Jane is a feminist in a time before feminism became mainstream. In the 1850s, when Bronte wrote the novel, there were few spheres in which women and men were on equal footing and yet Jane recognizes that they are, in fact, more alike than different. She says that “women feel just as men feel” (123), and throughout the novel works to ensure that she is on equal footing with the men in her life – including refusing to become Rochester’s mistress and only agreeing to marry him when they are finally on equal social footing.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Feminism
Jane is a feminist in a time before feminism became mainstream. In the 1850s, when Bronte wrote the novel, there were few spheres in which women and men were on equal footing and yet Jane recognizes that they are, in fact, more alike than different. She says that “women feel just as men feel” (123), and throughout the novel works to ensure that she is on equal footing with the men in her life – including refusing to become Rochester’s mistress and only agreeing to marry him when they are finally on equal social footing.
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