Choice in the Patriarchal Society: Secularity and Religiousness in Jane Eyre

• Main Authors: Yi-ling Lin, 林依陵
• Other Authors: Pen-Shui Liao
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2013
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/g96mxt

碩士 === 康寧大學 === 應用外語研究所 === 102 === Charlotte Bronte describes diverse forms of female oppression in Jane Eyre. The oppressions are social practices, gender and religion. There are three male characters who profoundly influence Jane’s growing: Mr. Brocklehurst, Edward Rochester and St. John Rivers. They are typical patriarchal males who impede Jane’s attempts to achieve freedom and autonomy. This thesis will explore these three male characters and their notion of secularity and religiousness. In this thesis, Chapter One is an introduction depicting the background regarding Victorian society and Charlotte Bronte’s life and her novel. Chapter Two examines the hero—Rochester, with an emphasis on his mental development from his first marriage to Bertha Mason to his union with Jane. Chapter Three discusses Brocklehurst’s and St. John’s behavior with respect to religion. Helen Burns, Jane’s good friend, is mentioned because of her religious faith even if she is a woman. The two males allude to theocratic policies to threaten Jane, which causes her to be oppressed by the authority of God. Chapter Four utilizes William Glasser’s “Choice Theory” to analyze the basic human needs of Rochester and St. John. Their attitudes toward love and marriage are affected by different needs in different periods. In the final chapter, Jane’s choice between Rochester and St. John will be dealt with. She prefers to build her marriage on the concept of secularity so that she chooses Rochester in the end.