Jane Eyre, Task 3

The Woman Question:

The “Woman Question” is a term referring to the social changes which occurred during the end of the nineteenth century in Victorian England. An increasing amount of people started to voice their disapproval of the way women were treated during the time and also against the limited rights women were granted. A woman could never dream of defending herself against a man during that time, since laws kept married woman from owning property, making and handling their own money, demanding a divorce and even writing their own will as they please. When taking this into consideration it is easier to understand why the Victorian people showed such disapproval of the character Jane Eyre. Jane rebels against the fate of the women of her time. She fights for women to be on equal grounds with men and therefore never backs down when arguing with a man. The Red Room Scene is a good example of Jane’s stubbornness; she chooses punishment, instead of apologizing to John Reed. Jane also refuses Mr Rochester’s gifts before their wedding, because she does not want to feel like she is being bought.     

The Industrial Revolution brought upon many changes with regards to women’s role in society. Many women were now working in factories, instead of sitting at home being the perfect Victorian wife. This combined with the uproar against the unfair treatment of women, caused authorities to reconsider some of the laws restricting women. New laws, such as the “Marriage and Divorce Act, was passed in 1857. The laws against women were so strict that they were not even allowed to write freely. Jane Eyre, being a feminist novel commenting on the mistreatment of women during the Victorian era, would never have reached the public if the author was honest about whom she was. Even though she managed to get her novel out there by using a different name, it still received a great amount of negative comments, because of the rebellious nature of the main character. Woman today have people like Charlotte Brontё and her sisters to thank for, despite all the criticism, voicing their opinion about the unfairness of their society and for making people aware of the faults of the society in which they lived, especially with regards to women’s rights. 

Governess (references):

·         A conversation between Rochester, Blanche Ingram and her mother on the topic governesses:

" You should hear mama on the chapter of governesses: Mary and I have had, I should think, a dozen at least in our day; half of them detestable and the rest ridiculous, and all incubi--were they not, mama?" 

"My dearest, don't mention governesses; the word makes me nervous. I have suffered a martyrdom from their incompetency and caprice. I thank Heaven I have now done with them!" "Oh, don't refer him to me, mama! I have just one word to say of the whole tribe; they are a nuisance. Not that I ever suffered much from them" (Brontё 150-152).

This is a very embarrassing moment in the novel for Jane, because her occupation and thus she as a person is being criticized and she is not in a position where she can defend herself. To make matters worse she has started to develop feelings for Rochester, who has shown an interest in her, but is now in the company of a woman with much more wealth and beauty than herself, the very woman who is insulting her, Mrs. Blance Ingram.

·         “A more reassuring introduction for a new governess could scarcely be conceived…” (Brontё 81)

This is Jane’s reaction when she is shown where she will be sleeping, by Mrs. Fairfax, upon her arrival at Thornfield.  

·         “Don’t address me as if I were a beauty; I am your plain, Quakerish governess.” (Brontё 220).

Jane denies her beauty to Rochester who admires her plain and pure looks. It is clear that she does not think very highly of herself or her profession.

My Comment:

During the Victorian era, wealthy families often employed a governess to act as a private teacher for their children. This allowed the lady of the house more time to focus on her other priorities such as being a good wife to her husband. In Jane Eyre, Mr Rochester hires Jane to be his daughter’s governess. The governess held a peculiar role in the household, since she was neither a slave nor a family member. She was typically a young, unmarried, middle-class woman with a decent education. In Poovey’s words, “[The governess] bears two of the most important Victorian representations of women: the figure who epitomized the domestic ideal, and the figure who threatened to destroy it.” A governess was like a mother, but also like a working class woman in the work she did. This is the reason for many people’s disapproval of a governess during that time. As a working middle-class woman, who earns money, she posed as a threat to the idea Victorians had of women. Women, such as Blanche Ingram and her mother from the novel, Jane Eyre, disapproved of governesses, because they saw her as a working class woman with an undeserved middle-class status.  A governess was expected to teach young girls the necessary ways of attracting a good husband, but was not allowed to act on her own desires for a husband. Governesses had to make many personal sacrifices, such as marriage and motherhood, in order to maintain their middle-class status. Today they are often pitied, because of the fact that, although they performed a mother’s tasks, they never enjoyed the wonders of being a wife or mother themselves.