Week 6 (late): The Protagonist in Jane Eyre

In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte the plurality of women's roles in the 19th century is represented through the upper-class, upper middle-class, lower middle-class, working class, impoverished, and racially "othered" women. In my blog I will be focusing on Jane herself as to how she was a challenge to the norms of the Victorian society.

As a governess, Jane occupies a position in the lower middle-class; she is not quite genteel and not quite a servant. Because she is too poor to be a valuable commodity in the marriage market, she must work to support herself, but given the nature of Victorian society she will inevitably be working for a man; in this case, Mr. Rochester. When he is out of the house, however, she is able to develop a close-knit female community spanning across three generations with Mrs. Fairfax the housekeeper, herself, and her young pupil Adelle. The fact that Mr. Rochester, a wealthy member of the upper middle-class, proposes to her was incredibly unlikely during that time. She asserts her financial independence through her desire to not be commodified by refusing the fine jewelry and clothes that he would give to the daughter of an aristocrat, and at the novel's end is an independent woman through inheriting money from her recently deceased uncle. 

Jane came out as the protagonist of the novel as a strong independent woman. The reason why Bronte chose Jane as the lead character was to make the novel more effective and make Jane this strong, passionate and rebellious character to challenge the Victorian society’s view on women. Her distinct point of view regarding religion is very interesting. One can see the how rational Jane is when she tries to find answers to her complicated life out of religion. Her take on religion makes her stand out from the second class citizens (women) of the Victorian era. Even though in the end Jane marries Rochester but she holds up her dignity and self respect in all aspects.