JANE EYRE: THEMES
LOVE
SOCIAL CLASS
GENDER EQUALITY
GOTHIC / SUPERNATURAL
MORALITY / ETHICS
APPEARANCE
EDUCATION
MARRIAGE
INDEPENDENCE
EMOTIONS
RELIGION
Jane is self-respecting and religious, but also exercises her freedom to love and feel
Jane matures partly because she learns to follow Christian teachings and resist temptation
At Gateshead, Jane is oppressed and dependent
To discover herself, Jane breaks out of the restrictive conditions and establishes her own independence.
Jane seeks out freedom throughout the novel and
Critical of Victorian England's social hierarchy
Brontë’s exploration of the complicated social position of governesses is an important aspect of the novel
Jane is a figure of ambiguity since she doesn't conform to an exact social class, consequently this creates a source of tension
Jane’s manners, sophistication, and education are those of an aristocrat, because Victorian governesses, who tutored children in etiquette as well as academics, were expected to possess the “culture” of the aristocracy.
However, governesses were treated similarly to servants
Jane remains poor and powerless at Thornfield Hall
Jane herself speaks out against class prejudice at certain moments in the book.
Jane is only able to marry Rochester as an equal because of her inherited fortune from her uncle.
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Jane struggles continually to achieve equality and to overcome oppression
Jane fights against patriarchal domination, those who believe women to be inferior to men
Three central male figures threaten her desire for equality and dignity
Mr Brocklehurst
Edward Rochester
St. John Rivers
Escape
Ensure they marry as equals
Reject
misogynistic male characters (reflecting hatred, dislike, mistrust or mistreatment of women)
Jane is often forced into a submissive position
Unable to express her own thoughts and feelings
Unable to follow her quest for independence and self-knowledge
Jane refuses to become dependent on Rochester, refuses to marry him until she is financially independent
Rochester becomes dependent on Jane at the end of the novel when he becomes blind, this allows Jane to feel in power
In Jane Eyre marriage is a combination of three factors
compatibility
passion
ethics
Demonstrates marriage only works between like-minded people with similar attitudes and outlooks on life
Affluent are believed to be the cultural and moral leaders of the nation, affluence is often read as a sign of their ethical and intellectual superiority