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Post by dgarrett on Nov 18, 2015 22:18:00 GMT
There are many aspects of anti-feminism that come from people's religion in the 1800's. In The Ideology of Femininity it is stated that "such thinkers (talking about men) employed a rhetoric drawn from religion to characterize the good mother as a kind of Madonna and the dutiful maiden as a virginal angel". This religious value served as a thing for women of the 1800's to look up to, or so men said. They are really just trying to say that women are inferior to men, and they should give in and accept anything a man tells them to do, which is basically what a "dutiful maiden" does.
We also see this in Jane Eyre as well when Mr. Brocklehurst scolds Jane because she doesn't say her prayers when he visits her at Gateshead. This event scares Jane and also makes her question her religion. Brocklehurst is seen as an anti-feminist every time his name comes up in the story. Since he is the head of an all girl school/orphanage, he has the opportunity to teach these girls his values, and they include simplicity in the lives of women and male superiority. Brocklehurst also says that he is a very religious man, so he can be seen as the tie between the common practices of religion and the anti-feminist men in the 1800s.
Overall, the religious values and beliefs that people got from society led to the anti-feminism that we see in Jane Eyre.
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Post by cnelson on Nov 21, 2015 16:28:45 GMT
There are many aspects of anti-feminism that come from people's religion in the 1800's. In The Ideology of Femininity it is stated that "such thinkers (talking about men) employed a rhetoric drawn from religion to characterize the good mother as a kind of Madonna and the dutiful maiden as a virginal angel". This religious value served as a thing for women of the 1800's to look up to, or so men said. They are really just trying to say that women are inferior to men, and they should give in and accept anything a man tells them to do, which is basically what a "dutiful maiden" does.
Brocklehurst also says that he is a very religious man, so he can be seen as the tie between the common practices of religion and the anti-feminist men in the 1800s.
That's a pretty good view point on Brocklehurst. I saw him as just a egotistic dominant male figure in the novel but it can also be interpreted that he was actively practicing anti-feminism at Lowood. He was openly and directly trying to shape the girls into submissive and obedient women. This is clearly seen when Jane accidentally drops her slate and he punishes her by calling her out and having her stand on a chair in front of everyone. He clearly does not tolerate any act of disobedience from the girls. His ultimate goal is to strip the girls of the freedom to express themselves and teach them their rightful roles in society. Going of this view point I think it can also be argued that St. John could have been an anti-feminist. Of course, he was much less assertive than Brocklehurst, but he was definitely just as direct in his opinion. The fact that he wanted Jane to marry him for the sole purpose of coming with him to India for missionary work shows how he saw Jane as a tool that he could use to help him achieve his goal. He does not potray much passion towards Jane, and is seen as a very emotionless character. it can be inferred that he essentially believes women are meant to be by their husbands sides and to help them achieve their goals. Never once does he ask Jane what her goal in life is, he simply infers she did not really have any idea of what she wanted and therefore he gives a "good deal" by asking her to marry him and go to India. |
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Post by katecavallo on Nov 21, 2015 16:50:24 GMT
This religious value served as a thing for women of the 1800's to look up to, or so men said. They are really just trying to say that women are inferior to men, and they should give in and accept anything a man tells them to do, which is basically what a "dutiful maiden" does.
I kind of agree with you here, but at the same time I have to think that more than religion goes into men's reasoning for women being inferior. No woman would listen to a man telling her she's less based off the Bible if she herself were not already feeling suppressed. It takes a silenced woman to sit there and agree to a man's rationale behind why she is not as important as him. I truly believe that men had been making women feel less important and less qualified to live for far longer and for far more fundamental reasons than religion. |
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