Most of the characters in Jane Eyre judge others based on gender, social class, and level of education.
Mr. Brocklehurst, for example, acts as if he is superior. Although the students must dress and act modestly, his own family dresses extravagantly. The Ingrams judge Jane based on their previous experiences with governesses.
Despite all that he hears, Mr. Rochester chooses to judge others' character for himself. Twice in the novel, he disguises himself in order to see what others act like without him present. The first time is when he meets Jane after the accident with his horse; he does not disclose the fact that he is Mr. Rochester. He asks Jane what she thinks of Mr. Rochester, but, not having met him before, he does not get much information from her. The second time is when Mr. Rochester pretends to be a fortune-telling gypsy. This time, not only does he trick Jane but Miss Ingram as well. By telling Miss Ingram that Mr. Rochester had no fortune, he discovered that she was not marrying him for love but for his wealth. Again, Mr. Rochester tries to pry into Jane's head by asking her what she thinks of Mr. Rochester. Although she does fall for the disguise at first, Mr. Rochester does not receive very much information from her.
Charlotte Bronte is commenting on the nature of judgment through these passages. The conditions that Mr. Brocklehurst has the students in is eventually discovered, and he must change them. Miss Ingram does not marry Mr. Rochester like she had hoped to initially. Mr. Rochester, although he pays for his previous errors, ends up marrying the one he truly loves, Jane. In this way, Bronte explains that those who see with their own eyes, not using the views given to them by society, are rewarded.
Erica W.
This is really insightful, I would not have thought to see Bronte's message portraid like this. After reading it however, I completely saw what u were talking about...good job =)
ReplyDelete-Jessica D.
After reading Shelby F.'s blog, I learned of something that related both Tess and JAne together, and that was the use of color. Here you have stated yet another similarity, because the social issues you have stated above arise in Tess as well. Many of those surrounding Tess judge her on the same criterion that Mr. Brocklehurst judges the girls in his institution.
ReplyDeleteAwesome ending line, by the way. Reminds me of the concept of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder".
-Meredith K.
Great blog Erica! I completely agree that society's view of people is entirely too superficial and as individuals, we should really begin to look with our heart and not our eyes. Mr. Rochester did make the right decision in choosing Jane and I'm glad the novel had a happy ending. -Dorothy Zuniga
ReplyDeleteErica,
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point! Jane Eyre exposes many inequalities and injustice of the Victorian Era. For example, beside the injustices taking place at the orphanage and Mr. Brocklehurst’s obvious hypocrisy, the book exposes the sub rosa social strata based on sex. Although a woman might have money, she is not as influential as a man is
i like how you described how jane see with her heart and not her head all the time because if she did, she would not have seen past mr. rochester's wall. i also like how you used vivid details from the novel to express what jane saw and how she acted. it is a very well-written piece on how jane views society differently then others.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement and I think it can be seen as a commentary on society, not only today but also as it has been. In order to fit in and survive, people have to put on certain "masks" to blend in and to single out the people who bear ill intentions towards them. Rochester, I'm guessing because of his dark past, has become cautious of society and thus submits to act accordingly.
ReplyDeleteThings are definitely not as they seem. Mr. Brockelhurst seemed all kind at the beginning, but later on in the novel, his true characters are revealed in the orphanage. ..Mr. Rochester is also a man of different personalities which are revealed during the time that Jane stays with him in his mansion...
ReplyDeleteReading your post, I was compelled to consider the reason for higher-class individuals to not "act their social class." When Rochester disguises himself as a gypsy, he seems to break free from the "rich upper-class" stereotype to shoo away Ingram and reach a step towards opening Jane's heart.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting point! I hadn't thought of this before, and like other people have said, I think that this has a connection to society and their views. Honestly, what I thought is that it seems to me is that we cannot be truly honest with others until we can see ourselves from their perspective. Mr. Brockelhurst doesn't care about his students, doesn't care to see from their point of view, but Mr. Rochester by hiding his true nature, and by pretending that he wasn't from the upper class eventually could connect with and fall in love with Jane.
ReplyDelete-Emily S
I like your analysis of this concept. I agree with you that Bronte did a good job of showing how the character's did not let society define them. Although, Rochester was a rich man he did not act like most of them. Even though Jane was very oppressed and considered lower class, she still kept her pride and spirit inside her. I think they were both similar in this way and made them more compatible.
ReplyDelete-Stephanie Kang
I like your analysis of Bronte's perspective and what she is trying to convey to the reader. She definitely shows the flaws of judgment, especially those rooted in discrimination by gender or social status.
ReplyDelete-Susan Y.