Monday, February 23, 2015
16-23: Measuring Up
Charlotte Bronte populates the novel with many female characters roughly
the same age as Jane—Georgiana and Eliza Reed, Helen Burns, and Blanche and
Mary Ingram. How do comparisons with these characters shape the reader's understanding
of Jane's character? How does Jane see herself in relation to some of these
women?
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As Jane is growing up she is surrounded by both kind and bitter female characters. When Jane is with the Reeds in the beginning of the book she observes her cousins Georgiana and Eliza Reed. In the beginning, Jane is, “humbled by the consciousness of my physical inferiority to Eliza, John, and Georgiana Reed”. Later on Jane goes to meet the dying Ms. Reed and sees Eliza dressed in nun’s attire and fails to see the resemblance from when they were young. Jane also sees Georgiana whom she recalls as a “slim and fairy-like girl of eleven” but now describes her as “very plump damsel, fair as waxwork...” Jane feels more confident and less intimidated by the grown Reed women during their conversations. The fact that Jane considered visiting the Reeds after years of torture shows that Jane can be forgiving.
ReplyDeleteJane meets Helen Burns at Lowood School and befriends her. Helen endures a very challenging life at Lowood because of her devout Christian values. Helen and Jane are foils in the sense Helen believes that God will do the punishing for the unjust while Jane believes she must “resist those who punish me unjustly”. Helen’s humble and calm personality highlights Jane’s very determined and stubborn personality. After Helen’s death, Jane’s life as she once knew it changes yet again.
Blanche and Mary Ingram are socialite women who come to visit Mr. Rochester. Based on Ms. Fairfax's description, Jane especially takes notice of Blanche's physical appearance and her personality and determines whether she is suitable for Mr. Rochester. Jane sees that Blanche dislikes her and wishes to marry Mr. Rochester soon. Mary Ingram, on the other hand, lacks expression and is much "milder" and has "softer features" than her sister. Jane goes on to notice that they are both dressed in “spotless white” and Blanche’s name seems to correlate with her white attire, lack of originality and bland character. In relation to the Ingrams, Jane is technically less in rank based on the social classes but does not feel jealousy towards her; instead she feels that Blanche is “too inferior to excite the feeling”.
It is very interesting how Charlotte Bronte uses different female characters because it gives Jane a chance to compare herself to them. As Merlin mentioned about seeing her sister after years, Jane seemed to give her a sense of wellness because compared to them she was in a better situation than them and was doing well in her life. Charlotte Bronte use of Helen as a female character helps Jane grow as an independent person and it is also a phase in her life when she becomes open to other views when she necessarily does not agree with it. Blanche Ingram is another character that helps readers show Jane’s jealously side. Jane seems to be jealous of Blanche Ingram and often compares her looks to her, with that she also talks a lot of how Ingram and Rochester would be like together, which again shows signs of jealousy.
ReplyDeleteI think Brotë makes these foils to show how different characters react to the same situations Jane experiances. Helen Burns and Eliza both absorb themselves completly in religious devotion, possibly obsession, to understand the drastic changes their lives have taken. They both believe God has a plan to make good of their suffering, while people like Georginia and Blanche turn to frivilous societial policies to create order and comfort--an illusion to the societal feminin cages they are trapped in
ReplyDeleteBy introducing other female characters, Brontë shows how differences in social upbringings and characteristics shape women and how they respond to each event. Because of the events in Jane's life, she tended to be outspoken. One would imagine that if Jane was mistreated and talked down on her whole life, being outspoken would be a common characteristic. However, while at Lowood we see how different Jane and Helen, both mistreated orphans, react to the harsh treatment.
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