Jane as a Feminist

Jane as a Feminist

"Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel..." (pg. 111)

In this short passage, Bronte gives Jane a very feminist-tuned voice. She talks about how unfair it is for women to be forced into doing simple things like cooking or sewing. Jane puts men and women on equal playing field, saying that women need the same things that men do. Throughout Jane Eyre, Bronte makes equality a very important issue to her protagonist. Even though Jane loves Rochester, she refuses to become his mistress. She knows that they would not be on equal footing and she would always be at his mercy. Only when she knows they are equal in status does she become his wife.