【热点导读】：陶渊明文学作品中的玄学思想 霍桑小说中的宗教意识 《许三观卖血记》重复叙事的音乐
从《简爱》的反抗性格分析女性意识
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Abstract:Jane Eyre is a great work by Charlotte Bronte, which depicts the unusual vicissitudes of life of an orphaned girl who protests against extraordinary odds to pursue independence, equal status with men and eventually finds true love. Jane Eyre also exposes many social issues, in which women’s status is profoundly embodied. Based on this point, this paper tries to illustrate Jane Eyre’s rebellious character and how female consciousness strongly reflects in the novel.
First this paper generalizes the social background of 19th century to let people better understand women’s status in Victorian Age. Then it tries to explore Jane Eyre’s rebellious character and analyze female consciousness. Lastly, the influence of the work is mentioned.
The strong sense of feminism reflected in the novel is well worth exploring. This may be one of the reasons for the novel’s remaining popularity. Here the paper does not comment on just her energetic resistance, but attempts to understand the voice of a feminist narrator in the context of the larger discussion of women, gender roles, and the organized feminist movements of the nineteenth century, which few papers have dedicated to it so far.
Key words: Jane Eyre; rebellious character; female consciousness
1. Introduction
Jane Eyre is a great work, which is full of profound intentions, complicated plots and sincere emotions. It also shows its unique artistic charm and literature values, so it has enjoyed popularity for more than one and a half century. This paper, based on feminism, tries to explore female consciousness of Jane Eyre through her rebellious character.
2. Analysis of Female Consciousness through Jane Eyre’s Rebellious Character
1.Childhood—at Gateshead
Rebel is the keynote of the novel. Jane Eyre’s rebel is penetrated into the whole novel. The life in Gateshead is the beginning of the rebel. Because of poverty and the identity of an orphan, Jane suffers from discrimination and maltreatments repeatedly. She lives in an environment where her parents have died and she is looked down upon by others. She suffers from different maltreatments. Her aunt discards her. Her sisters scorn her. Her brother insults and beats her. The servants keep admonishing her. But all these things can not make Jane yield or restrain herself to the circumstance at an early age, instead of that, she strongly rebels against them with her small and weak body.
2.Adolescence—at Lowood School
In Lowood School, Jane Eyre’s rebel matures. Lowood is a typical school under the educational system which is covered with the skin of religion. The condition of Lowood School is very bad.
Jane’s behavior is the rebel against the unfair society which is male-controlled and autocratic. It has a close relationship with the Women’s Liberation Movement of that time, which calls on people to resist oppression and social prejudice, struggle for individual liberation and protect personal dignity. Feminism opposes gender oppression. Charlotte Bronte uses the voice of Jane Eyre to call out the people, who are oppressed, to stand up to fight. Charlotte wishes to wake up the soul which sleeps soundly. With the development of the society and the awareness of the female, it is necessary for the feminist movement to appear.
3.Unfortunate Love—at Thornfield
In Thornfield, Jane’s rebel is at a peak. Jane’s irrational impulse to rebel is caused by a child’s oppressed nature in Gateshead or Lowood. However, in Thornfield, the rebel shown in Jane’s character has been full of sense. Jane’s experiences in Thornfield deepen her firm rebellious character. She shows her strong rebellious spirit in her opinions of society, love life, marriage and religion.
4.Refusal of the Marriage—at Moor House
After leaving Thornfield, Jane has roamed about for three days. She loses consciousness because of cold and hunger. Fortunately, she is saved by priest St. John Rivers and his sisters. When Jane has dealings with St. John Rivers, it also reflects her rebellious character. John makes a proposal of marriage to Jane again and again. The reason is he thinks Jane is suitable to be a wife. He does not allow Jane to have the right of choosing her own way of life and to seek for her own happiness. Jane refuses this kind of missionary marriage. Jane’s refusal to St. John Rivers shows that women begin to resist the religion, the unequal marriage and the man-dominant society.
3. Conclusion
Jane Eyre is the first English novel even the most powerful and popular novel. From Gateshead to Lowood, to Thornfield, to Moor House, the road is full of thorns to Jane Eyre.
