Jane Eyre - Woman as Demon Essay - 1961 Words

Jane Eyre - Woman as Demon Missing Works Cited Women in Victorian literature often came to be seen as the other or in more direct terms, as somehow demonized. This is certainly true in Jane Eyre. Bertha Mason, Rochesters mad wife, is the epitome of the demon in the attic. By virtue of being the first wife she is in continually compared to Jane. Although there are parallels in plot and language between the two women, they are completely different people. In addition, Bronte also depicts other women throughout the novel as something to be feared. Whereas earlier in English literature, men were typically depicted as monsters, in the nineteenth century women came to be seen as threatening creatures. They entrap men through their†¦show more content†¦27). Even though Rochester leaves the final word out, the meaning is obvious. He might have made Bertha his mistress. By this exclamation, he is asserting his physical lust for her and his belief that he could have made her his lover, hence, his assertion that she possesses few m orals. He is also making a major distinction between Bertha and Jane, in that he will not even finish speaking of these sordid affairs with Jane. In addition to being represented as the seductress, Bertha is now shown in all her animal nature. Whereas before her madness, she lived solely for her animal appetites, now she has been reduced to the animalà ­s physical state as well. This reduction to bestiality is shown on various occasions when she is referred to as a wolfish thing, a dog, and a tigress (335; ch. 27, 238; ch. 20, 241; ch. 20). But it is her comparison to a clothed hyena that is alluded to most often (321; ch. 26). Helen Small, in her study Loves Madness, notes, The animals perceived sexual ambivalence and its association with female revenge continued through to the nineteenth century (159). Berthas sexuality and desire for her revenge are something to be greatly feared by men. Female madness itself seems to be associated with the demonic. Bertha goes from sexual seducer to something bestial because of her lack of morals. The idea of moral insanity was growing in the nineteenth century. J.Show MoreRelatedJane Eyre by Emily Bronte747 Words   |  3 Pagesmystery, that broke out, now in fire and now in blood, at the deadest hours of the night? What creature was it, that masked an ordinary womans face and shape, uttered the voice, now of a mocking demon, and anon of a carrion-seeking bird of prey? (Brontà « 221). A brief synopsis of Charlotte Brontà «s novel, Jane Eyre, is present in this short quote, which describes the mystery that is present within the novel. As well as its gothic sensation, romance is present as well, giving the novel its feminine characteristicsRead MoreJane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte Essay1162 Words   |  5 Pagesand such opinion is shown in Jane Eyre. 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