TheFeministViewofLoveinJaneEyre简爱中的女权主义爱情观

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1、The Feminist View of Love in Jane EyreOutline1. Introduction2. The Reasons Why the Feminist View of Love Is Popular2.1 Backgr ound of the Society2.2 The Author Experie nee3. The Development of Jane Eyres Resistance3.1 Outburst Period at Gateshead3.2 JanWs Resista nee at Lowood In stitutio n3.3 JanWs

2、 Resista nee becomes Perfect at Thor nfield and Moor House4. Jane Eyre Pursuit of Independence and Freedom4.1 The Defin iti on of Femi nism View4.2 Jane Begins to Realize the Importanee of Independence andFreedom4.3 Jane Gai ns Stre ngths from Her Teacher and Her Frie nd to AchieveHer In depe ndence

3、4.4 Jane Develops Her In depe ndence fully and Enjoys the Pleasure of It5. Jane Eyres View of Love5.1 True Love should Be Based on Equality5.2 The Marriage Pursued by Wome n must Be Based on True Love6. ConclusionThe Feminist View of Love in Jane EyreSchool of Foreig n Lan guages, Jin gga ngsha n Un

4、i versity, n, Jia ngxi 343009Abstract: Jane Eyre is writte n by Charlotte Bron te who is the famous En glish no velist. It successfully presents the first female character in the history of English literature that takes an independent and positive attitude towards love, life, society and religi on a

5、nd dares to struggle and strive for freedom and equality. Because the no vel throbs with the heart-beats of its author, both literary critics and the readers have take n great in terest in its hero ine. Jane Eyre, whose unconven ti on ality is show n in the hero ine pursuit of liberty, equality and

6、in depe nden ce. This essay attempts to prove Jane feminist view of love through the an alysis of her pers on ality. The image of Jane Eyre is brillia nt for her rebellious character.She always in sists on her prin ciple to fight bravely aga inst the un fair world. She still tries her best to pursui

7、t freedom, equality, in depe ndence and true love. By un remitt ing efforts, she fin ally gets dig ni ty, freedom and true love.Key Words : Fem ini st; I ndepe nden ce; Equality; True love简爱中的女权主义爱情观摘要：简？爱是英国著名小说家夏洛蒂勃朗特的代表作。它成功的塑造出了第一个在英国文学史上敢于追求真爱，同社会和命运抗争的女权主义形象。因为它不仅触动了作者的心，同时也震撼了文学评论界以及使读者对非传统的女

8、主角产生了极大的兴趣。简爱，她的不平凡的特点表现在对自由，平等以及独立的追求。这篇论文试图对简爱性格的分析来阐述简爱的女权主义爱情观。简爱，这个正面人物形象主要是她的反抗精神。她坚持自己的原则去不断反抗不公平的社会。她用尽全力去追求自由，平等，独立和真爱。经过坚持不懈的努力 她最终获得自尊，自由和真爱。关键词：女权；独立；平等；真爱。1. IntroductionJane Eyre is an image which is writte n by Charlotte Bron te, who is a great critical realist in 19th cen tury. She h

9、as writte n a lot of works in her life. But Jane Eyre is her famous work. She tries to creat a new image. Followed by that, Jane Eyre comes into being. However, how does the author creat this new image? In some exte nt, Jane Eyre is a mirror of the author. Charlotte Bron te en dows her characters an

10、d experie nee to Jane Eyre. Actually, she writes about herself and express her ideas in her mi nd. The author aims at awakening women consciousnessto fight against the unjust world. The an alyses of Jane Eyres pers on alities and her attitudes towards love have show n the in depe ndence of Janl ove.

11、 The story has ope ned a new dime nsion for wome n. She leaves great in flue nee in En glish literature.2. The Reasons Why the Feminist View of Love Is Popular2.1 Background of the SocietyIn that period, women had a very low social status, especially governess. Governess usually lived in their maste

12、rs home and educated children not only in academical fields but also in arts. But gover ness were always looked dow n by people in family. Gover nesses were not treated the same as other family members.In Charlotte Bronte no vel, Jane Eyre is a gover ness. She is ofte n looked dow n upon by upper cl

13、ass. It is a mirror that reflects the real of the society. These unfair things had also happe ned to the author. The no vel is writte n to criticize the society .In that time, Jane Eyre is a femi nist work. She dares to love his master Mr.Rochester and fight aga inst the un just world. She is brave

14、eno ugh to pursue love. She is a representative of middle-class woman, who fights against fate and longs for basic rights.2.2 The Author ExperienceCharlotte Bron te was born in a poor family. Her father was a poor min ister, who graduated from St.John college, Cambridge. He taught his children. Thei

15、r mother was a lovely woma n and good at express ing her emoti ons in words. Unfortun ately, when Bronte was still young, her mother died. After that, her father became quite. Besides, he became strict to his children. Though the family was poor, Charlotte Bronte and her sisters were sent to accept

16、educati on. After graduat ing, one of them became a teacher, and the other one was a gover ness. In 1842, they ope ned a school. However, happ in ess was so short. Unfortun ate things happe ned to her. Her two sisters and her brother died. This was a big blow to her, which had a great in flue nee on

17、 her and her writ ing career.3. The Development of Jane Eyr Resistance3.1 Outburst Period at GatesheadJane was born as an orpha n. She has to lived with the Reeds. After her uncle died, her aunt treats her eve n worse. Un der this backgro und, every one looks dow n upon her, even the servant. Why wa

18、s I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, for ever condemned? (B ronte, 2002:7) Her reason said, “unjust, unjust!” ( Bronte 2002:14) A first angry voice bursts out from her deep heart. When Mrs Reed tells Mr Brocklehurst that Jane has had a bad character and a deceitful disposition, J

19、ane defends that “ am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of an ybody in the world except Joh n Reed; and this book about the liar, you may give to your girl, Georgia na, for it is she who tells lies, and not I.” (Bronte,2002:4

20、8) She can not accept her aunts imputation. Jane suffers viole nt treatme nts from her aunt and cous ins, although she does her best to be a good girl but is only in failure in her aun tseyes.Jane fights aga in and aga in, but she fin ally breaks out. Jane behaviors frighte ns Mrs Reed, because she

21、knows Jane is right. In Gateshead, Janes resista nee is expressedstep by step. Her behaviors show her courage and determ in ati on. Janes fight not only just for treatment, but also for equality. This is the first step of the developme nt of Jan pers on ality.3.2 Janes Resistance at Lowood Instituti

22、onLowood In stitutio n is a charity school for poor girls. Jane lives here for six years and works here for two years. Her resista nee has further developme nt. In fact, it is a hell for girls. Childre n here are not supplied with eno ugh food. Sometimes they are supplied with bad food. Whatworse, t

23、he medical con diti ons are so bad that many of them die of ill ness. The leaders of the in stituti on have no love and sympathy at all. Childre n have to pray for God and tha nk for oppressors. Hele n, a clever, kind and beautiful girl, receives beats and fin ally loses her young life. She believes

24、 in God. She says to Jan e,1 am sure there is a future state; I believe God is good; I can resig n my immortal part to Him without any misgivi ng. God is my father; God is my frie nd: I love Him; I believe He loves me. ronte, 2002:121) Just because of her ideas, she has little rebels aga inst that k

25、i nd of cruel treatme nt. Her pers on ality is the reas on of her sad end. But Jane is not like Hele n. She is not willi ng to be treated badly by others. Especially from Helen death, Jane learns that she must fight against this unjust world. Jane is not like Hele n. She always rebels. She believes

26、if people are always obedie nt to those who are cruel, the wicked would have it all their own way.Whats more, Miss Temple is an independent and kind female. Jane loves and admires her so much that she dreams she will be ano ther Miss Temple one day. From Miss Temples kindn ess, Jane longs for ideal

27、life. So after Miss Templeleave from Lowood, she cannot sta nd isolati on. She thinks it is time for her to leave. Jane looks forward to a new form of life. The n she makes an advertiseme nt and gets a job as a gover ness. It suggests that Jarteresista nee become maturer.3.3 Janes Resistance Becomes

28、 Perfect at Thornfield and Moor HouseAt Thorn field, Jane cha nges her harsh ness into gen tle ness and becomes a refi ned woma n with good educati on. She gets along well with every one there. Jane is mild to every one. She patie ntly teaches Adele, a girl without tale nt. In such a place, she forg

29、ets her pain and misery. Whats more, she learns to be tolerant to others shortcomings. When she firstly sees Rochester, he is rude to Jane. In spite of his rudeness, she says, “ cannot think of leaving you, sir, at so late an hour, in this solitary lane, till I see you fit to mount your horse. (Bron

30、te, 2002:173) Hearing that Mrs.Reed is dying, she comes back soon to Gateshead. Although she once told Mrs. Reed that she would n ever come back. But fin ally she forgives her.Although Jane loves Mr.Rochester, she still keeps her mi nd clear. She dares to say noto anyone in clud ing her master, Mr.R

31、ochester, i n order to keep her characters.When she talks with Mr.Rochester, she does not avoid saying what she believes and does not care whether Mr.Rochester is happy or not. Whe n Jane knows Mr.Rochesterswife is still alive, she leaves Mr.Rochester without any hesitati on. She cannot accept she w

32、ill be the lover of Mr.Rochester if she still accept him. This is the climax of Janes resista nee. To her, love is not the most importa nt thi ng. She cannot sacrifice her self-respect to get love. Besides, the fact that Jane refuses to marry St.Joh n can also prove JanWs resista nee. This period is

33、 the perfecti on of Janes resista nee.4. Jane Eyres Pursuit of Independence and Freedom4.1 The Definition of Feminism ViewFeminism is a collection of social theories, political movements and moral philosophies, which are largely motivated by or concerned with the liberation of wome n. Fem inism mean

34、s that wome n and man are equal in work ing, educati on and marriage.4.2 Jane Begins to Realize the Importance of Independence and FreedomImportanee and equality are the outstanding qualities throughout the whole process of the no vel. Jane is poor, pale and not pretty. But her character is uniq ue.

35、 She is ofte n bullied by her aunt and cous ins. One day, because Jane takes John book to read, she is beate n once more. Joh n says she has no bus in ess to take his book;“ You have no bus in ess to take our books; you are a depe ndent, mama says;you have no money; your father left you none; you ou

36、ght to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen s children like us, and eat the same meals we do, and wear clothes at our mama sexpense (Bronte, 2002:7) But this time, even Jane does not know where she gets encourage to fight against him severely and says, “you evil, cruel boy”. (Bron te, 2002:7) Ju

37、st because of this, she is sent to Red Room. This is the first timeJane shows her resista nee. Her view of in depe ndence bursts out.In the Red Room, she is frighte ned, because her un cle died in this room. And since then, no one has entered into this room. “Why was I always suffering, always browb

38、eaten, always accused, for ever condemned? (Bronte, 2002:7) Her mind beg ins to cha nge. Un der the stimulati on of pain, she realizes the importa nee of independence and freedom. She must fight against this unjust world. She hates Gateshead,hates every one there. She hates Mrs Reed who is a bad, ha

39、rd-hearted woma n. Only whe n she is in depe ndent, can she be away from them and be respected by them.After all, she is a little girl. It is very hard for her to be econo mically in depe ndent. The Reeds also hates her, too. Therefore, she is sent to a low budget orpha n school called Lowood In sti

40、tuti on.4.3 Jane Gains Strength from Her Teacher and Her Friend to Achieve Her IndependenceAt Lowood Institution, the condition there is very bad. But Jane does not submit to it. Maria Temple, an independent woman, is the headmaster of the In stituti on. She is a resp on sible teacher and kind to st

41、ude nts, eve n to the poor stude nts. Con seque ntly, she gains respect and popularity from the people around her. From Maria Temple, Jane lear ns that in depe ndence is a very importa nt thi ng for every one.Besides, Jane learns the importanee of duty and self-control through the friendship with He

42、len. At first, Jane has much sympathy for Helen. BecauseHelen does not dare to fight aga inst whe n others bullied her. Jane thinks Hele n should tur n aga inst others. No matter who bullied her, Jane dares to fight aga inst him. From these, we can see that Jane is not obedie nt to anyone. What(s mo

43、re, she also lear ns other things from Helen and is deeply moved by Helens words and action; Yet it would be your duty to bear it, if you could not avoid it: it is weak and silly to say you cannot bear what it is your fate to be required to bear (Bron te；2002:79) From Hele n, she learns to be self-c

44、 on trol in a certa in degree and it is useful for her to improve herself.“It is far better to en dure patie ntly a smart which n obody feels but yourself, tha n to commit a hasty action whose evil con seque nces will exte nd to all conn ected with you; and besides, the Bible bids us return good for

45、 evi. (Bronte, 2002:79)Jane stays at Lowood for 8 years. She works as a teacher for 2 years in Lowood In stitutio n. She attempts to do well in all aspects. She has made rapid progress both in study and work. Her mind becomes maturer. She longs for a new form of life. Then she finds a job as a gover

46、 ness.4.4 Jane Develops Her Independence fully and Enjoys the Pleasure of ItIn order to lead a life of independence, Jane gets a job as a governess in Thorn field Hall. She is looked dow n upon by the rich ladies of fashi on able society, but she n ever thi nks she is in ferior. On the con trary, sh

47、e is satisfied with her job, and eve n pround of her in depe ndent work. She believes that she makes a liv ing by herself. So she does not n eed to rely on anyone. That is the most importa nt for her.She falls in love with Rochester, who is rich and has a high social positi on, by talk ing, observ i

48、ng and gett ing along well with him. However, she n ever takes these things seriously. Once she immediately an swers Rochestes questi on about what else she needs, by saying “ Youregard; and if I give mine in return, that debt will be quit. ” (Bronte, 2002:424) We can easily find that this kind of i

49、ndependenceis out of her pure soul. Whe n happ in ess comes, she still keeps her in depe ndence and protects her pers on ality. She refuses all the precious gifts Rochester buys for her. She con ti nues to be Adelesgover ness.As Rochestersbride, she does not give up her job. She continues to be Adel

50、e s gover ness. They love each other. Rochester does not want Jane to go on working, and he hopes Jane bel ongs to him and con siders Jane as her property. Jane refuses his suggesti on without any hesitati on. In her min d, if she loses her job, she has to rely on Rochester to live and her in depe n

51、dence will say goodbye to her. At last, she decides to keep pers on ality.With the news coming that Rochesters wife is still alive, Jane refuses to marry him. It means that Jane wants to be his wife not but his mistress. By this time, there are two roads for her: one is to be his mistress, and the o

52、ther is to be away from him to beg in a new life. I n fact, she is sad to leave the man she loves and the place she likes. However, Jane is uniq ue. She is determ ined to leave Thorn field Hall without any hesitation.The natural strength of independence overwhelms her, still in domitable was the rep

53、ly-I care for myself. The more solitary, the more frie ndless, the more unsustained I am, the more I will respect myself. ”(Bronte, 2002:467) It is a pity that Jane and Rochester are parted. There is no denying that the blood of in depe ndence is from the day she was born.Life is hard for Jane. She

54、is hun gry. Whatworse,she is ill. Thanks to Diana and Marry, Jane goes through difficulties. Jane becomes spiritually stronger and more con fide nt by making frie nds with them .In order to support herself, with the help of St.Joh n, she works as a teacher. Fin ally, Jane gets dig nity, freedom and

55、in depe ndence. As a femini sm, she achieves her in depe ndence fully.5. Jane Eyres Attitude towards Love5.1 True Love should be Based on EqualityWith the view of being equal, she also seeks love which should be based on equality. Jane is a governess while Mr Rochester is an upper class man. In othe

56、r peopleeyes, it is impossible that Jane and Mr Rochester would be together. And to peoplesurprise, they do.Though she is born of low class, she is sen sitive about her positi on in society. She hopes she could keep her equality if not in property, but in personality. She works very hard to reach th

57、e norm which is required by the upper class. Of course, she hopes she can be admitted by the man who she loves. Mr Rochester is a member of upper class. But he falls in love with Jane. Jane does not pay much atte ntio n to status. What she cares is that true love should be based on equality. Humble

58、job and poverty can not stop her loving him. On this point, she shows her equality. Janviewpo int shows that she has clear self-aware sense of love. As a woma n liv ing in the society un equal betwee n wome n and men, Jane is uniq ue. She believes wome n and men are equal in love. When Rochester tel

59、ls Jane that he is going to marry Miss In gram and he in siststhat Jane must stay at Thorn field. Jane is angry at it. She resists to him. “I tell you I must go! ”“ Do you think I can stay to become nothing to you? Do you think I am anautomat on?- -mach ine without feeli ngs? And I can bear to have

60、my morsel of bread snatchedfrom my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my lips? Do you think I am poor, obscure, plain, and little. You think wrong! - I-have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty. and much wealth, I should have made it as

61、hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talki ng to you now through the medium of custom, conven tio nalities, nor even of mortal flesh; - H is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God s feas wquale!” (Bronte

62、,2002:396) Rochester respects her. Thus Jane is such a pers on who regards her dig nity invi olably. Though she is eager to be loved, she thi nks that gett ing equality is more importa nt for her. It is equality that makes her love Rochester with all her heart and soul, and also it is equality that

63、makes her leave Rochester with disappo in tme nt.On their wedd ing day, a secret is exposed that Rochester has a mad wife locked for several years. Having known this, Jane resolutely gives up Rochester. Janes ambiti ons forbid her to accept the un equal positi on of being the lover of some one s hus

64、ba nd. Being an illegal mistress makes her lose her respect. She has her self-respect and can not accept the fact. Then she would have to depe nd on Rochester and lose her quality, in depe ndence and freedom. So she chooses to leave.5.2 The Marriage Pursued by Women must Be Based on True LoveIn that

65、 period, women were firstly dependent on their parents and husbands. Most upper class wome n marry men who have property and high social positi on, but not because of true love. On this point, wome n can not con trol their fate. They have to rely on their husba nds. As for Jane, she does not think so. She believes that men and wome n are equal and marriage pursued by wome n must be based on true love.At that time, every one thi nks Miss In gram would be Rochester swife. Because she is beautiful and has high social positi on as Rochester. There is no doubt that she