In 19th century Victorian England, rigid class structures and hierarchies along with social mores defined the social landscape. A wide, unfeeling gulf separated the rich from the poor, while long-standing customs entrenched both perennial prosperity and generational misery. Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is seminal in its exploration of the complicated and rigid social hierarchies of Victorian England. Jane Eyre, an unclassifiable person, is suspended between the high and the low class. She is an estranged orphan, but she grew up in a high-class family. She is a governess, but works for the rich and attends social gatherings with the aristocrats. Despite the “narrow scope of Jane's life framework,” she undertakes a continuum of class obligations; she “extends it to the outer reaches, transcending social class with the vitality of her imaginative intellect.” Seen through the lens of this astute young woman, Brontë highlights the social discrepancies of the time. Jane's ambiguous class position generates considerable tension in her personal affairs, while at the same time granting her a position of great understanding of the nature of society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Throughout the novel, Jane experiences tension and conflict as a result of her dynamic social position. His family history is a clear example of the conflict he had to endure due to deeply ingrained social mores. Jane's parents married and belonged to different social classes and, as a result, were disowned by their family. As a result, Jane was not expected to inherit money from her grandfather simply because of her father's perceived lower-class position. Furthermore, the subsequent fatal onset of typhoid in the parents appears to be attributed to their decision to marry; their deaths occurred within just two years of the marriage. Jane continues to be pained later in the novel by the superficial values and traditions of society surrounding marriage. He desires a union with his master, Mr. Rochester; however, he has difficulty coming to terms with the social repercussions of this possible marriage. She hesitates to consider marrying Rochester as she fears she will feel helpless and tied to him for "condescending" to marry her. It appears that Rochester chose a different woman, Miss Ingram, as her "rank and connections suited him." Her prestige and outward beauty contrast with Jane's frugality, dark origins, and entrenched servitude. Although Rochester ultimately dislikes Ingram's character, the ordeal nevertheless serves to emotionally torment Jane. In this way, Brontë's account of class interactions in the Victorian era is a warning of the inevitable conflict encountered when traditions cherished by English society are violated. As well as enduring great emotional distress due to his fluid and undesirable social status. , Jane also gains valuable insights into the nature of society. His understanding of class structures begins with understandably biased but ironic preconceptions about what it means to be poor. As a young woman, Jane refuses the offer to live with her poor relatives as she has been led to believe that "poverty is synonymous with degradation". Jane will learn later in the novel that such degradation can be experienced even by the rich and that poverty is not degrading but rather humiliating. During her time as a student at Lowood Institution, Jane comes to understand the flaws of the rich. Brocklehurst, residing in a “great hall,” preaches a dogma to the girls.
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