In Search Of Female Subjectivity:Jane Eyre In Marxist Perspective

Jane Eyre is an epoch-making novel written by the British writer Charlotte Bronte.The heroine Jane Eyre was regarded as a controversial image of new women at that time with her unique and distinctive personal charm,and it also arose various literary criticisms.With the help of Alison Jaggar’s theory of female alienation,this thesis aims to explore the loss and search of female subjectivity among female characters in Jane Eyre and Jane’s search for female subjectivity in the patriarchal society.Focusing on female characters and the middle-class women they represent,the thesis combines with historical background and reveals the hidden oppression behind the elegant lives of middle-class women in Victorian times.Firstly,this thesis analyzes the lost female subjectivity of female characters living under the patriarchal ideology in Jane Eyre.With the help of Jagger’s female alienation theory in terms of sexual object,the thesis exposes that when the idea of "the angels in the house" was promoted in the Victorian period,the patriarchy restricted women as sexual object in terms of school education,family concepts,and laws and regulations.There are plenty of characters in Jane Eyre who reflect the blind pursuit of femininity at that time.For instance,Mr.Brocklehurst in Lowood School who cultivates students’quality of diligence and thrift with limited food and clothing;Mrs.Reed and Helen who regard Jane Eyre’s resistance and independence as abnormal behaviors,and Bertha Mason who sacrifices the freedom of the rest of her life for a decent marriage.Such unconditional subordination in school,self-confined discipline in home and limited freedom in marriage are exactly the signs of lost female subjectivity.Secondly,this thesis analyzes the lost female subjectivity in terms of intelligence and mentality brought by deprivation of economic independence.With the help of Jagger’s alienation theory in terms of paid labor,the thesis demonstrates how did the economic deprivation caused by gender division of labor tame and oppress female characters like Georgiana who is blindly eagers for wealthy in marriage and Helen Burns who takes oppression on women as granted.The thesis also unveils the objectification and privatization of women in patriarchal society from the perspective of Mr.Rochester.All instances above demonstrate that the weakness and lackness of female subjective consciousness are due to economic deprivation.Finally,With the help of Jagger’s female alienation theory in terms of intelligence and mentality,this thesis analyzes how Jane struggles with the bullying from male power under patriarchal system,how Jane achieves her economic independence and how Jane fights for equality she deserves in relationships and marriage.This thesis also unveils Jane’s search for female subjectivity as well as the obstacles she met in this process.Moreover,the thesis pointed out the restrictions on female liberation through Jane’s incomplete victory limited by the era and patriarchy.In conclusion,through demonstrating the loss and search of female subjectivity of the female characters in Jane Eyre,this paper reveals the patriarchal oppression on both women’s body and mind.With the help of Jagger’s female alienation theory,the thesis analyzes the lost female subjectivity caused by patriarchal ideology and economic deprivation from the perspectives of sexual object,paid labor and intelligence.Besides,the thesis also illustrates how Jane steps forward to search and fights for autonomy when others are losing their female subjectivity.Through such a seemingly romantic love story,Charlotte shows us an unequal gender relationship with hidden scars and oppression beneath the beautiful romantic exterior.Charlotte expressed her struggle and yearning for female liberation through literature in the era when patriarchal ideology deprived,shaped and distorted female subjectivity.