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ADENIYI FATIMAH
LITERATURE IN ENGLISH
Question: As a work of realistic fiction, how well does Jane Eyre deal with issues of social
stratification? Discuss
Beclouded by issues of social stratification and other associated ills, Charlotte Brontë uses
the book, ‘Jane Eyre’ as a portrayal of the harsh realities faced by people in the Victorian Era.
Through Jane’s life experiences, readers are able to read and feel the intensity of the message
Charlotte Bronte is trying to pass across. The book talks about the experiences of a young orphan
named Jane Eyre and her journey from childhood to adulthood. After going through class
inequality, gender discrimination and child neglect, one would expect the young girl to have
certain instinctive reactions to this treatment. It is how Jane Eyre deals with these issues and
reacts to them that affects her life decisions and major events in the book.
Jane Eyre is seen as a person who frowns at any form of injustice. Right from a young age,
she learns how to defend herself when she feels like she has been wronged. This can be seen in
her fight with John Reed, her behaviour towards Mrs Reed and other instances in the book. She
is a very straightforward person who doesn’t hesitate to talk back at press and express her
feelings. It is this attitude of hers that makes Mrs Reed despise her so much. Jane’s rigid and
uncompromising character puts her in certain circumstances or situations in the book. It is
because of her attitude that Mrs Reed decides to get rid of her by sending her to Lowood, a
charity school for poor, orphaned children.
Even at Lowood School, Jane still tries her best to oppose certain occurrences that do not
seem right to her. When she is initially taken to Lowood School, she is under the impression that
she is set for a better life. However, on getting there, she realizes that things aren’t the way it
seemed. The poor housing conditions, exposure to cold, unfairness, religious hypocrisy among
others leaves her a little disappointed and disillusioned about the school. Jane begins to notice
the various unthinkable qualities that the school possesses and tries to frown at it. It is at this
point that we realize the stark contrast between Jane and her verandah companion, Helen Burns.
Helen Burns is seen to be the calm one and a perfect embodiment of forbearance; she deals with
social stratification in a calm way, accepting it as her fate and destiny while Jane Eyre deals with
these issues by speaking up for what she thinks is right. This is why, at some point in the book,
she begins to question the reasons for Helen Burns’ calmness as she knows she would do the
opposite in such a situation. It can also be said that, in a bid to deal with social stratification, Jane
develops different coping mechanisms to help her through it. One of them is the reading of
books. This is evident in the beginning of the book as she is seen reading the ‘Bewick’s History
of British Birds.’ Here, she says reading a book brings her to a whole new world of imagination
allowing her to escape the harsh reality she’s living in. Later on, we can also see that religion
becomes another solace for Jane as she uses God and the Bible as her safe space.
This being said, it should be known that Jane’s reaction to discrimination is not only Kim to
her outspoken self alone. There are other places in the book where we see her weak side as she
begins to question the reason for her existence and her ill luck. Here, it can be seen that Jane
Eyre is not always strong in the face of such circumstances. There are some times we experience
her weak side as such a little girl like her has a limit to what she can take . A good example is
when Mr Brocklehurst labels her as a deceitful person in front of everyone. It is here we get to
know that she cares about what other people think of her. She goes to a corner to let her tears out
as she begins to think there’s no use of her existence if everyone sees her as a bad person. She is
later comforted by Helen who tells her, ‘If all the world hated you, and believed you wicked,
while your own conscience approved you, and absolved you from guilt, you would not be
without friends.’ Another instance to support this is the incident at the red room.
Also, Jane Eyre’s relationship with Mr Rochester gives us a view on how she deals with the
isssues of social stratification. Jane meets Rochester at Thornfield where she goes to work as a
governess and teacher. It is here that the two begin to develop feelings for each other. After Jane
and Rochester confess their feelings for each other and decide to get married, Jane worries that
marrying Rochester would hurt her pride. To her, marrying someone that is far above her level
would make it look like she’s being done a favour. It is this reason, coupled with Rochester’s
marriage to Bertha that makes Jane Eyre decide to leave Rochester alone. It is quite evident here
that Jane hates anything that would make her feel less of herself so she tries to uphold her
integrity. However, She comes back to Rochester after inheriting a large amount of money and
she is now at peace as they are almost on the same level.
Jane’s ways of dealing with issues of social stratification affects her both positively and
negatively. Negatively in the sense that it leads her into a lot of formidable situations. However,
all these things turn out for the best as she finds herself moving up the social ladder while still
managing to uphold her integrity and self respect. All in all, Jane Eyre can be seen to have
manipulated the negativities in her favour. Finding solace in religion and her loved ones, she is
able to survive all circumstances unscathed.

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ADENIYI FATIMAH

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