Rebellion and Conformity in "Jane Eyre"

Paper Summary:

This paper examines Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre" and looks at how it contains those first few sparks of rebellion, which later resulted in an active feminist movement in England. It shows that, while the novel itself is not free from Victorian strictures, there are certain moments when an independent, rebellious voice surfaces and takes hold of the very proper and logical Jane Eyre. It also explores how the novel itself is not about rebellion or conformity, as are some novels of early 20th century, but does contains thought-provoking instances, which allow the readers to get a glimpse of a repressed feminist streak of the novelist.

From the Paper:

"There are also some instances in the novel when the author inclined towards conformity and obedience and quietly accepted societal norms. Especially in her relationship with Rochester, we notice that Jane refuses to develop an illicit relationship with her master. This shows that even when Jane had been a rebel all her life, there were some occasions when she obediently observed religious restrictions. At this particular occasion, she measures the pros and cons of the offer made by Rochester, "'[who in the world cares for you? or who will be injured by what you do?'," but then silenced such thoughts with intelligent and logical reasoning and decided not to give up religion for the sake of love, "'I care for myself. The more solitary, the more friendless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. I will keep the law given by God...'" (XXVII: 279)."

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