Jane Eyre Patriarchal Dominance Essays

Jane Eyre Patriarchal Dominance Essays Jane Eyre Patriarchal Dominance Essay Jane Eyre Patriarchal Dominance Essay A Female in a Man’s World Patriarchal dominance is something that has been the norm for centuries, and is only now beginning to become less prominent. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is about the young Byronic hero Jane Eyre who has been resisting patriarchal forces all her life. In Bronte’s novel, Jane’s character is consistently portrayed as passionate in asserting her own identity, even though this has caused conflict with most males, and some females throughout her life. The passage that follows is taken from the scene when Jane is justifying to herself her refusal to go to the south of France with Rochester, as well as her decision to leave Thornfield Hall. Jane’s decision is devouring her, however she knows that she will never be more than a mistress to him as long as Bertha Mason is alive, and so she must assert herself in order to retain the identity that she has worked so hard for: Still indomitable was the replyI care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will keep the law given by God; sanctioned by man. I will hold to the principles received by me when I was sane, and not madas I am now. Laws and principles are not for the times when there is no temptation: they are for such moments as this, when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be. If at my individual convenience I might break them, what would be their worth? They have a worthso I have always believed; and if I cannot believe it now, it is because I am insanequite insane. (408) Her conscience and reason have been described as betraying her and siding with her passion and feelings side, causing an inner-conflict that is threatening the resonance of her identity. This clash between Jane’s passion and reasoning strongly illustrates key reoccurring themes throughout the novel, including the assertion of her strong, female identity as well as resisting patriarchal forces that have been stifling Jane Eyre her entire life. Rochester, who is described as â€Å"masterful† throughout the novel, is trying to assert his power over Jane by telling her to come to the south of France with him as his mistress and not to leave Thornfield, however Jane remains â€Å"indomitable† in an effort to maintain her identity. Jane says that â€Å"I care for myself† in a rhetorical statement, which is used as a simple justification to herself and reminder of who she is, as well as an introduction to the internal conflict that she is experiencing. Jane never had trouble leaving the Reed residence or Lowood School because there was nothing left in these places for her, however she is now in love with Rochester and has him to think about as well, creating an even more substantial conflict. Her passion and feelings seem to be taking over her usual dominant conscience and reasoning that ordinarily allow her to make decisions without emotional attachments. She quickly comes to realize though that the idea of being someone’s mistress is too demeaning and she therefore must affirm herself as independent from any dominant male figure, even one that she is in love with. When Jane says that â€Å"The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will keep the law given by God†, she is asserting her independence from Rochester and his patriarchal dominance that he would undoubtedly have over her. This is resonated when he calls Jane â€Å"Mrs. Rochester† (p. 394), which to this Jane gives the cold response: â€Å"Sir, your wife is living† (p. 394). For Jane, the idea of being referred to as anything but her given name is something that is not even close to imaginable for her, because this would be tainting her identity, ultimately leaving her with nothing. At this point in the novel, the only thing that Jane has left that she can fully rely on is â€Å"the law given by God† because her other resources, conscience and reasoning, have betrayed her and sided with her feelings: â€Å"when body and soul rise in mutiny against their rigour; stringent are they; inviolate they shall be†. In other words, when Jane’s body and soul oppose her sensibility because of â€Å"temptation†, her â€Å"laws and principles† that she has always stood by, must remain strict and intact in order to retain her identity. Jane refers to these said laws and principles, as ones that were â€Å"received by me when I was sane, and not mad- as I am now. † She is obviously referring to before she met Rochester and fell in love with him, and a clear parallel can also be drawn here between Jane and Bertha Mason. Throughout the novel Bertha is described as a â€Å"lunatic† (p. 381) and continually dehumanized by Rochester, only contributing animalistic qualities to her identity. Rochester was the dominant patriarchal force in Bertha’s life, and although this may be subconscious for Jane, the comparison is inevitable, especially when she refers to herself as â€Å"insane- quite insane†. In this passage, Bertha Mason is used as a foreshadowing of what could happed to Jane if she doesn’t immediately assert her independence, and resist Rochester’s patriarchal grasp. After this scene, Jane leaves Thornfield with nothing but twenty shillings and a small bag of her belongings, but along with these insignificant items, she has her pride, which in her view is priceless. This passage works to reinforce key reoccurring themes in Bronte’s novel; Jane fighting for her independent, female identity, as well as the resistance of dominating patriarchal forces that have sought to stifle Jane and her character throughout her life. The internal conflict portrayed in this passage, is one that helped to change Jane’s life for the better, because in the end, her leaving Thornfield was the best thing that could have happened for her and Rochester’s relationship. By Jane standing up for what she believed in, it ultimately leads to the only thing she had missing in her â€Å"solitary†¦friendless† life, which was love.