Jane Eyre Historic Analysis

Jane Eyre is often considered by readers to be the black sheep of the Victorian Era due to her assertive tendencies. However, upon closer examination, one would find that Jane fits the character of a Victorian woman quite accurately. The ideal woman of the Victorian Era was to be a sufficiently-educated Lady of the House. Jane is the portrait of this description. The only thing that separates Jane from the ideal woman of the Victorian era is that she is vocal about her thoughts in the company of men. However, even this trait seems to gradually fade as the story progresses, with Jane becoming more reserved. The only point in the novel in which Jane is truly the antithesis of a Victorian woman is when she is a child. That is especially interesting, as children in the Victorian era were expected to be seen and not heard, yet Jane, a female child, was vocal and outspoken. As she grows up and is put through the schooling process that girls were administered during the Victorian era, her outspoken tendencies become more and more infrequent. She even goes as far as to pursue an occupation that exemplified the ideal Victorian woman. Jane is given a job as a governess, and occupation that was reserved for upper class women in the Victorian Era. While Jane would not truly be considered "upper class" by Victorian standards, she earns the job by her merits. This seems to be a contradiction of Victorian traditions, meaning that Jane Eyre possibly takes place during the Victorian Era's transitional period.