Jane Eyre Ambiguities of Equality, Servitude and...

Terry Eagleton states the Jane s relationship with Rochester is marked by ambiguities of equality, servitude, and independence. By examining pertinent incidents in the text, the validity of this statement will be shown, and moreover, these ambiguities will be shown to be of Jane s own doing. It will be shown that she is the one who constantly thinks herself to be inferior, and even when she is said to be Rochester s equal, she thinks of some way in which she is inadequate, in order to sabotage her own happiness. While there are ambiguities of servitude and independence, it is the issue of equality that is most important in the novel, because both Jane s fears of servitude, and a loss of independence, are linked to the fact that†¦show more content†¦She can only see Rochester as someone who is socially, and financially superior, and as because she lived in the Victorian period, she feels inferior because she is a woman. As far as Christian morals are concerned, Jane is supe rior to Rochester because she refuses to marry him, and pursue her on happiness, because he is still married to Bertha Mason. She says the [t]he more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained [she is], the more [she] will respect [herself] (p.447). This attempt to keep the laws given by God (p.447) may seem noble but the language that she uses alludes to the fact that she is trying to sabotage her happiness. While Jane is of a lower social standing than Rochester, she will not allow Rochester to raise her up to his social class. When he refers to her as Jane Rochester (p.363) she feels smote and stunned: it was, [she thinks], almost fear (p.363). When Rochester says the he will adorn Jane with jewels, to make her look like nobility, she refuses and once again reverts to a position of subservience and inferiority, telling Rochester that [she is his] plain, Quakerish governess (p.364). She feels this was even though Rochester later tells her that [she] mutinied against fate, and claimed [her] rank as [his] equal (p.369) Jane feels financially inferior to Rochester, even though in marryingShow MoreRelatedJane Eyre Class Analysis1624 Words   |  7 Pages Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte shows the hierarchical class system prevalent in England in the 19th century. Through the character of Jane, Bronte explores the system and reveals many issues with society in the 19th century. For instance, the novel raises the issue of whether a governess should be considered upper class due to her superior education or lower class due to her servant-like status in the family. Jane’s journey through the established class structure results in her making judgmentsRead MoreA Dialogue of Self and Soul11424 Words   |  46 Pages for and about mothers. The Madwoman in the Attic was a landmark in feminist criticism. It focuses almost exclusively on the issue of gender in relation to women, though it refers brieï ¬â€šy to the ambiguous class position of governesses such as Jane Eyre. The authors analyse the intertwined processes of female rebellion and repression in the narrative and highlight in particular the reading of Bertha Mason, the mad wife, as the symbol of Jane’s repressed passion. This was later to become an accepted