...Hide the Crazy Woman - The Figure of Bertha in Jane Eyre Introduction Over the time various famous and not so famous literary personalities have suffered from mental breakdowns. Very often writers themselves have written through their own “madness” and produced mad characters as a result. This is particularly true of many of the leading figures in Modernism, who all seem to have had some odd character traits. But even before Modernism the madman/woman was a very popular figure in literature. Just think of Shakespeare’s famous plays, where we encounter lunatics en masse. One of the most famous madwomen in English literature is Bertha, the locked up wife of Mr. Rochester in Jane Eyre. In this paper I will look at Victorian madness in general and at the figure Bertha more closely. Furthermore I will also look, from a somewhat feminist perspective, at Wide Sargasso Sea, a novel in which Jean Rhys takes up the figure of Bertha again. I shall try to explain this rewriting of a canonical text in a postcolonial context. Historical Madness Early in the Victorian period the madness seems to be lurking in the shadows – especially in gothic fiction, but then madness was very much on everybody’s mind in those days. The Lunatics Act of 1845 required that all counties should have mental asylums, and this led to an enormous increase of mental patients admitted to public care.[1] Before that it was not unusual for husbands to “shut up” their madwomen behind...
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...Consider the presentation of romantic love in “Jane Eyre” making wider reference to “Wide Sargasso Sea” “Jane Eyre” by Charlotte Bronte, published in 1847, has one key theme which is love. However it also contains Gothic conventions throughout which prevents the novel from being merely an archetypal romance. The novel is about a young woman who is isolated from people. However, when she gets a job working for Mr Rochester she falls in love with him. Later it is revealed that he's married to a woman, who is portrayed as being mad. In contrast, the romantic love in "Wide Sargasso Sea" written in 1966 is presented in a different way. Although Antoinette initially has a hopeful attitude to romantic love in Wide Sargasso Sea, the attitude of the man, especially in section two reveals that he only marries her for her money. Ellen Michetetii says “the heart and soul of ‘Jane Eyre’ is the passionate love between Jane and her employer.” "Romance" is defined in the Chambers dictionary as "expressive and pleasurable feeling from an emotional attraction towards another person associated with love". Leslie Gelbman says a romance must make the “romantic relationship between the hero and heroine… the core of the book”. This is what “Jane Eyre” does. Similarly “Wide Sargasso Sea” focuses on a single relationship the one between “the man” and Antoinette; however, although the relationship in “Jane Eyre” is reciprocal, in “Wide Sargasso Sea” Antoinette’s love is not returned. Rhys based Antoinette...
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...Sargasso Sea and Bronte’s Jane Eyre with Rhys’s focus on the cultural and racial difference whereas Bronte’s focus on economic power and moral strength of female. Fanon in the “Wretched of the Earth” says that the only solution for the colonized people is through violence. This radical idea underlies premises which draws from the social norms during the time period. Fanon says “The colonial world is a world cut in two” (38, Fanon). When colonizers come to the colony, they deem their culture better than the indigenous one and their goal is to put their values above the local ones. Hence it draws a clear line between the colonizer and colonized people. Because of the stark dichotomy, there is always tension in the colonies. It is only through the eyes of characters who stand in between the dichotomy and the through the different reaction as they maneuver between different classes that shows the problem during colonization. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Ryes rewrites Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre. Instead of describing her through other people’s eyes, she gives Bertha her own voice; she has a history and goes through different emotions. It is a text which represents the issue of alienation, feminism and the representation on the European supremacy during the time period. Berta, a beautiful exotic woman who comes from Jamaica, is described through English eyes in the Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre on the same account is build through a Euro-centric view of the colonization. If Jane Eyre is a novel that represents...
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...Q2: Comparison of Jane Eyre and “Goblin Market” Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” are both texts written in the Victorian period. They both carry similar themes of the evils of patriarchy and the importance of empowering women to assert their identity in this time period. Both Jane Eyre and Laura are characters that are affected by the issues that mainly affected women in the male-dominated Victorian society. This is clearly portrayed when the men in both texts try to confine women physically and emotionally through deception and force. The different portrayal of both male and female characters also plays a very important role in communicating these issues. Rossetti’s “Goblin Market” can be read as a criticism of Victorian arrangement of marriage. She stresses the importance of women’s friendship as the main agent that can help in fighting against or changing society’s exploitation of women. The two sisters represent two different kinds of women; Lizzie, the submissive ones and Laura, those that fought against patriarchy, and the goblins represent the patriarchal system. It shows that women can control their destinies, gain some level of independence, and avoid society’s oppressive rules and work towards their liberation and happiness. In the Victorians society men where more educated, powerful and rich hence they dominated women. Women were subjugated to the home as housewives whilst their husbands earned money for the family. This gave the men even more...
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...Although most readers of Jane Eyre are enthralled by the illusion of suspense surrounding the climax of the novel and its subsequent falling action, Charlotte Brontë has, in fact, already delivered a subtle clue concerning her Jane’s fate through her use of a first-person narrative and her personal experiences in nineteenth century Victorian society. During this era, women were relegated to domestic tasks and frivolous hobbies meant to distract them from more satisfying aspirations such as authorship, which Jane, the novel’s protagonist, desires. However, the mere existence of the novel Jane Eyre foreshadows Jane’s eventual achievement of the personal agency that enables her to explore creative and intellectual gratification through her memoir...
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...is created for Jane within the opening three chapters of Jane Eyre in a number of different ways. It becomes evident from the very beginning of the novel that Jane is oppressed by her surroundings and the Reed family. She is physically and psychologically abused and clearly made to feel as she is worth less than the family who keep her. Despite this there is a comforting undercurrent that flows through the opening three chapters as the reader realises that Jane Eyre is recalling her troublesome childhood from a position of fulfilment. The opening of the novel creates an instantaneous impression of sympathy through the use of pathetic fallacy. The rain in the opening paragraph is described as “so penetrating that outdoor exercise was now out of the question”. This is extremely symbolic as Jane is confined to the house because of the weather conditions. Even though it is later revealed in the next paragraph that Jane was “glad of it” what Bronte does here is confine Jane to one place because of factors outside of her control. The weather then can be seen as a metaphor for Jane being denied certain things because of factors she cannot control. For example she is later labelled “less than a servant” as she is a dependant and subsequently denied the same treatment as the other children but it is no fault of Jane’s that both of her parents have died. The weather, therefore, is reflecting this idea and creating sympathy by metaphorically representing the struggle Jane faces against...
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...borders on villainy. Discuss the characterization of Mr Rochester in jane eyre in light of this statement. Mr Rochester is different and varies from the idea of the conventional tragic Byronic hero. Byronic heroes are usually extraordinarily handsome or appealing physically. However, from a physical point of view, Mr Rochester is not in any way handsome in a traditional sense. In chapter 13, he is described as “having broad and jetty eyebrows; his square forehead, made squarer by the horizontal sweep of his black hair. I recognised his decisive nose, more remarkable for character than beauty; his full nostrils, denoting, I thought, choler; his grim mouth, chin, and jaw—yes, all three were very grim, and no mistake. His shape, now divested of cloak, I perceived harmonised in squareness with his physiognomy”. Although his craggy looks should in fact make him a social outcast, he overcomes his physical “deformities” by having a passionate and colourful personality, making him one of the most sensual and interesting characters in jane eyre. People are drawn to him despite his physical appearance, and he has a high standing in society (although this could be attributed partly to his wealth). Next, Byronic heroes are wounded physically and/or emotionally—vulnerable in some way. We first encounter Mr Rochester when his horse slipped on the ice, causing him to fall and spraining his ankle. He needed to rely to Jane for help to get back to his horse, Mesrour. Jane's momentous meeting...
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...JANE EYRE: HER PERSONAL AND MORAL VICTORIES All people live by their own codes of conduct. Everyone, be they male or female, young or old, has their own sets of values, which they adhere to and which are unchanging even in the face of personal or societal pressures and conflicts to give them up. In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Jane is tempted many times to acquiesce to others' wishes and, thereby, give up her own moral standards and beliefs. Yet Jane remains steadfast in adhering to her personal code of conduct, namely to maintain feelings of high self-esteem, not to let herself be used and abused by others, and never to give up her religious convictions. Through many disappointments that she is faced with and with her constant struggle to gain independence and love, Jane never loses her self of self, nor does she give up her moral and spiritual values. Jane Eyre, from the very beginning of the novel, shows courage and self-confidence when she stands up to Mrs. Reed for wrongly accusing her to Mr. Brocklehurst of being a liar. Jane, a quiet, pensive girl, who until now took her aunt and cousins' torment without saying a word, suddenly could no longer hold her tongue. She suddenly felt a need to tell her aunt that as much as she appreciated having her put a roof over her head and providing food for her, her existence in Gateshead was nothing less than abominable. She says that servants are treated better than she is, and that Mrs. Reed was not keeping her promise to her...
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...ESSAY ON JANE EYRE Question: “Jane’s passionate nature and unconventional behaviour is rewarded by Bronte in the novel’s happy ending.” I agree with this statement and set out my reasons below. ‘Jane Eyre’ written by Charlotte Bronte is the story of the life of an orphan set in 19th century Victorian England. In the first chapter Jane is introduced as a ten year old living in the home of her Aunt Reed and three cousins, John, Eliza and Georgiana. She is living with her Aunt Reed only because her husband (Jane’s mother’s brother) made her promise on his deathbed to look after Jane. Jane is treated cruelly and is never loved by her aunt and cousins. From the early chapters of the novel we see Jane’s passionate nature and unconventional behaviour emerging through her confrontations with John and Mrs Reed. In chapter 4 page 37 after Mrs Reed’s meeting with Mr Brocklehurst and it is decided that she is going to Lowood, Jane declares determinedly “I am glad you are no relation of mine. I will never call you aunt again as long as I live. I will never come to visit you when I am grown up; and if anyone asks me how I liked you, and how you treated me, I will say the very thought of you makes me sick, and that you treated me with miserable cruelty.” In chapters 5 to 10, Jane attends Lowood where she lives for nine years, seven as a student and then two years as a teacher. During this time Jane suffers under harsh conditions, cruel teachers and the strict rules of Mr...
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...the neglectful". Explore the methods which writers use to present the idea of neglect in light of this statement. 'Neglect' is defined as 'the state of being uncared for' and within Jane Eyre, neglect is a constant theme. This is evident in the way Jane is neglected from childhood, and how this has a knock-on effect on the way she behaves throughout the rest of her life. Other minor characters such as: Adela Varens, Mrs Fairfax and Bertha are victims of neglect. Through language, structure and the form of the novel Bronte creates an air of isolation. This in turn emphasises, primarily, Jane's neglect. The main way in which this is explored throughout Jane Eyre is how the main protagonist finds herself in states of constant isolation in every main stage of her life. It can be said that, essentially one of Jane's main aims during her journey through life is to finally experience reciprocated love and care, that lasts. Jane was arguably at her height of neglect during her childhood years and it is here that Bronte is able to present it most effectively. By emphasising that Jane was a neglected child, Bronte can elicit the most amount of sympathy from the reader. This theme is most apparent; firstly during her early childhood with the Reeds' and then at Lowood Institute. In the opening chapter, Jane sits at window sill which is described as the following; "Folds of scarlet drapery shut in my view to the right". The use of the phrase 'folds of scarlet' evokes a strong image of the...
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...Charlotte Bronte uses the character Jane Eyre to represent children who were seen but not heard “ ” A women in a patriarchy society and the treatment of the proletarian by the bourgeoisie. Bronte creates a microcosm were each character represents an aspect of society and through their interaction and treatment of Jane the reader is able to get a true understanding of the multiple themes, the Victorian society and Bronte’s own social and political believes . Therefore this novel is too complex to be simply associated with the theme of social class. Throughout the novel Jane finds herself in a state of isolation .At the start of the novel through the interaction between John reed and Jane Eyre Bronte is able to portray a patriarchy society and show how it starts from a young age “ for they are mine” the use of personal pronouns further indicates his power over Jane . Even the servants recognise his position in the house hold “your master” as if he owns Jane. A Mere child. The use of the word “master” implies that she is his property and that she is below him in statues. . In a society where religion was everything and God was seen as the creator of all things men were seen as the closest thing to God in terms of the amount of power they held clearly demonstrating how insignificant women where compared to men in the Victorian society. The reader is able to understand Brontes feeling on this subject through the description of john by Jane “heavy limbs and large extremities...
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...Post-colonial Fiction Essay Assignment 2012 Topic: How does Wide Sargasso Sea revise or alter the way one reads Jane Eyre? Your answer should include reference to contrasting narrative techniques employed by the two authors. Jane Eyre, written in 1847 by Charlotte Bronte, and Wide Sargasso Sea, written in 1966 by Jean Rhys, are two different novels, written in different eras and different backgrounds, thus are strongly related. In general terms, Wide Sargasso Sea can be considered to be a modernist revision of Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre; it acts as its sequence. “Bertha” in Jane Eyre is “Antoinette” in Wide Sargasso Sea. However, after reading both novels, we perceive them in a completely different way, as the mainly the character of Bertha-Antoinette is dramatically shifted and is given a previously unheard voice. Wide Sargasso Sea acts like a polyphonic novel in contrast with Jane Eyre which functions as a monophonic one. It is a post-colonial modernist narrative, in where we get a post-colonial point of view. It breaks all voices and perspectives together in which Antoinette has the role of a 19th century heroine in colonial Era. In effect, Wide Sargasso Sea challenges the point of view which we perceive from Jane Eyre since there is a different point of view than in Bronte’s novel. Briefly, Rhys' novel is a retelling of Bronte’s novel where Rhys particularly pays attention to the negative effects that the culture of the Caribbean went through, due to the European colonization...
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...Summary: This paper discusses the ending of Jane Eyre, discussing whether it is a “good” ending. The paper draws on three criticisms of both the novel and Romantic literature in general to conclude that, yes, it is indeed a good ending because it both fits the prevailing realism of the main character’s worldview, and conforms to the predominant literary trends of the period. A Romantic Ending In An Anti-Romantic Novel: Does Jane Eyre End Well? This paper discusses the ending of Jane Eyre, discussing whether it is a “good” ending. The paper draws on three criticisms of both the novel and Romantic literature in general to conclude that, yes, it is indeed a good ending because it both fits the prevailing realism of the main character’s worldview, and conforms to the predominant literary trends of the period. The climate in which Charlotte Bronte wrote her magnum opus was one that had almost fully recovered from the rationalist excesses of the Enlightenment. The existing climate had replaced ‘scientific’ realism with Romanticism of the Byronic sort, drawing on the ancient ideals of chivalry and the new ideals of individual freedom to craft a literature in which suffering does not end with the last romantic sunset. Ultimately, concepts such as happiness cannot be guaranteed to skeptics like Jane Eyre and “hideous” men like Rochester -- only the divine union of passion can be guaranteed. Yet, for Bronte’s characters, this is sufficient reward and an appropriate...
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...test of time. Jane Eyre and The Joy Luck Club both connect the maternal figure and use the narrative language to tell the stories of the women in both novels. Charlotte Brontë has created a novel that is referenced often and allows coming of age novels to spring-board off of her beliefs. Amy Tan’s coming of age novel could stand to be the test of time and can be modeled after Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre not only stands the test of time by showing the importance of women in society through Jane, but also first person to iterate the importance that Charlotte Brontë draws the reader into the narrator’s feelings. The Joy Luck Club uses the narrative language which can stand the test of time for the future similarly to Jane Eyre and develop characters through first person. Often times Brontë does not mention Jane’s mother, however, when she does elaborate on a...
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...I Will not Be Yours from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë Self-respect helps remember what we value and who we wish to be. If you do not respect yourself and cannot stay true to your own morals and standards it is difficult to be satisfied with your choices - what it truly takes to be happy with our actions is not the respect given by others, but the ability to respect yourself and keep your self-respect intact. Self-respect is closely connected with the feeling of dignity and confidence in oneself. “I Will not Be Yours” is a fictional text, an extract from a novel called Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë published in 1847. Jane Eyre is the protagonist and a first person narrator in the extract. The extract is a dialogue between Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester. The dialogue tells a lot about Jane Eyre and of her self-respect and beliefs. Jane appears to be a religious person who indeed believes in God and his words for example when she tells Rochester to trust in God and believe in heaven and justifies herself “I will keep the law given by God; Sanctioned by man.”, if Jane does as Rochester wants her to and becomes his mistress, it would be bigamy and secondly offend the marriage and laws given by God. Jane does not want to give up her integrity to become Mr Rochester’s mistress and have a chance to love and free her passion. Although Jane does stay true to herself and God a part of her wants to give in and allow herself to break the laws of God, “Soothe him; save him; love him; tell...
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