A Marxist Reading of Brontë’s Jane
Eyre
Introduction
Published in
1847, Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre paints
a picture of the Victorian society and the trends of that time. Brontë
criticizes the various practices of her society through the characters in this
novel.
Tyson
(2006) writes: “For some Marxists,
realism is the
best form for
Marxist purposes because
it clearly and accurately represents the real world, with all its
socioeconomic inequities and ideological contradictions, and encourages readers
to see the unhappy truths about material/historical reality” (p. 66). Thus, Jane Eyre, which portrays the Victorian
upper class, attempts to dismantle the capitalist, religious and sexist or
patriarchal ideologies prevalent in that time period.
Analysis of Jane
Eyre
The novel revolves around a
female protagonist named Jane Eyre who is an orphan living in mother’s brother,
Mr. Reed’s home. The deceased Mr. Reed made his wife promise to take care of
Jane. From the very start, there is a clear hierarchy of the upper and lower
class. Where Mrs. Reed and her three children, John Reed, Georgiana and Eliza
belong to the rich, upper class, Jane Eyre, being an orphan and dependant, belongs
to the lower class. Mrs. Reed’s cold behavior towards Jane leads her to believe
that “[…] she really must exclude me from privileges intended only for
contented, happy, little children.” (Brontë, 1847, p. 7). It is this hierarchy
of socioeconomic standards that determines how the Reed family behaves towards
Jane and this idea seeps through the generations, thus establishing itself as a
cultural norm of the society. John Reed orders Jane to address him as ‘Master
Reed’, and in accordance with the classist ideology that his family and society
has imparted in him, tells her
You have
no business to
take our books;
you are a
dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you
ought 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’s expense. Now, I’ll teach
you to rummage my bookshelves: for they ARE mine; all the house belongs to me,
or will do in a few years. Go and stand by the door, out of the way of the
mirror and the windows (Brontë , 1847, p. 11-12).
Being a
rebellious protagonist, Jane calls him a tyrant and a slave-driver like the
Roman emperors of the past. It is clear that Mrs. Reed’s children are aware of
the class difference and even the servants of the household attempt to teach
Jane this hierarchy of haves and have-nots.
And
you ought not to think yourself on an equality with the Misses Reed and Master
Reed, because Missis kindly allows you to be brought up with them. They will
have a great deal of money, and you will have none: it is your place to be humble,
and to try to make yourself agreeable to them (p. 15-16).
The housemaids
tell Jane that if she does not act humble with the Reeds, God will punish her. Clearly,
everyone in the Reed household except for Jane has fully indulged in the
ideology that those who are rich may do as they please, while the poor need to
be taught severely of their limitations and boundaries. Thus, Jane wonders “Why
was I always suffering, always browbeaten, always accused, for ever condemned?”
(p. 18). Her lack of money and status earns her everyone’s cruelty. Although
Jane rebels against this kind of treatment on basis of her poverty, since she
is a child, the effects of the capitalist ideology rub off on her as well. “I
could not see how poor people had the means of being kind” (p. 33).
Jane
is made to believe that since she is an orphan, she is a useless thing who is incapable
of benefiting anyone. The nurse, Bessie’s song further highlights the idea that
the poor and destitute have no one to turn to but God and Heaven. “Men are
hard-hearted, and kind angels only/ Watch o’er the steps of a poor orphan
child” (p. 29). This is a religious interpellation through which the
proletariat class is injected with the ideology that they must rely on the help
of the divine and it keeps them from rising against the cruelties of the
bourgeois class.
The
discrimination between the treatment of upper and lower class by the characters
of the novel is displayed when Jane arrives at Thornfield to work as a
governess for Mr. Rochester. Unaware of the fact that Mrs. Fairfax is not her
employer, Jane imagines the old lady to be “a model of elderly English
respectability” (p. 134-135), however, her arrival at the Rochester mansion reveals
that Mrs. Fairfax is in fact, the housekeeper and manager. This shows that even
in Jane’s mind, being a member of the Victorian upper class is synonymous to
elegance and respect. Even Mrs. Fairfax fully buys into the class division, and
believes herself to be a station above the other servants of the Rochester
household. Mrs. Fairfax prides herself on being distantly related to the
Rochesters.
Leah
is a nice girl to be sure, and John and his wife are very decent people; but
then you see
they are only servants, and one can’t converse with them on terms
of equality: one must keep them at due distance, for fear of losing
one’s authority (p. 147-148).
The way she sees
Edward Rochester, the master of the house, is also determined by his status:
“Mr. Rochester was Mr. Rochester in her eyes; a gentleman, a landed
proprietor—nothing more” (p. 160).
The
capitalist division of class is more clearly defined when Brontë attacks the
upper class lords and ladies for having inadequate moral standards. Brontë
criticizes the ideology that being rich is synonymous to being a better human
being and deserving of respect. She shows the ugliness of the upper class,
their brutish behavior and establishes that good manners have nothing to do
with being rich. Brontë evaluates her characters based on their actions and
personality, not on their class or social status. In this way, the novel can be
called a ‘resistant literature’ which challenges the repressive ideologies
present in the society and refuses to adhere to them. When some of the upper
class, aristocracy arrives at Thornfield, Brontë shows their hollow
personalities through the eyes of Jane. Ms. Blanche Ingram, the epitome of an
aristocratic lady, is shown to be a selfish, rude and proud girl. Jane notices
that “there was an expression of almost insupportable haughtiness in her
bearing and countenance” (p. 261). She had the same pride in her as her mother
and she was remarkably self-conscious.
She was
very showy, but
she was not genuine:
she had a fine person,
many brilliant attainments; but her mind was poor, her heart
barren by nature: nothing bloomed spontaneously on that soil; no unforced
natural fruit delighted by its freshness. She was not good; she was
not original: she
used to repeat
sounding phrases from
books: she never
offered, nor had,
an opinion of her own… (Brontë , 1847, p. 282).
Thus, Jane looks
at the personality and behavior of a person to judge their character.
The
ideology that those who are rich are morally correct while the poor are
illiterate and untrustworthy is upheld by all the lords and ladies that stay as
guests at Thornfield. Mr. Ingram, while talking about Jane Eyre, remarks: “I
noticed her; I am a judge of physiognomy, and in hers I see all the faults of
her class.” (p. 268). Her daughter Blanche shows an aversion towards Jane and
remarks that she looks stupid to be allowed to play games with them. The idea
of physical ugliness is associated with the poor while beauty is linked with
the bourgeoisie. The discrimination on basis of outer appearance stems from the
historical/material conditions of the society. Blanche further says that there
are a thousand reasons why governesses and tutors of a well-regulated house
should not be allowed to have a relationship. She says that their “mutual
alliance” (p. 270), reliance and confidence will result in insolence which will
be followed by mutiny and a general blow-up. Thus, the upper class fears
rebellion of the proletariat class and tries to inject them with ideologies
which will prevent such a rebellion.
Brontë’s biggest criticism is made on the capitalist ideology that rich
men should only marry rich women, and marriages should be arranged for the sake
of preserving or increasing one’s estate (capital). Most conflicts in Jane Eyre arise due to a steadfast
belief and nurturing of this ideology. Mr. Edward Rochester is a rich bachelor,
who, although not handsome, is deemed a worthy match for Blanche Ingram due to
his status. As Jane observes: “I suppose his acquirements and abilities, perhaps
his wealth and good blood, make amends for any little fault of look” (p. 240).
Once
Jane realizes that she has fallen in love with her employer and master, Mr.
Rochester, she attempts to admonish herself and keep in mind that she is not of
his station to think of falling in love with him. While addressing herself, she
calls herself a dependent and a novice, and says that “It does good to no woman
to be flattered by her superior, who cannot possibly intend to marry her” (p.
244). In order to keep in mind the class difference between herself and
Blanche, she draws a portrait of herself, labeling it as “Portrait of a
Governess, disconnected, poor, and plain” and gives the title “Blanche, an
accomplished lady of rank” (p. 245) to the portrait of Blanche.
The
belief that rank and wealth sever her and Mr. Rochester widely is what prevents
her from believing that she is worthy of marrying him. “Mr. Rochester might
probably win that noble lady’s love, if he chose to strive for it; is it likely
he would waste a serious thought on this indigent and insignificant plebeian?”
(p. 245).
Keeping
to her own caste and order is something that Jane has observed in her society
and therefore, she forces herself to adhere to this ideology. She realizes that
due to the concerns of family, rank, connections and political reasons, Mr.
Rochester may want to marry Blanche, however, she is not qualified to win his
love because she has a rotten personality.
I
had thought him a man unlikely to be influenced by motives so commonplace in
his choice of a wife; but the longer I considered the position, education,
&c., of the parties, the less I felt justified in judging and blaming either
him or Miss Ingram for acting in conformity to ideas and principles instilled
into them, doubtless, from their childhood. All their class held these
principles: I supposed, then, they had reasons for holding them such as I could
not fathom. (p. 285).
The idea of
marrying within your own class is what causes Jane’s mother to develop a
discord among her family. Jane learns that her mother was of a respectable
family and when she chose to marry a poor clergyman, her friends disapproved of
the match. “[…] my grandfather Reed was so irritated at her disobedience, he cut
her off without a shilling; that after my mother and father had been married a
year” (p. 35).
However,
both Jane and Mr. Rochester refuse to bow down to this ideology. Edward
Rochester is fully aware of the fact that Blanche may not be impressed by his
personality, but his purse, and that she considers his estate eligible for
marriage. “I caused a rumour to reach
her that my fortune was not a third of what was supposed, and after that I
presented myself to see the result; it was coldness both from her and her
mother” (p. 388). More than a decade ago, Edward had been deceived into
marrying a raving mad woman due to the greed of his father. His father did not
want to divide his property among his two sons and diminish it, therefore, he
planned to marry Edward into riches, and this brought nothing but disaster and
pain to Edward. He then attempts to find his ideal woman who has an agreeable personality;
however, the aristocratic class fails him terribly.
Provided with plenty of money and the passport
of an old name, I could choose my own society: no circles were closed against
me. I sought my ideal of a woman amongst English ladies, French countesses,
Italian signoras, and German grafinnen. I could not find her (p. 474).
In this way,
Brontë exposes the ugly underbelly of an aristocratic society, maintaining that
wealth and status do not guarantee moral qualities such as honesty and
sincerity in a relationship.
In
the end Mr. Rochester chooses to marry Jane because he has fallen in love with
her, and refuses to conform to the society’s ideology about marrying in a rich
family. Jane too, denounces her interest in Mr. Rochester’s property, thereby
breaking away from the long-held traditions of her times molded by capitalism. “What
do I want with half your estate? Do you think I am a Jew-usurer, seeking good
investment in land? I would much rather have all your confidence. You will not
exclude me from your confidence if you admit me to your heart?” (p. 398-399).
Brontë
also attacks the religious ideologies that prevail in the Victorian society. The
ideology that you must be good and kind to even those who wish to do you harm
is what Brontë criticizes. The kind of religious ideologies promoted to keep
the poor from rebelling against the rich, to keep maintaining the current class
structure are displayed in Jane Eyre.
The masses are being conditioned by the customs of the society, those of the
upper class. The character of Mr. Brocklehurst, a clergyman who owns the Lowood
School of charity for orphan girls is used by Brontë to mock the idea that
religious institutions are fair and just.
Mr.
Brocklehurst upholds the concept that the orphan girls of the Lowood Institute
should be taught self-denial and simplicity, and punished severely when they do
not follow instructions. His ideals are exaggerated to a ridiculous degree,
demonstrated when he demands a Lowood student’s hair be cut off because it
curls naturally and looks rather lavish. Brontë contrasts this by presenting
Brocklehurt’s own family which does not follow his own grossly exaggerated
religious doctrines.
Mr.
Brocklehurst was here interrupted: three other visitors, ladies, now entered
the room. They ought to have come a little sooner to have heard his lecture on
dress, for they were splendidly attired in velvet, silk, and furs. The two
younger of the trio (fine girls of sixteen and seventeen) had grey beaver hats,
then in fashion, shaded with ostrich plumes, and from under the brim of this
graceful headdress fell a profusion of light tresses, elaborately curled; the
elder lady was enveloped in a costly velvet shawl, trimmed with ermine, and she
wore a false front of French curls (p. 97).
In the name of
religion, Mr. Brocklehurst attempted to keep the poor and orphan content in
their deplorable condition, and as a result he managed to save money and
exercise his authority on the basis of his superior station. He served them
rotten, rancid food and justified his actions through religion: “Oh, madam,
when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into these children’s
mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you
starve their immortal souls!” (p. 94-95).
Jane
voices her rebellion against the kind of morals and religious doctrines which
are being taught at Lowood.
If
people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the
wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid,
and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are
struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we
should—so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again (p.
85-86).
She believes
that she must resist those who punish her unjustly. However, her friend Helen
Burns at Lowood replies to Jane’s protest by saying that only Heathens believe
in such things, Christians denounce violence. Through Jane, the readers are
shown how Christian values and ideologies being fed to the lower class society
are not in their favor, rather they are harmful and attempt to shackle the
masses, not free them.
When
Jane runs away from Thornfield and arrives at a rural setting, she meets her
cousin St. John Rivers, who is steadfast in his goal of becoming a missionary
and serving to convert people in India to Christianity. He believes that his
greatest work will be to toil in the Indian soil for sake of Christ and be
rewarded with a mansion in heaven. The ideology that St. John is adopting will
lead him into a miserable life away from his homeland, where he will struggle
to survive in poverty, believing that he will be admitted to heaven when he
dies. However, Jane, by refusing to join him in such a life, presents a
different perspective to the ideology and reveals its faults.
It
is—that he asks me to be his wife, and has no more of a husband’s heart for me
than that frowning giant of a rock, down which the stream is foaming in yonder
gorge. He prizes me as a soldier would a good weapon; and that is all. [...]
Can I receive from him the bridal ring, endure all the forms of love (which I
doubt not he would scrupulously observe) and know that the spirit was quite
absent? Can I bear
the consciousness that
every endearment he bestows
is a sacrifice
made on principle?
No: such a martyrdom would be
monstrous. I will never undergo it. (p. 617).
Jane tells him
that she shall not be able to survive in the harsh climate of India and that
God did not give her a life to throw it away and follow St. John’s orders as he
pleases, she calls such an act a suicide and rejects it. Thus, Brontë not only
criticizes the religious ideologies that were dominant in the Victorian times
but also points out how they are at fault and do not promise a good life which
is the right of every human being. While the poor clergymen and missionaries of
rural areas wander all over the world in destitution spreading religion, the
rich steal and deceive to become richer, and the class system of the society is
maintained.
Brontë
also criticizes the sexism in the patriarchal society. Through Jane’s words,
Brontë attempts to reject the sexist ideology that women have certain assigned
roles in the society that make them more feminine and they should stick to
those roles. In the conversation between Bessie and Jane, Bessie calls Jane a
fine lady because she has now learnt how to play the piano, speak French and
work embroidery on the muslin and canvas (Brontë, 1847). Similarly, Blanche is
believed to be an accomplished lady because she is beautiful, she sings and
plays the piano. Blanche is an adherent of the patriarchal ideology and says
that loveliness and beauty are solely traits of a woman, and the gentlemen
should only possess strength and valour. They should shoot, hunt and fight, and
forget about everything else. Through the character of Jane Eyre, Charlotte
Brontë voices her opinion against this patriarchal ideology.
Women
are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they
need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as
their brothers do; […] and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged
fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making
puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags.
It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or
learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex. (p. 167).
In conclusion, Jane Eyre does not promote the
capitalist, religious or patriarchal ideologies prevalent in that time but
presents them in a different light, through the eyes of a female protagonist,
and shows how these ideologies are unhealthy and attempt to mask the reality
from the masses. In the name of customs and tradition, the masses follow
certain ideologies which they believe to be correct in every aspect; however,
in reality they have flaws that are hidden from the eyes of the people. Jane Eyre draws out those flaws and
proves to be a critique of the capitalist Victorian society.
References
Brontë, C. (1847). Jane
Eyre. Retrieved November 15, 2014. From http://www.planetebook.com/ebooks/Jane-Eyre.pdf
Tyson, L.
(2006). Critical Theory Today. (2nd
Ed). USA: Routledge.
TO CITE THIS POST: (APA 5th Ed) Rafiq, M. (2015, April 2). A Marxist Reading of Bronte's Jane Eyre. Message posted to http://benglishliteratureguide.blogspot.com/
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