Jane Eyre: the Story of Oppression and Protest - Essay Example

Introduction An autobiography usually tells the story of the life. In that respect ‘Jane Eyre’ cannot be termed as an autobiography. Though there are instances borrowed from the author’s life but there is hardly any resemblance between the kinds of life they lead. While Jane had been an orphan since childhood and oppressed by uncaring relatives, Bronte lived with her parents and came from an educated and religious background. Bronte perhaps chose the autobiographical technique of narration for her novel ‘Jane Eyre’ to make Jane who represents the poor and the oppressed class of society tell her own story. It has been observed by critics that Bronte has repeatedly made figurative use of racial concepts throughout the novel in either depicting tales of oppression or describing the tormenter. Moreover there has been a lot of assumption over her purpose of creating Bertha’s character and her origin. Spivak (1985) has tried to see a connection between ‘feminist individualism’ and ‘imperialism’ in the novel. However from the very beginning of Jane’s story the theme of oppression and suffering could be identified. It is more of a palimpsest “whose surface designs conceal or obscure deeper, less accessible (and less socially acceptable) levels of meaning” (Gilbert and Gulbar, 1979, p 73). ‘Jane Eyre’: the story of oppression and protest Bronte’s novel centres on the journey and growth of the protagonist Jane from a temperamental child to a matured woman. The course of her entire journey from Gateshead to Thornfield is marked by Jane’s experiences of torture in the name of punishment and discipline. She had endured barbed comments on her plain looks and poverty. By the time she reached Thornfield she had learnt to suppress her dreams and bore no illusion about her future prospects. But Bronte has not made her an ordinary girl who would blindly give into the wishes of others especially those from a higher social rank. Her past experiences have taught her to endure without surrendering her dignity and self-esteem. She had survived her tumultuous childhood because of this sense of self-awareness and hence developed a strong mind. In Thornfield once again her integrity both as an individual and a woman is put to test. She withstands humiliation from Rochester’s aristocratic friends and especially Miss Ingram. But Jane by this time had learnt to deal with it. She was so conscious about her own social status and her looks that she never conceived the possibility of her love being reciprocated by Rochester. While most women would have been elated of receiving the undivided attention of a rich and dignified man like Rochester Jane was cautious and hesitant from the very beginning. Her lack of confidence in the permanence of her relationship with Rochester and her fears of losing him is a result of her oppressive past where she was devoid of any kind of happiness and dream fulfilment. Bronte has touched upon the issue of women oppression at this point of the novel where Jane expresses her resentment of being unable to voice out her opinions and to exert her will for being a woman. Jane condemns those who view women as only meant for “making pudding and knitting stockings” or “playing on the piano and embroidering bags” (Jane Eyre, 178). Jane’s words give a glimpse of the position of women in the Victorian society. In the course of the novel Jane seems to become the spokesperson of Bronte as she stands against the conventional mentality towards women and try to establish her identity. Jane within her limited scope carves out a distinctive space for herself that draws respect and admiration from Rochester. Even after being proposed by Rochester and his wishes of giving her a luxurious life she decides to retain her position as the governess till they are married. She is also bothered by the thoughts of owning those that belong to Rochester and prevents him from getting her expensive jewellery. In making her wear the simple marriage veil that Jane made for herself Bronte seems to assert the identity of Jane against the rich and powerful Rochester. It was again Jane who decided to leave Rochester to rebuild her strength that hit the rocks with the disclosure of Rochester’s marriage to Bertha. But once again Jane did not hesitate to speak out her reluctance of marrying the missionary John Rivers when he proposed marriage to her. Jane uses the word ‘monstrous’ while referring to Rivers marriage proposal that he meant was for the sake of the community and not for himself. At the same time she realised her undying love for Rochester. Jane’s associating her love for Rochester with religious passion indicates Bronte’s views on religion that was free from prejudices. Bronte has told the story of women empowerment and has shown in Jane how she was strengthened as a result of her oppressions and thereby learnt to assert her will in due course of her life. It was her stay at Thornfield that made Jane realise her identity and perceptions as a woman. Prior to Thornfield her cloistered life dictated by Calvinistic discipline (Barker, 1994, p124) at Lowood had never given her the chance to experience herself as a woman. It was Rochester’s presence that made her conscious of her own appearance and stature. She without her own knowledge developed feelings for him. It was a new kind of an experience for her where she was passing through a phase of both happiness and grief and experienced a gamut of emotions. Jane reveals her passions and infatuation for Rochester to the readers and confesses about her fears of losing him. The autobiographical technique used by Bronte serves the purpose of giving her protagonist the platform to open up and freely express herself. As she fell in love with Rochester she was constantly afflicted by the dilemma of whether to restrain or let go her emotions. The religious discipline has taught her to be subdued and coy like any other typical Victorian woman; an ideology significantly popularised as a result of the Evangelical movement that had swept the nation (Gallagher, 1993). She was concerned about being treated as inferior to Rochester and asserted herself to be his equal when he proposed her marriage. It witnesses Jane’s consciousness about her inherent rights as a woman and as an individual (Griesinger, 2008). Jane found it difficult to come to terms with the fact of being mistress to an already married man. As Jane had deeply internalised the Calvinistic ways of life she could not compromise with being Rochester’s mistress. Though her love for Rochester did not waver at the discovery but she could not overstep the moral and social code of conduct imposed on women. She was already devastated by the sudden turn of events that had ruined her life completely. Her identity as a woman had received a blow at being deceived by the one whom she loved. She was determined to regain her moral strength and seek peace by leaving for the unknown. “I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God; and sanctioned by man” (Jane Eyre, 408). On one hand she once again becomes a victim of social and moral expectations and on the other by refusing Rochester’s wishes saves herself from being a puppet. Jane Eyre’s journey is well described by Gallagher (1993) as a ‘Christian feminist bildungsroman’. The culturally displaced ‘Other’ in ‘Jane Eyre’ Jane uses the reference of slaves and the colonised in the context of oppression. The comparison that Jane makes between the condition of woman and a slave is not to show the latter inferior but to stress on the grimness of torture on both (Meyer, 1990). Jane Eyre’s story might have been a romantic tale of love set in the Victorian era except for the character of Bertha and her outlandish origin and dark and swarthy appearance (Meyer, 1990). It is in the figurative use of Bertha’s character that Bronte unconsciously introduces the theme of the culturally displaced persona. At this point Bronte’s ‘Jane Eyre’ transcends the personal story of oppression and captures a more tragic tale of cultural displacement and oppression. Bertha’s story as Jane and the readers get to know from Rochester might be used as a foil to Jane’s but it also speaks about Bronte’s perception of another cultural reality. The story of the Creole heiress brought up in the sultry and free-spirited isle and forced to marry in a completely different cultural paradigm had the potential to be a striking tale of cultural displacement. It was therefore left for Jean Rhys to explore Bertha in ‘Wide Sargasso Sea’. Conclusion In conclusion it could be said that Bronte’s autobiographical novel is a depiction of oppression due to class and gender differences. Jane represents the rebellious oppressed class that claims equality in terms of spiritual freedom and the right to choose. Jane’s ideology could best be described by Ruth Jenkins’s concept of ‘radical feminist Protestantism’ (1995). But Bronte makes ‘Jane Eyre’ go beyond the monologue of an individual and capture the story of Bertha Rochester that has a deeper subtext. She becomes a symbol of the ‘Other’ that Bronte implies in her reference to the colonised slaves. Finally Bronte’s autobiographical novel has the seeds of feminism and sparks off a debate over the oppressive norms of the patriarchal society and at the same time acts as a critique of racism. Reference Barker, J (1994). The Brontes. NY: St Martin’s Bronte, C (1999). Jane Eyre. 1847. Broadview edition. Ed Richard Nemesvari. Ontario, Canada: Broadview Gallagher, S.V (1993). ‘Jane Eyre’ and Christianity: Approaches to Teaching ‘Jane Eyre’. Eds Diane Long Hoeveler and Beth Lau. NY. Modern Language Association. Pp 62-68 Gilbert, S.M & Gubar, S (1979). The Madwoman in the Attic: The Women Writer and the Nineteenth Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale, UP Griesinger, E (2008). Charlotte Brontes religion: faith, feminism, and Jane Eyre. Christianity and Literature. Jenkins, R.Y (1995). Reclaiming Myths of Power: Women Writers and the Victorian Spiritual Crisis. London. Associated University Press Meyer, S (1990). Colonialism and the Figurative Strategy of ‘Jane Eyre’. Victorian Studies 33. pp 247-268 Spivak, G.C (1985). Three Women’s Text and the Critique of Imperialism. Critical Inquiry 12. pp 243-261 Read More