‘The novel Jane Eyre demonstrates the struggles of being a woman, and more
specifically, being a governess in Victorian times’. With reference to at least
three parts of the novel, discuss the statement.
The novel Jane Eyre explores women and their roles in society in a very intricate, naturalistic
way that was different to other novels of the same time. Consequently, many critics have
similar views on why it is regarded with such esteem. One critic said ‘Jane Eyre is an
excellent example of showing the difficult obstacles women faced during the Victorian era’;
this is shown throughout the novel through the way in which Bronte boldly explores the
themes of social hierarchy, gender roles and independence through many characters but
mainly the female protagonist Jane. When reading Jane Eyre, it is extremely important to
understand the context in which it was written and what life was like during said time. During
the Victorian times, although there was a female on the throne, society was extremely
patriarchal and men held primary power therefore, women’s lives were made difficult. Their
career options were limited, their love lives were restricted and the fear of judgement
prohibited them from succeeding like men were. However, Jane seems to defy these
limitations and after a miserable upbringing, finally achieves happiness and fulfillment at the
end of the novel. In this essay, I will discuss several points relating to whether the novel
demonstrates the struggles of being a woman and a governess in Victorian times. The points
include, but are not restricted to, When Jane exclaims her desire for freedom and change,
her comparison of herself to Blanche Ingram and her decision to run away from Rochester.
Throughout the entirety of the novel, Jane conveys to the reader that she is an extremely
curious, ambitious, independent woman despite the many efforts to stop her from
succeeding. An example of when Jane proves to be a very driven, motivated character is
when she decides that she no longer wants to remain at Lowood. Despite the fact, one may
argue that Lowood had become a sanctuary or home for Jane, she becomes restless and
disgruntled by her surroundings and shows to be anxious for change. When she says ‘What
do I want? A new place, in a new house, amongst new faces, under new circumstances: I
want this because it is of no use wanting anything better’ it could perhaps suggest that she
desperate for change and a new adventure but she understands that her options are limited.
She is bound to a master and she will never truly have ‘liberty’ or freedom because women
were prevented from doing so. She knows society is biased against her and so she refrains
from hoping/working towards anything more than is expected of someone of her social
standing. Being that Jane belongs to the lower class and is financially deprived she would
have been restricted to a job to match her societal standing as a dependent; this could
explain why she applies for a job as a governess as they were generally regarded as middle
to lower class by the wealthy. In relation to Jane’s need for a new location a critic said
‘Jane’s attempts at a new beginning elsewhere were futile. Regardless of the distance she
travels from Lowood her circumstances will remain the same’. This could imply that she is
reliant on others to live and she cannot move up in society so she chooses to stay as a
governess. This career decision may have caused her some newfound joy and freedom but
arguably, she will never truly be free of the repeating cycle of dependency. The quote ‘no
use’ could demonstrate how women faced struggles in society in the Victorian times
because it shows how even Jane, an extremely strong, ardent character, falls victim to the
hopelessness inspired by society as a result of the lack of rights women had. It can perhaps
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