pavansuresh
New Member
I am Pavan the Skeptical Elf.
Posts: 26 
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Post by pavansuresh on Nov 17, 2015 23:20:48 GMT
Brontë's novel can be seen as the very first truly feminist novel. In it, Brontë is still very cautious. She doesn't want people to label her insane, so she is very careful to show two examples of feminism, with major differences in between, in the forms of Jane and Bertha. Brontë portrays Bertha as a "madwoman," insane, monstrous, and the perfect example of the stereotypical "whore-monster" from the "angel-whore" dichotomy that existed in that time. At the same time, Brontë presents Jane as a milder alternative of feminism, as a liberal (but not radical) character. Brontë introduces here the first form of proto-feminism and the equal rights movement by characterizing Jane as sane and law-abiding, but at the same time intellectual and independent. Brontë is attempting to smash the idea of the angel-whore dichotomy, and instead show that womanhood is a spectrum of characteristics; Jane was in between the two stereotypes of angel and demon, being pure but intelligent and independent. Brontë, here, is saying that "All people have a Bertha side inside them. We can acquiesce to it, we can outright reject it, or, better, we can balance it with our purer side. There's no need to go to extremes."
That's how I interpreted it. What do you guys think?
-Pavan the Skeptical Elf
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Post by anewman98 on Nov 18, 2015 1:59:05 GMT
Pavan, I agree with your point that Bronte explicitly put two feminist examples in the story. While Jane is the obvious one, Bertha is the more "modern" one.
It is made obvious that Jane is a strong, independent woman. Her strong will as a child and refusal to conform to Rochester's marriage have readers rooting for her from the start. When analyzed at the surface, women stereotypes are proven wrong. According to Literature in the Nineteenth Century, the ideal woman is pure, not passionate, and beautiful to an unhealthy level. Jane crushes these ideals by exhibiting passion and plainness. To further disprove the stereotype, Rochester still ends up loving her. Go women!!
But, when you look a layer deeper, you realize there is another female character, Bertha. The reader's initial thoughts of, "Why is she even in the story? What is her purpose?" actually parallel the views of women in that time period. Most women were silenced, and people questioned their purpose (other than to serve men). Bertha is unloved by Rochester, yet she stays with him because not only is it her duty, but she doesn't know any better. She lacks a purpose and seeks reassurance from outside forces. When that love isn't given to her, she goes insane. This is a more accurate portrayal of women in the 19th century, because society gives them no self purpose, forcing them to rely on others' approval. Unlike Jane, she will forever lack independence and confidence.
"Everyone has a Bertha inside of them" means that everyone feels without a purpose sometimes. Maybe Bronte uses both characters in a feminist light to reveal the bigger theme that one needs to be confident and not rely on others' opinions.
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