Morality and Authority in Jane Eyre
Alexys esparza, english 0600j madmen, mystics, monsters, prophets, and perverts (2009) , brown university, 2009.
[ Victorian Web Home —> Authors —> Charlotte Brontë —> Jane Eyre (text of the novel) —> Leading Questions ]
Upon her arrival at Lowood, Jane Eyre's sense of isolation follows her as she automatically separates herself from the rest of her classmates. Jane, however, does find herself drawn to one girl, Helen Burns, whom she discovers reading a book with an intriguing title. After a short discussion with Helen regarding how the authorities conduct Lowood, Jane does not further speak with Helen for a few days.
When Miss Scatcherd punishes Helen for having unclean fingernails, Jane questions why Helen did not defend herself by explaining the lack of water for washing that morning. Jane does not understand the play of power occurring before her. Helen, trained and docile, obediently withstands her unjust punishment because she respects the great authority Miss Scatcherd holds over her and all the girls at Lowood.
Later that evening, Jane and Helen discuss their beliefs about authority, punishment, and enemies:
"You are good to those who are good to you. It is all I ever desire to be. If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but they would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should--so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again."
"You will change your mind, I hope, when you grow older: as yet you are but a little untaught girl."
"But I feel this, Helen: I must dislike those who, whatever I do to please them, persist in disliking me; I must resist those who punish me unjustly. It is as natural as that I should love those who show me affection, or submit to punishment when I feel it is deserved."
"Heathens and savage tribes hold that doctrine; but Christians and civilised nations disown it."
"How? I don't understand."
"It is not violence that best overcomes hate--nor vengeance that most certainly heals injury."
"What then?"
"Read the New Testament, and observe what Christ says, and how he acts; make his word your rule, and his conduct your example."
"What does he say?"
"Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you."
"Then I should love Mrs. Reed, which I cannot do; I should bless her son John, which is impossible." [80-81]
Throughout this discussion, Brontë how much Jane and Helen have disparate views of authority and morality. Jane harbors great animosity and anger towards those who punish her. She believes that those who punish her should also be punished. In contrast, Helen believes that only heathens take that position. She argues that one should follow the passive and forgiving attitude taught in the New Testament. In this conversation, Brontë sets forth a moral dilemma: should you love your enemy or should you wish that enemy harm? Furthermore, should you respect or dismiss the power of authority?
Discussion Questions
1. What effect does Helen's calling Jane's viewpoint that of "heathens and savage tribes" have on the reader's opinion of Jane?
2. Jane seems unable to understand why an individual would endure unjust punishment without complaint. Up until the red room incident, Jane, however, did just that during her years living with the Reeds. What do you think triggered the change in Jane's attitude toward enduring authority and punishment?
3. Towards the end of the passage, the conversation appears in a question-answer format in which Helen provides answers to various inquiries Jane sets forth. Does this place Helen in an authoritative teaching role and Jane in a docile student role?
4. Do you think the narrator offers a judgment on which viewpoint is preferable, Helen's or Jane's? Is this conversation challenging constant obedience to authority or further encouraging it?
Last modified 27 January 2009
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Class Structure and Morality in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre Jenna Weiner
At first glance, Jane Eyre might be seen as simply a skillfully written Gothic romance. A closer look reveals layers of gender criticism and feminism. Yet, one of the most interesting readings focuses on the layers of class and Marxist commentary in the novel, especially from a deconstructionist perspective, with a careful watch for contradictions and complexities. While confusing and somewhat inconclusive, this style of analysis nevertheless produces some very interesting insights into the character of Jane Eyre and the possible intentions of the implied narrator. However, an even more baffling aspect of this novel is the role of religion, which arises in inorganic and complex ways. The solution, then, is to view the synthesis of the two aspects, and to look at how class structure relates to morality. It then becomes possible to see that the instances of class commentary and social structure are really references to morality, at least in Jane's mind, if not in the mind of the implied narrator. Thus, while it seems that Jane's class position varies - as does her judgment of her class - the reader is never encouraged to change his or her opinion of Jane. Because Jane's morality has been carefully developed and...
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Ethics and Moral Development in Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre Open Access
Cooper, elizabeth (spring 2018).
This thesis examines Aristotle’s and Charlotte Brontë’s respective treatments of character development in Nicomachean Ethics and Jane Eyre . By analyzing the works in tandem, I put Ancient philosophic discourse and Victorian literature into dialogue, thereby demonstrating the way in which the fields of philosophy and literature interact with, and illuminate, one another. While Aristotle’s ethics rest at the center of the project, I supplement my analysis of the moral narrative in Jane Eyre by drawing upon Epictetus’ Discourses, Augustine’s Confessions and Kant’s Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals.
This thesis argues that Jane, Brontë’s protagonist, defies the contemporary gendered Victorian moral code and displays growth more congruent with Christian and Aristotelian teachings. To both strengthen my own analysis of Jane’s internal makeup, and demonstrate the stylistic similarity of Aristotle’s and Brontë’s modes of writing, I contrast Jane’s character with those of others. More specifically, I examine her moral character alongside that of Bertha and St. John, interpreting the three characters as literary embodiments of Aristotle’s distinction between the states of deficiency, intermediacy and excess. I not only study other characters as a means of proving Jane’s morality to be most conducive to leading a happy, autonomous life, but to also reveal the way in which they serve to test her morality and compromise her freedom. To do so, I have constructed my argument in accordance with Aristotle’s topoi , dividing my chapters based on “places,” and have studied an oppressive force in each. Tracking Jane’s character development throughout the Bildungsroman, I reveal her increasing ability to resist the Victorian patriarchy; more generally, I draw attention to the moral and psychological strategies that allow women and men to overcome hardship.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter I: Gateshead
I. Section 1: John Reed as an Oppressive Froce
II. Section 2: Aristotelian Morality
III. Section 3: Demonstration of Character Growth
Chapter II: Lowood
I. Section 1: Mr. Brocklehurst as an Oppressive Force
II. Section 2: Christian Morality
III. Section 3: Demonstration of Character Growth
Chapter III: Thornfield
I. Section 1: Morality and Agency
II. Section 2: Morality and Self-Restraint
Chapter IV: Marsh End
I. Section 1: Jane's and St. John's Varying Moral Philosophies
II. Section 2: Demonstration of Autonomy
III. Section 3: Demonstration of Morality
Works Cited
About this Honors Thesis
Primary PDF
Supplemental files.
Essays About Jane Eyre: Top 5 Examples and Prompts
Writing essays about Jane Eyre? Take a look at our essay examples about Jane Eyre and be inspired by our additional prompts.
Jane Eyre is widely considered a classic novel that poignantly exposed the struggles of Victorian women through a story of love and emancipation. Jane Eyre is a Victorian novel written by Charlotte Brontë and published in 1847. Many aspects of the novel are said to derive from the personal story and experiences of the author herself.
Brontë published this masterpiece with the gender-neutral pen-name Currer Bell to evade criticisms as the rebelliousness of Jane Eyre was defiant of the accepted social mores of its period. While it stirred controversy in its time, the heroine of the novel, with her grit to conquer adversities, break the rules and achieve her desires, offers many lessons that inspire many to this day.
Read on and see our top essay examples and writing prompts to help with your essays about Jane Eyre.
1. Jane Eyre And The Right To Pester by Olivia Ward Jackson
2. jane eyre: content warnings are as old as the novel itself by jo waugh, 3. the tension between reason and passion in jane eyre by nicholas johnson, 4. reading jane eyre: can we truly understand charlotte brontë or her heroine today by sam jordison, 5. christianity as a form of empowerment in charlotte bronte’s jane eyre by noam barsheshat , 1. summary and personal reflection, 2. pervasive imageries, 3. jane eyre in the perspective of feminism, 4. best jane eyre film adaptations, 5. how is jane eyre’s life story similar to brontë’s, 6. what are the primary themes in jane eyre, 7. describe the characters, 8. how did jane eyre find her “true home” , 9. jane eyre as a bildungsroman, 10. jane eyre and economic independence, top 5 essay examples.
“Indeed, parallels can be drawn between Jane Eyre and those trapped in a professional hierarchy today. In rejecting an unwanted pass from a superior employee, far worse than damaging a fragile male ego, a woman could offset a chain of consequences which could threaten her entire career.”
The essay pays attention to the similarities between the class conflicts during Jane’s time and the hierarchies in the modern workplace. Finally, as feminists today argue over what practices and behavior would qualify as sexual misconduct, the essay turns the spotlight to Jane, with her determination to stand up against those who pester her, as a possible model.
“Why was the novel considered inappropriate for young girls, in particular? Many Victorians considered it “coarse and immoral”…The novel’s addictiveness might also have been an issue.”
The essay takes off from a university’s warnings against reading Jane Eyre and fellow Victorian novel Great Expectations, citing the “distressing” passages in the novels. The essay collates and presents the commentaries of people in shock with the warning. However, the piece also shows that such cautionary measures were not exactly new and, in fact, the first reaction when the book came to light.
“At the end of many trials Charlotte permits Jane to return at last to her lover…. They feel no passion or intrigue.. Instead of fire and ice, Charlotte gives us warm slush. Perhaps she never resolved the tension between reason and passion for herself, and so was unable to write convincingly about it.”
Johnson dives deep into how Brontë juxtaposed reason and passion in her novel’s imageries, metaphors, and even characters. In his conclusion, Johnson finds the resolution to the tension between passion and reason unsatisfactory, surmising that this weak ending conveys how Brontë never resolved this conflict in her own life.
“It’s easy to think we are more sophisticated because we now know more about – say – the early history of Christianity. Or because Brontë is, of course, ignorant of modern feminist theory, or poststructuralism. We can bring readings to her work that she couldn’t begin to imagine. But she could easily turn the tables on us…”
The essays reflect on how one from modern society could fully comprehend Brontë through the protagonist of her masterpiece. Jordison emphasizes the seeming impossibility of this pursuit given Brontë’s complex genius and world. Yet, we may still bask in the joy of finding an intimate connection with the author 200 years after Jane Eyre’s publication.
“Through her conflicts with various men―specifically, Mr. Brocklehurst, Mr. Rochester and St. John Rivers―Jane’s spiritual identity empowers her and supports her independence.”
This critical essay points out how Jane Eyre reconciled feminism and Christianity, highlighting the latter as a vehicle that empowered Jane’s transformation. Despite Jane’s determined spirit to find true love, she reflects her spiritual view of Christianity to prevent falling into an illegitimate love affair, preserving her well-being and self-empowerment.
10 Best Prompts on Essays About Jane Eyre
Check out our list of the best prompts that could get you started in your essay about Jane Eyre:
Provide a concise summary of the life of the young, orphaned Jane Eyre. First, cite the significant challenges that have enabled Jane’s transformation into a strong and independent woman. Next, provide a personal reflection on the story and how you identify with Jane Eyre. Then, explain which of her struggles and experiences you relate with or find most inspiring.
From the chestnut and the red room to the ice and fire contrasts, investigate what these imageries signify. Then, elaborate on how these imageries impact Brontë’s storytelling and contribute to the desired effect for her writing style.
Jane Eyre is highly regarded as one of the first feminist novels. It is a critical work that broadened Victorian women’s horizons by introducing the possibilities of emancipation. Write about how Brontë portrayed Jane Eyre as a feminist if you do not find that the novel advances feminist ideologies, write an argumentative essay and present the two sides of the coin.
It is estimated that over 16 film adaptations have been made of the book Jane Eyre. Watch at least one of these movie versions and write an analysis on how much it has preserved the book’s key elements and scenes. Then, also offer insights on how the movie adaptation could have improved production, cinematography, cast, and adherence to the book plot, among other factors.
Draw out the many parallels between the lives of Jane Eyre and her maker Charlotte Brontë. Suppose you’re interested in knowing more about Brontë to identify better and analyze their shared experiences and traits. In that case, The Life of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Gaskell is highly recommended.
Some of the themes very apparent in the novel are gender discrimination and class conflict. First, point out how Brontë emphasizes these themes. Then, dive deep into other possible themes and cite scenes where you find them echoing the most.
Describe the characters in the novel, from their roles to their traits and physical appearances. Cite their significant roles and contributions to Jane’s transformation. You may also add a personal touch by focusing on characters with whom you relate or identify with the most,
While Jane grew up in Gateshead with the Reed family to whom she is related by blood, the despicable treatment she received in the place only motivated her to take on a journey to find her true home. First, map out Jane’s search for love and family. Then, explain how finding her “true home” empowered her.
A bildungsroman roman is a literary genre that focuses on a protagonist’s mental, spiritual, and moral maturation. Discuss the criteria of a bildungsroman novel and identify which parts of Jane Eyre fulfill these criteria.
You may also compare Jane Eyre against heroes of other bildungsroman novels like Pip in Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations. Lay down their similarities and key differences.
In the latter part of the novel, Jane gains greater economic independence thanks to the substantial wealth she inherited. But before this discovery of inheritance, Jane had struggled with economic stability. So, first, tackle how finances affected Jane’s life decisions and how they empowered her to see herself as an equal to Rochester. Then, write about how women today perceive economic security as a source of self-empowerment.
For help with your essays, check out our round-up of the best essay checkers .
If you’re still stuck, check out our general resource of essay writing topics .
Yna Lim is a communications specialist currently focused on policy advocacy. In her eight years of writing, she has been exposed to a variety of topics, including cryptocurrency, web hosting, agriculture, marketing, intellectual property, data privacy and international trade. A former journalist in one of the top business papers in the Philippines, Yna is currently pursuing her master's degree in economics and business.
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The Role Of Religion In Jane Eyre By Charlotte Brontë
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- Topic: Jane Eyre , Literature Review , Religious Beliefs
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