Jane Eyre Essay

Jane Eyre Gender Issue
In the Novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte represent a lot of gender issue. Jane Eyre strives to fight segregation, overcoming it with her strong will. Cruelty starts early in Jane’s life, living with her aunt Reed in Gateshead. She was treated horribly by her own family and is exposed to the constant social class segregation from everyone. Jane is not only being criticized because she’s a female, but because she is a lower class feeding off the upper class. If Jane was a male I believe that her aunt and cousins would treat her better. The Novel represent the Victorian age during the nineteenth century, when women were expected to do domestic labor and to minister to the needs of other, while men brought back the money( Gender Matters). Traditional women prevailed as the wives of the gentlemen and the mothers of their children. Male dominance proves to be the biggest obstruction at each stop of Jane's journey: Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield Manor, Moor House, and Ferndean Manor.
In Gateshead, John emerges as the dominant male figure. He insists that Jane concede to him and to always serve him, threatening her with mental and physical abuse( Jane Eyre).
“Habitually obedient to John, I came up to his chair: he spent some three minutes in thrusting out his tongue at me as far as he could without damaging the roots; I knew he would soon strike, and while dreading the blow, I mused on the disgusting appearance of him who would presently deal it ( Bronte 5).”
One time when Jane was reading a book behind the curtains, John abused her for reading the book that didn’t belong to her. John’s behavior was cruel toward Jane and he did not fear her because she was a lower class and a female.
“He ran headlong at me: I felt him grasp my hair and my shoulder: he had closed with a desperate thing. I really saw him tyrant: a murderer. I felt a drop or two of blood from my head trickle down my neck, and was sensible of somewhat...