Jane Eyre: Liberal Not Feminist
An Analysis of the Novel Jane Eyre by Charolette Brontë
Marc Fleming
“Feminism: 1: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests” (Merriam-Webster's Online
Dictionary)
“Liberal: 1: favorable to or in accord with concepts of maximum individual freedom possible
2: open-minded or tolerant, esp. free of or not bound by traditional or conventional ideas, values.”
(Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is heralded as one of the most influential and
leading feminist novels of all time. At its time, it was a very forward thinking,
progressive, and earth-shattering novel. To say, however, that the character of Jane
Eyre is a feminist is to be sensationalizing the events that were actually taking place
within the novel and equating those events with Brontë herself and events outside
of the novels world. The book was published in 1847 and the word feminist, which
so many people are connecting with Jane, was not even introduced into the English
language until 1890-1895 (Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary). While some
would argue that though the word may not have been invented, her actions are what
speak of her character; this could have been the case. In looking through the text
however, there are few places in which Jane presents herself as a feminist by any
definition of the word. Jane is a liberal person, she is free thinking and wants to be
seen as such; she does not, however, care about the “theory of the political,
economic, and social equality of the sexes”. While the character Jane Eyre is NOT a
feminist, her creator Charlotte Brontë, on the other hand, is indubitably entitled to
that label. This essay will discuss how the main character of Jane Eyre is not a
proto-feminist heroine, Charlotte Brontë and how she was (and in some ways was
not) a feminist, and Jane Eyre as a feminist work.
The book Jane Eyre is written as a memoir from a woman named Jane Eyre.
Jane was originally an orphan and had been of a lower class than those she was
interacting with throughout the entire book. Jane is quoted as saying, “I could not
help it; the restlessness was in my nature; it agitated me to pain sometimes”
(Brontë). This ‘restlessness’ that she speaks of is nothing revolutionary, women
were not allowed to speak out about their feelings of restlessness but that does not
mean that they did not feel them. The reason that Jane is not a proto-feminist
heroine is because she is having thoughts, just as all women are, and then repressing
these and sticking to the social norms of the time period. Arguments could be raised
that just writing her feelings down in her memoir is a revolutionary act, and while
this is true of the time, without proper publishing it was meaningless to a ‘woman’s
movement’ or the ‘organized activity’ that the definition of feminism presents. Jane
couldn’t have expected any form of publishing, or any great number of people to
read her book; after all she was a woman writer and that was a challenge in itself.
Charlotte Brontë even had to take the pen name of a man to get this book published
and this is regarded as a literary work of art, how could a woman of the same time
period expect for her memoir to be published and inspire anyone?
Thinking about doing something, even writing down the revolutionary things
you are thinking, is not in of itself revolutionary, especially if you have no audience.
What is revolutionary is action, and action is the one thing that Jane Eyre does not
have. Some have argued that Jane turned down many proposals that would have
been completely acceptable in Victorian times, and that by turning them down she
was acting in a feminist fashion. By definition, in turning down any one of her
suitors she was not acting in a feminist fashion, she was acting liberally and selfishly
(revolutionary), but she was not turning them down to make any statement, spark a
revolution, or gain political or intellectual advantages. In turning them down, she is
thinking only for herself, she is not acting on behalf of women in any way, and this is
the most important part. While she may be attempting to gain equality, or
intellectual advantages, if she is acting as an individual, as opposed to a group, she is
not acting as a feminist. The quote “No woman was ever nearer to her mate than I
am: ever more absolutely bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh.” (Brontë)
exemplifies her conforming to social norms toward the end of the book. After she
has taken these feminist actions she returns to Rochester where she is ‘of his bone’
and ‘of his flesh’ meaning she is a part of him and she does not reciprocate these
feelings that he is of her flesh. This absence of reciprocation means that she feels she
is more attached to him than he is to her. She is, although she feels she married on
her own accord, still owned by him. Jane is also taking care of her husband, and
even though he is not the breadwinner or the provider in the family anymore, she is
still seen as the ‘angel of the household’, a very Victorian ideal. The timing of the
marriage is also something that makes Jane less of a ‘feminist’ than some would
make her out to be. A revolutionary act would have been Jane, a lower-middle class
servant of Mr. Rochester, marrying Mr. Rochester, she does not do this though.
What she does, instead, is wait until they both have money, she waits until the
playing field is even, till they are much closer in class, and only then does she marry
this man. Love was not enough, social standing had to be achieved for her to feel
socially right about marrying this man.
As for being ‘socially correct’ about marriage, Charlotte Brontë, the writer of
this novel, lived very much as her character Jane did…down to being part of her
husband when it came to marriage. After Charlotte Brontë got married, she
completely stopped writing. Needing to take care of the domestic sphere, Brontë no
longer had any time to write, as she once did. Brontë, however, is somewhat of a
feminist for many reasons. After writing a book, she attempted to get it published.
This was something that was very rare for the Victorian era, and while she needed
to take a man’s penname to actually get it published, she in fact got a work
published. Not only was her book published, but many of her books were published,
this was as huge step for a women. This step, action and the act of getting
something done, is what separates her from her character. Jane never does
anything, she thinks about doing lots of things, she feels very strongly about many
things, but never actually stands up and fights for something. Brontë did this. By
creating a character that was real, by creating a character that thought, had emotion,
had a soul, and by making that character a woman, Charlotte Brontë allowed for
other women to think. Women reading this novel would realize that they were
feeling the same way that Jane was, they didn’t need to be pushed around, they
didn’t need to be beaten, they didn’t need to be subservient. While Jane was only
thinking these things, Brontë put this into action. By not being subservient, by
writing a book, and by taking action to inspire women to become more, to become
equals in mans eyes, she was turning the wheels of the feminist movement.
This book is rightfully considered a feminist work because while the main
character is not sparking a revolution, the ideas behind the book are. P.J. Steyer put
it brilliantly when he said “Jane Eyre was the first major feminist novel, ‘although
there is not a hint in the book of any desire for political, legal, educational, or even
intellectual equality between the sexes.’ Rather, Martin supports the idea that Jane
(Brontë) merely wants recognition that both sexes are similar in ‘heart and spirit.’”
(QTB in Steyer). This is important, while Brontë is doing something and taking
action to get this recognition, Jane’s actions speak to simply being herself and doing
what she wants to do (while ultimately falling victim to the societal norms and stock
stories).
This book is the action that creates a feminist, this book is the inspiration for
a movement, and Jane Eyre is simply half of the equation. The other half of the
equation that makes this book a feminist novel, and reinforces Brontë as a feminist
and writer for political change, is the character of Bertha. Bertha is ALL action. She
is the physical manifestation of the anger that Jane is feeling about marriage. Bertha
is the animalistic emotions that cannot be controlled, while Jane is the more
thoughtful and human side of the equation. Jane has these emotions, Jane gets
angry, but ultimately Jane doesn’t do anything; Bertha IS action. Bertha rips a veil, a
traditional symbol of female purity, in two because of her disgust with the norms of
‘purity’ in society, Bertha burns an entire estate down to prove a point that she has
some control, that a man can not ultimately decide everything. If we were to
combine these two characters, one who thinks and one of action, we would get
Charlotte Brontë. This is why Jane alone can not be seen as the feminist figure in the
book, she must be coupled with Bertha; thus Jane is not a feminist, the book itself is
feminist and fighting for these equal rights.
Another great example of the characters in the book coming together to
inspire a movement is the character of Blanche Ingram. Blanche is almost the
antithesis of Jane in that she seeks her power by using her femininity, not by trying
to become equal. R.B. Martin states that “The condemnation of women to a place
apart results in the creation of empty, capricious women like Blanche Ingram, who
tyrannize over men whenever possible, indulge in dreams of Corsair lovers, and can
communicate only in the Byronic language of outdated romantic fiction.” (Steyer).
Blanche has the power to tyrannize over men; yet, no one has looked at her power
as feminist. By herself she cannot be seen as a feminist, or even breaking any
norms, but when she is coupled with the character of Jane a powerful idea is
presented. If men ‘condemn women to a place apart’ they are likely to come upon a
woman who thinks for herself and sees herself as equal (Jane) as well as someone
who can tyrannize over them whenever possible because they feel deprived of the
power that society has stripped from them (Blanche).
As you can see, Jane Eyre is a literary work of art that should be heralded as
nothing less than a masterpiece. Charlotte Brontë created a character who was real,
well rounded, and thought for themselves. A literary character that was well
rounded and that thought was new for this time. The character that Brontë created
just so happened to be a woman. She coupled this liberal character, which took no
action, with characters whose entire purpose was action. These couplings created
an idea that if women who think (all women) and women who have the ability to act
(all women) were to get together and start thinking and acting as if they were
equals, they would become equals. Charlotte Brontë was a feminist, Jane Eyre was
not. Charlotte Brontë took action and attempted to inspire women all over the
world to strive for equality, Jane Eyre sought not to be owned by a man (and falls
short in that aspect). The novel Jane Eyre is one that sparked a movement that is
still strong over 150 years after it was written.
Bibliography
Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: W.W. Norton Company, 2001.
Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionary. 2010. 2010 йил 20-February
.
Steyer, P.J. Jane Eyre, Proto-Feminist vs. "The Third Person Man". 1996. 2010 йил
20-02 .