Wednesday, December 25, 2019
Relationship Between Men and Women Jane Eyre and The...
Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â¬â¢s Jane Eyre entails a social criticism of the oppressive social ideas and practices of nineteenth-century Victorian society. The presentation of male and female relationships emphases menââ¬â¢s domination and perceived superiority over women. Jane Eyre is a reflection of Brontà «Ã¢â¬â¢s own observation on gender roles of the Victorian era, from the vantage point of her position as governess much like Janeââ¬â¢s. Margaret Atwoodââ¬â¢s novel was written during a period of conservative revival in the West partly fueled by a strong, well-organized movement of religious conservatives who criticized ââ¬Ëthe excesses of the sexual revolution.ââ¬â¢ Where Brontà «Ã¢â¬â¢s Jane Eyre is a clear depiction of the subjugation of women by men in nineteenth-centuryâ⬠¦show more contentâ⬠¦Her dominance, ââ¬Å"stature almost equaling her husbandâ⬠and ââ¬Å"more than once she almost throttled him, athletic as he was,â⬠challenges the so cial institutions of menââ¬â¢s intrinsic preeminence. Her confinement in the attic and horrific death in the fire, possibly symbolic of hell, is interpretable as punishment for her rebuttal against societal norms and lack of subservience to male dominance. It defies social convention for a woman to be dominant over a man such as Bertha is to Rochester as she even ââ¬Å"almost throttled him, athletic as he was,â⬠and their marital relationship becomes disastrous when man is not the one upholding power. In contrast to this, Janeââ¬â¢s relationship with Rochester is presented to be undisruptive and therefore more positive in its gentle and peaceful romance. He dubs his own wife a ââ¬Å"fearful hagâ⬠and speaks of ââ¬Å"her with hateââ¬âwith vindictive antipathyâ⬠whereas he views that ââ¬Å"every atom ofâ⬠Janeââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"flesh is as dearâ⬠to him as his ââ¬Å"own.â⬠This stark contrast between his cold, hostile relationship with his wi fe and his loving bond with Jane highlights the dynamic in male/female relationships the female is of a collected nature, as expected by Victorian society. That this is dependent upon the female again leads to unbalanced gender roles and behavioral restrictions on women. Similarly to the repression of women in Jane Eyreââ¬â¢s Victorian era, the handmaids of Gilead in The Handmaidââ¬â¢s Tale are driven into
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