Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the protagonist Bertha Mason, who never consents to society's restrictions on women's behavior in Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre", symbolizes the oppression of women by the patriarchal system where men are the interpreters and enforcers of social and political rules. The author points out that Bertha is interested in neither social acceptance nor self respect; her childhood experiences did not teach her to comply with social rules. The paper relates the story and concludes that, although Bertha's conduct seems inappropriate according to the norms of nineteenth century middle class society, it cannot be definitely diagnosed as mental illness.

From the Paper:

"Rochester is "ignorant, raw and inexperienced" and is "dazzled" by Bertha's beauty. After the marriage he realizes that he "never loved, never esteemed nor even knew her" and that he was "not sure of the existence of one virtue in her nature, neither modestly nor benevolence nor candor nor refinement in her mind of manners." Rochester criticizes Bertha's behavior in the context of morality and intellect, but his belief in her madness is arbitrary. Her behavior tends to be more demanding and self indulgent than insane: "No servant would bear the continued outbreaks of her violent and unreasonable temper, or the vexations of her absurd, contradictory, exacting orders.""

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