Why is Jane Eyre considered central to the feminist canon? Discuss from a feminist perspective.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is considered to be a significant work in the feminist canon. This is primarily the result of the strength of Jane’s strength of character, her rejection of social norms and female expectations in a patriarchal society, her determination in displaying independence of mind and action at every turn, and her quest for equality (Gilbert and Gubar 1984, p. 342). These are the foundations of feminism and so prove that Jane Eyre is an incredibly important feminist text. Examples from the text will be discussed in conjunction with the feminism foundations in the following.
Jane’s tale is a traditional Bildungsroman, also known as a coming-of-age story. Commonalities shared in a Bildungsroman are the overall positive psychological and moral developments of the protagonist (Gilbert and Gubar 1984, p. 339). In Jane’s case these developments stem from her journey from childhood into adulthood. The reader sees Jane’s humble and tragic beginnings as a lonely orphan, develop into that of a strong, independent, and intelligent woman, capable of following her own path, working and supporting herself, and without the need to be defined by another person (Lamonaca 2002, p. 247).
Jane’s powerful development is possible through her strength of character. Jane is angry, determined, independent, passionate, intelligent, wise, highly moral, and always in search of justice. Many of these qualities were seen as scandalous and immoral during the Victorian Period, which was when publication of the book occurred (Gao 2013, p. 926). It is through Jane’s strength of character that she continues to pursue her independence, equality and the rejection of social norms. Her character which is feminist in itself, informs her acts of feminism in the book (Gilbert and Gubar 1984, p. 342).
The character of Jane has been heavily scrutinised, most commonly during time of publication (Minogue 1999, p. xv). This is because Jane rejects the social norms of the patriarchal Victorian Period. She is compared to the women during this time who were expected ‘to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags’ (Brontë 1847, p. 95). This quote embodies the ‘under-fulfilment of female existence’ during the period and the way that women were praised for trivial pursuits rather than their intelligence, wit or strength (Minogue 1999, p. xv). It shows how Jane stood in juxtaposition next to the male-dominated society of the time, making her a significant and influential feminist character and her creator, Brontë, a key player in the development of women’s rights (Gao 2013, p. 926). In her creation of Jane, Brontë was able to ‘shed new light on female identity and particularly, on the identity of female writers and artists who dared to pick up the pen and go public with details about the female psyche’ (Nelson 2011, p. 184).
Jane is constantly seeking equality in her endeavours and actions. In the cancelled wedding of herself and Mr. Rochester, Jane does not continue a relationship with him just because he is already married. This is certainly a contributing factor, but Jane is also driven to be seen as an equal to Mr. Rochester and to be his mistress would not coincide with this sought equality. Instead, it would force Jane to become a lesser person than who she was destined to be and who she felt she was (Lamonaca 2002, p. 246). In the end, when Jane and Mr. Rochester do marry, they do so with equality as they have become equals. To cement Jane’s ideas on equality and prove her to be an early feminist, she says in the book ‘Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer’ (Brontë 1847, p. 95).
Independence is a primary quality in feminists and one seen as being a wonderful addition to any woman’s personality (Gilbert and Gubar 1984, p. 343). In Jane’s case, she loves Mr. Rochester but cannot be with him as she refuses to sully herself in the becoming of his mistress, and so chooses to leave. When she is with St. John, who asks her to marry him also, she finds that she cannot conform to his domesticated ideal of a wife. Jane is stuck between these two offers of marriage, one bringing her shame but true love, the other bringing her security yet dull domesticity. Jane takes neither option, her independence comes through and she denounces these two roles and chooses self-fulfillment and freedom over conformity (Lamonaca 2002, p. 246). In the end, when she does go back to Mr. Rochester, she does so with her new-found independence and they come together as equal partners.
Interestingly, St. John tried to make Jane a quieter person, he enjoyed their concentrated study sessions and liked her to be agreeable. Whereas Mr. Rochester commended Jane’s outspoken ways and respected her for them. This is seen when he says, ‘I mentally shake hands with you’ after Jane has an outburst about Mr. Rochester telling her what to do (Brontë 1847, p. 118). Mr. Rochester can also be seen here as an early feminist supporter with his respect for Jane’s strong, feminist personality.
In this essay, Jane’s deeply complicated, unconventional – of the Victorian Period – and strongly feminist character is discussed as the backbone for her actions throughout the book. Jane displayed independence of action and mind, she displayed intelligence and wisdom in situations where women would be expected to remain silent or agreeable, and she sought equality and justice in her relationships. Jane and her creator, Charlotte Brontë are unequivocally, examples of early feminists and Jane Eyre will continue to be a truly important work in the feminist canon.

Reference List

Brontë, Charlotte 1999 (1847), Jane Eyre, Wordsworth Editions, Hertfordshire.

Gao, Haiyan 2013, ‘Reflection on Feminism in Jane Eyre’, Theory and Practice in Language Studies, vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 926-931.

Gilbert, Sandra. M & Gubar, Susan 2000 (1984), The Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination, Second Edition, Yale University Press, New Haven.

Lamonaca, Maria 2002, ‘Jane’s Crown of Thorns: Feminism and Christianity in “Jane Eyre”’, Studies in the Novel, vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 245-263.

Minogue, Sally 1999, Jane Eyre, By Charlotte Brontë, Wordsworth Editions, Hertfordshire.

Nelson, Barbara 2011, ‘Faces of Jane Eyre’, Journal of Research in Gender Studies, no. 1, pp. 183- 187.