in terms of husband and children. This frequently translated to making a strategic marriage that would provide the family with financial well-being into the future. This was because women were still significantly restricted in their abilities to earn a living. The young woman's personal feelings toward the man were rarely considered a sufficient reason to refuse any offer proposed. This concept is shown in Pride and Prejudice in the form of Charlotte Lucas’ decision to marry Mr. Collins. She accepts his proposal as a last act of desperation to secure the monetary security she needs to remove the burden from her parents rather than because she harbors any hope for a true emotional attachment. She reflects that "marriage was the only provision for well-educated young women of small fortune, and however uncertain of giving happiness, must be the pleasantest preservative from want" (65). However, Elizabeth operates under a new worldview in which the individual, son or daughter, has a right to expect some compatibility with the person they marry and to assess for themselves whether the match is appropriate (Bald 42). Despite the tremendous pressure her mother puts on her to accept Mr. Collins, placing the entire family's future welfare on her shoulders, Elizabeth cannot even think of considering a marriage in which happiness and true affection are not present. She gains this strength through the quiet but firm support of her father who believes her mind is as capable as his own. While her end goal remains to find a husband, Elizabeth has established her ground rules as first being someone who will respect her independent nature and permit her the flexibility to exercise it. She has the confidence to pursue this path because she knows she has the love and support of at least some of her family behind her. Many of these same pressures fall on the shoulders of Jane Eyre as she is expected to subsume her own personality to the benefit and wishes of her aunt after having been orphaned and left penniless. She has no independent income that might cause others to view her more favorably and must depend upon a selfish and domineering aunt for her support through childhood. However, she is also a willful child with different interests than those of her destructive cousins. It is ultimately her inability to sincerely conform to her aunt's expectations that incites her aunt’s ire. As a result of this lack of family support, Jane’s choices are narrowed significantly, the best option being that she can go to work as a governess if she manages to find a position in an already glutted marketplace. Throughout this early part of the book, she is shown to be a very thoughtful child, often thinking about the people around her and the ways of the world. Jane does her best to control her emotions and her behavior to meet the expectations of her benefactors, but the injustice she has received often overwhelm her sense of decency. By the time she arrives at her new school, Lowood, Jane has already developed her own philosophy on how to relate to other people she encounters in life: “If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way:  they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard” (60). Jane continues to question everything she is told to believe, indicating her own level of intelligence. Her understanding of God, shaped early by the hypocritical teachings of the adults around her, is characterized by this same deep questioning and analysis. Thus, her personality emerges as being something very similar to that of Elizabeth Bennett in that she is an independent thinker, insists on her right to continue to be an independent thinker and would rather choose to die alone as a governess than live life in an unhappy marriage lacking in mutual affection. However, Jane must constrain herself to a greater degree than Elizabeth simply because of her lack of external support from family as she leaves Lowood to pursue her professional career. In both novels, the female protagonist insists on a marriage of love in which she could be respected and honored for her own unique personality rather than her ability to conform to an ideal. Because of this, neither woman allows herself to give in completely to performing according to expectations where they differ from her individual inclinations. There are several examples within both novels when she gives herself the liberty of speaking her own mind. In Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth openly tells Mr. Darcy what she thinks of him before she knows anything directly about his character, demonstrating an unladylike confidence in her own opinions. Despite her sympathy for her friend, she also finds it impossible to keep her opinions to herself when Charlotte informs Elizabeth of her intention to marry Mr. Collins. “Whether married or single all Victorian women were expected to be weak and helpless, a fragile delicate flower incapable of making decisions beyond selecting the menu and ensuring her many children were taught moral values” (Thomas). Although it does not always help her and is often lamented by others as a negative element of her personality, this willful streak in Elizabeth also allows her to face down the intimidating Lady Catherine when cornered, explicitly stating her belief in a marriage for love: “I am only resolved to act in that manner which will, in my own opinion, constitute my happiness without reference to you, or to any person so wholly unconnected with me” (182). Despite her expected marriage to Mr. Darcy, this outspokenness persists in their relationship, shocking Georgiana into realizing a more human and pleasant side of her brother she hadn't previously suspected as well as more pleasant possibilities for her own future. Jane also insists on a marriage of mutual affection, but it is perhaps not something she has considered as much as Elizabeth Bennett. As has been discussed, Jane's lack of familial support forced her to pursue her best option for her own welfare, which was to secure a position as a governess in a wealthy home. Although she realizes she has fallen in love with her employer, Mr. Rochester, Jane realizes that while she is every bit as capable intellectually as Rochester is, her poverty and social standing prevent her from being recognized as his equal. As a result, her present relationship with him would cause her to live a life in which she would be forced to subjugate her emotions to his at every turn. “Both he and she believe implicitly the things they read in eyes, in nature, in dreams” (Brownell 16), yet Jane realizes her thoughts will never carry as much weight with him as his own. She tells him “Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! – I have as much soul as you – and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you” (291). Jane's example for the kind of life she can look forward to under these conditions has been set for her in the form of Bertha, Rochester’s first wife. This woman has gone mad from her enforced enclosure on the third floor of the house because of her inability to conform to the same rules Jane has struggled against. Because she has not learned how to present her emotions in socially acceptable Victorian terms, Bertha is considered insane while her confinement only serves to heighten her anxiety. In many ways, Bertha can be seen to be Jane’s alter ego, providing a prophetic example of Jane’s future should she come to Rochester on similar uneven or fails to discover a means of conforming, in some way, to her society's expectations. However, her brave insistence on intellectual and emotional respect, leading her far away from Thornfield for a time, eventually wins her the kind of proposal she's been hoping for - one in which she is needed and valued as much as he is. For both characters, life after marriage for love is presented as the ultimate answer for happiness in life as both happily and without losing any of their independence or spirit take up the traditional role of the Victorian female. Elizabeth doesn’t judge herself based upon her ability to live up to the expectations of a proper lady in Victorian society. “In addition to being able to sing, play an instrument and speak a little French or Italian, the qualities a young … gentlewoman needed, were to be innocent, virtuous, biddable, dutiful and be ignorant of intellectual opinion” (Thomas). None of these skills seem to fall within Elizabeth's range of interests, but her pursuit of her true interests such as books lead her to improvement of mind and the ability to banter intelligently with others. This gains her the attention of the better educated noblewomen in her society as well as involves her conversations with men about these subjects. The ironic twist is that her interest in such an 'improper and wasteful endeavor' for a girl serves to gain her the attention of the well-educated and intelligent Mr. Darcy. Elizabeth’s long practice in overlooking correct social mores enable her to overlook her lower social status in order to consider marrying the man who makes her happy. In the end, Elizabeth’s inability to conform completely to society’s expectations are exactly those attributes that attract the attention of the man she’s most suited for. She takes special care to ensure he is aware of the cause of his attraction to her to assure herself that he will not attempt to take it from her: "I roused, and interested you, because I was so unlike them. Had you not been really amiable, you would have hated me for it; but in spite of the pains you took to disguise yourself, your feelings were always noble and just; and in your heart, you thoroughly despised the persons who so assiduously courted you" (194). By not hiding her own personality or interests, Elizabeth manages to involve herself in a marriage that not only provides her with the economic security every young woman of her time dreamed of, but also affords her a marriage of mutual affection, intellectual challenge and the freedom she’s sought to pursue her own interests. Although it was perhaps also the romantic dream of every young governess sent to tutor in large manor homes, Jane somewhat surprisingly refuses to become the mistress of Rochester at the same time that she realizes it is important to her to find approval in her society. Even though she has spent her life chafing against the system that held her, the decision not to be Rochester's 'false' wife while his first wife raved through the attic of the house revealed to Jane just how important it was for her to remain connected with the outside world. She realizes that she cannot give herself completely to Rochester until she has somehow achieved more equal footing with him. The argument of the female Victorian character against the man is perhaps put best here as Jane tells Rochester why she will not stay: “I am no bird and no net ensnares me; I am a free human being with an independent will, which I now exert to leave you” (292). In spite of her own brief consideration and rejection of a business-like marriage with St. John, Jane's inheritance from her uncle finally brings her up to the independent standing she needs to return to Thornfield and relate to Rochester on a more equal footing. Discovering him crippled, blinded and widowed by his suicidal first wife, who also burnt most of Thornfield to the ground, Jane is then able to take a more superior position and Rochester is sufficiently humbled to make it a true marriage of equals. Rochester confesses to Jane that he had always hated to depend on anyone and Jane, on her part, confesses that she loves him better now that he has lost such an overbearing sense of independence. "Only equals like Jane and Rochester dare to speak truth couched in language of unadorned directness" (Martin 94). Because they are now able to understand each other - Jane can speak her mind backed by her financial independence and Rochester can speak his heart with his pride burned away - their marriage also becomes something most women merely dreamed of in which Jane is free to be herself and is well provided for by the man she loves. In both Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, the main characters struggle against the social conditions of their position as women in Victorian society for the same reasons, insisting on a relationship based on love and achieve the kind of life most women desired but few enough won. Supported by her family and aware of her intelligence, Elizabeth allows herself to pursue those activities that interest her, such as reading books and improving her mind, in spite of social constraints. This reinforces her belief in marrying for love and manages to attract a man who will allow her to pursue these interests. Because of her independent nature, this relationship is based on truth rather than semblance and the two young people are able to recognize they are kindred spirits. Jane's path is more difficult because she does not have the support of her family, but she is just as independent and proud. She will not allow herself to be trapped in a marriage in which she does not have the freedom to speak her mind which, she believes, means she will never be able to marry Rochester. However, the support of the family finally comes through to her in the form of a large inheritance, large enough that she can consider approaching Rochester as an equal. However, Rochester has been brought low by the activities of his first wife and again, the two characters are brought into line with each other. This leads again to a marriage based on truth rather than semblance and Jane's continued independence within the marriage. These marriages of equals allows both parties to live a happier, more fulfilling life at the same time that it brings these disruptive, independent women into line with social expectations - both Elizabeth and Jane settling into the roles of housewife and caretaker for their husbands, ending their stories either with plans for children or the birth of their first-born. Works Cited Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: The Modern Library, 1992. Print. Bald, Marjorie. Women-Writers of the Nineteenth-Century. New York: Russell & Russell, 1963. Print. Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print. Brownell, Eliza. “Passion, Dreams and the Supernatural in Jane Eyre.” The Victorian Web. (December 1993). Brown University. Web. May 28, 2011. Greenblatt, Stephen (Ed.). “Introduction: The Victorian Age.” The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Vol. 8. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. Print. Martin, R.B. Charlotte Bronte's Novels: The Accents of Persuasion. New York: Norton, 1966. Print. Priestley, J.B. “Austen Portrays a Small World with Humor and Detachment.” Four English Novels. New York: Harcourt Brace, 1960. Print. Thomas, Pauline Weston. “A Woman’s Place in C19th Victorian History.” Fashion Era. (2007). Web. May 28, 2011. Read More