Repressive Patriarchs of Jane Eyre

The men in the novel are either repressing patriarchs. For them, phallic supremacy must be absolute. In the light of this comment, discuss Brontes presentation of manly portions in Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel of Jane Eyre, there seems to be a gross backbone of patriarchal handedness, as possessed by the staminate subjects. Bronte shows antheral supremacy with four bring out characters that Jane encounters passim her life. Each character differs hugely, though this sense of a higher and more(prenominal) than violenceful individual, everywhere Jane, remains prevalent in each they are all inhibitory patriarchs in slightly route, though of varying magnitudes.The Victorian society was a completely different society to the one we live in straight route and it was well-known to be virile-dominated and one in which women had almost no rights at all. The item that Bronte wrote Jane Eyre during this period in time is clearly reflected in the male characters in the novel. It is discernible that Bronte herself whitethorn fix experienced or been ordain in some of the situations that she portrays Jane to be in by some despotic male character in her own life.Nevertheless, it is seen that these characters do revision as the novel progresses as Bronte seems to endow them a chance to withdraw themselves as a repressive compact, and show a little more condition and compassion towards others and women in particular. legerdemain reed instrument is the freshman of Brontes repressive patriarchs in the novel. He is placed at the beginning of the novel and is introduced to us almost immediately. He is in circumstance the in truth scratch heavy force to Jane in her life and in this way is very significant.At first, ass does non seem to be a huge threat to Jane, moreover branding her a bad animal and a rat. This fresh name-calling behaviour, as pictureed by hind end, is hushed oppressive in that he uses these names to assert a higher spring over Jane, accompeverying to pronouncing all the books in the house as his property. He reminds Jane that she is in a highly precarious shoes in society and that she has no cast receivable to the situation that she is living with them. She is classified as less than a servant according to him because she does nothing for her keep.John taunts Jane proclaiming that she ought to beg to even live. He continuously reminds Jane that she is a dependent somewhat indicating that she is dependent on him due to the fact that he is the solo male in the household, and therefore the overlook by birth. Furthermore, John demands obedience of Jane, even though he is only solely four years quondam(a) than her. He exercises what he feels is his power as a male over her physically, as can be seen when he hits Jane with a book as the volume was flung.This physical ill-treat is indicative of Bronte expressing that John reed entrusts that male supremacy must be absolute. The regularity of his bullying as a demand for obedience of Jane, not once or twice in a day, but continually is too characteristic of a repressive patriarch who would feel more secure in continuous rather than periodic abuse. John Reeds appearance may even be said to be one of a typical oppressive male character. Being blown-up and stout with heavy limbs and large extremities indicate that he is quite a large boy for his age and automatically an intimidating individual.His actions towards Jane are in any case somewhat animalistic such as thrusting out his vernacular at her as far as he could without damaging the grow, suggesting his belief in a trimal sense of alpha male restraint over a shrewdness of apes. He is quite terrific as well and he does not just exert his power over Jane, but he twisted the necks of the pigeons, and killed the little pea-chicks. It is clear that Bronte is super disgusted with his manner of indulging in animal cruelty as a gist to show his masculinity.John i s also disagreeable towards his mother and acts without regard as towards her, emphasising his belief that he is of a higher status than all women, not just Jane. He called his mother old girl too sometimes reviled her for her dark skin, similar to his own bluntly disregarded her desirees, and not infrequently tore and spoiled her silk attire. These aspects of John Reed, with no doubt, express Brontes potent feelings about the fact that all men thought that they were superior to a woman. Her disapproval and abhorrence of male supremacy is clear. Mr Brocklehurst is the second tormenting force that Jane is undefendable to in her life.He differs to John Reed in the fact that whilst John Reed is a form of physical oppression towards Jane, Brocklehurst is a form of sacred oppression. Nevertheless, both of the 2 characters are similar in appearance as can be seen by Brontes description of them, reinforcing this idea that male characters of oppression throw off a certain appearance to express their power. When Jane first meets Brocklehurst, the first description she ever gives him is one with negative connotations a blackamoor pillar that was standing erect on the rug the grim reflection at the top was deal a carved mask, placed higher up the shaft by way of capital. Immediately we are given the sense that he is an imposing and unbending character who is just plain frightening, especially to a young Jane. Brocklehurst seems to be a gothic villain in a sense and as a stony stranger, the sibilance emphasises the fact that he is extremely un bettermentable, hard and unforgiving. Bronte also gives Brocklehurst a bass piece which emphasises his masculinity, as well as large features that are harsh and prim to highlight his unyielding disposition.We soon find out that Brocklehurst is in fact a religious hypocrite who uses religion as a fomite for his repressive force that he exerts on the pupils at his civilise. However, we are not on first introduction imme diately shown his hypocrisy by Bronte until a little later in the novel when Jane is at his school. Upon Jane and Brocklehursts first meeting, he pointedly asks Jane if she should like to fall into that pit full of fire and be suntan there for ever. In an oppressive manner, Brocklehurst uses these implications of nut house as such to scare and terrify Jane into obedience.If we read into Brocklehursts phrase, his hypocrisy is revealed to us. He states to Jane that she would terminate in hell for ever. The fact that he expresss for ever is key in that he particularly twists the Christian ideas. When he mentions hell to Jane he ignores a key Christian idea that you may be saved from hell in an effort to frighten her into submission. Brocklehurst does not know for a fact that Jane allow for go to hell, but he is threatening her with the idea of hell, as he does with all the girls at Lowood School. Bronte writes the first conversation betwixt Brocklehurst in a way that puts our s ympathies, as a reader, with Jane. You must pray to perfection to change it to give you a new and clean one to film away your heart of stone and give you a heart of build was the advice given to Jane by Brocklehurst this is ironic in that Brocklehurst is described by Bronte as being stony himself, emphasising Brontes effort to sway the audiences opinions to ramp with Jane. At Lowood, Brocklehurst firmly preaches the idea that theology emergencys women to throw themselves to domesticity in order to please Him. He states that humility is a Christian forgiveness and one peculiarly appropriate to the pupils of Lowood and that he brings the girls up in a way so as to cultivate this.Brocklehurst reveals his own hypocrisy and efficaciously shoots himself in the foot and shows that he clearly does not practice what he preaches with his own children when he tells the story of his daughter capital of Maine and her trip to Lowood. Augusta comments on how quiet and plain all the girl s at Lowood look, almost like poor peoples children, in comparison to herself in a silk gown. Augusta and her sisters also actually arrive at Lowood, as seen by Jane, in velvet shawls, ostrich plume and such.In this way, Bronte shows her belief that Brocklehurst is all that is wrongfulness with the males of Victorian society as well as more of the rich people who also state that consistency, is the first of Christian duties, without fully committing and believing in what they say themselves. Brocklehurst is in fact an extremely irreconcilable person in his day to day life. Mr Brocklehurst is a delegation of what Bronte believes is wrong with society and its males with regards to religious oppression, as John Reed is a representation of her beliefs with regard to males in society with regards to physical oppression.In a stark counterpoint to Mr Brocklehurst is St John Rivers, who is in fact a non-stereotypical patriarch. He is a contrast to Brocklehurst because he firmly does not believe that women like Jane should dedicate and devote themselves to domesticity but instead to God. Brocklehurst is also a hypocrite in this way as he should be preaching the idea of devotion to God but instead teaches his pupils to devote themselves to domesticity. However, there are also some shipway in which St John is similar to Brocklehurst, and there is a key link between them in their ideologies.St John has extremely congruent ideologies however he is not a hypocrite, unlike Brocklehurst. It is important to mention that St John is an aesthetic model, an extremely problematic one at that. He is eternally living for his ideals and with his perfectionist nature, these ideals are almost unattainable. He is loggerheadedly religious and self-abnegating when it comes to fulfilling his religious duties, and in this way, he tries forcefully to get Jane to comply with his approach to life and to go to India with him.To get her to come with him and marry him, he uses language such as a part of me you must become, asseverate his authority and power as a male over her. He seems to be sacrificing of both Janes happiness and health for others, but he applies this to himself as well. St John attempts to dictate Janes life in that he seemingly needinesss her to reject his job offer as a school mistress for village children. He wants her to hold this job for a musical composition but not permanently as he believes that she cannot be issue to pass her leisure in solitude, and to devote her working hours to a flavorless labour in a place where her skills are made useless.He acknowledges that Jane is doom by God to do greater things, and though he may be wrong, he seems to be hinting to her this fact and that she is fit for a missioners wife, in what could be seen as a passive oppressive act. St John is also deeply unhappy with the fact that all Jane seems to want is a happy family life and would use all her money that she acquire to secure it. At Christmas , she is set on revelling in domesticity and St John is very much bothered and despairing of this and tries to exchange her to become more like him, albeit in a repressive manner. I excuse you for the present two months grace I allow you for the full enjoyment of your new position in this authoritative language St John displays that he does not want Jane to remain the position that she is in and to begin to look beyond fix House and Morton and the selfish calm and sensual comfort of civilised affluence. He wants Jane to sacrifice herself to God and I believe that in this way St John is more dangerous than Brocklehurst because he can is oppressive with reason, and he is not a hypocrite and volitioning to do all he preaches.I have decided to leave discussion of Mr Rochester to the end as I believe that he is by far the most complicated of the male characters throughout the novel, due to the fact that he undergoes a change in which he becomes less of a repressive patriarch and the refore a more suitable husband for Jane. The character at the beginning of the novel is immensely different to the Rochester that we see at the end, in more ways than one. However, the change in his oppressive nature towards Jane is especially significant. Jane did meet Rochester by chance, but even though he did not know who she was, he was still oppressive and authoritative towards her.He commands her to lead him his horse and when she is unable, he states that necessity compels him to dissemble her useful, laying a heavy hand on her raise which is a significant action that demonstrates his sense of authority. This attitude becomes less plain as he gets to know her though further into their relationship, this dominant side of him reappears as he seemingly tries to force her to stay with him, though deep down he knows he cannot keep her. Jane feels that she is equal to Rochester as he is the first male not to out rightly exercise and force his patriarchal dominance over her.Jane is comfortable to speak out and give her opinion directly, though this is only after he asks. She pointedly states that she does not think that he has a right to command her merely because he is older that her and in this way she has stated that the fact that he is male also does not play a part, though she does not actually say this. However, as their relationship progresses, this equality is warped and some of it is lost as Rochester seemingly becomes more desperate to have Jane for himself. This gradual increase in commands directed at Jane can be seen when Jane asks to leave him to see Mrs Reed.He commands her to contract him one thing, that being not to advertise and to trust this bespeak of a situation to me. Ill find you one in time. His despair for her to come back as soon as possible is evident in the fact that he orders her not to advertise so that she will definitely come back to him. When Jane tries to leave Rochester for good, upon finding out that he does indeed h ave a wife, in the form of Bertha Mason, Rochester threatens violence in order to get her to stay. He is desperate to get through to her and to convince her to stay and it is provoke that he seems to want to resort to this.The fact that he threatens this shows us that he is at an end and this is what a male character would do in order to get someone to comply with their wishes. Rochester is interesting in that he does try to give Jane a lot of exemption as a woman to do as she wishes, and is comfortable being an equal with her, but when it comes down to it, he ceaselessly finally resorts to his dominance as a male. Jane, however, does finally return to Rochester at the end of the novel. She makes her way back to Thornfield only to find it burned to the ground and she seeks out Rochester whom she finds alter following the great fire started by Bertha.This loss of an arm and his hatful his key to making Rochester a suitable husband for Jane. The handicap means that Rochester is n ow physically an equal to Jane, and does not have to suppress his opinions and will never have the opportunity to be dominant over her any more. Before he was disabled, Rochester never exercised his power over Jane, out of choice, this disability means that even if he wanted and chose to utilise his male dominance over her, he cannot. The fact that Bronte decides to take away from Rochester so that he becomes less oppressive is interesting.She seems to be giving Jane a chance to have power in the Victorian society that she lives in, possibly reflecting a wish for herself as a woman. Not all the male characters of Jane Eyre are always patriarchal and some, like Rochester, choose not to exercise their power over the woman. It is important to note that all the characters do it in different ways physical, religious and only in desperation. However, the distressing reality that Bronte is trying to express is that the majority of the men in society do believe in absolute male supremacy.Ne vertheless, she does give the example of Mrs Reed as a female oppressor who demands submission of Jane as a child, and took revenge when not obeyed. I believe that Bronte wanted the male characters to be a strong repressive force so as to reflect her feelings of society and the imbalance between the males and females. It is possible that Bronte was trying to send a message to society through this novel in an effort to provoke a change in society, which would have been met with dispute from male readers and agreement from a female audience.