Quotation: “It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: They must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. Millions are condemned to a stiller doom than mine, and millions are in silent revolt against their lot. Nobody knows how many rebellions besides political rebellions ferment in the masses of life which people earth. Women are supposed to be very calm generally: but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their efforts, as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more then custom has pronounced necessary for their sex” (Bronte, 124).
Comment/Connection: This quotation made me think of how far society has come in regards to women’s rights. Jane Eyre was published in 1847, a time period in which women certainly did not have the same rights as men did. Most women were only seen to be wives, mothers, and housekeepers, whereas men had the rights to work, travel, and be anything they wanted to be. This gender inequality is shown especially within Jane Eyre, the passage above being a prime example of how many women, Jane included, felt during this time period. I think that this quotation really serves as a prime example of how women truly felt, as they could rarely voice their opinions in a serious setting.
Once again, this makes me think of how far society has come since 1847. Women have rights to vote, act in government, and participate in any kind of job market they desire. However, this equality doesn’t extend to all parts of the world. This lack of worldwide equality makes me believe that this quotation from Jane still has ramifications today. Of course, there are still some who believe that men are superior to women and would react poorly to this quotation, just like how many in Bronte’s time thought of her work as ‘vulgar’ and ‘disrespectful’.
Questions: I wonder how Bronte’s relatives reacted to this quotation, or just the whole of Jane Eyre. One question I have is whether Bronte would consider her female characters to be closely related to ‘monsters’, as they are typically outcasts of society and seen as an ‘other’ in comparison to men.
We both ended up using almost the same quote and had a similar interpretation of it. I like the way that you decided to interpret the text. To answer your question would be difficult, but in my opinion I think that its possible Bronte and others during that time saw women as less than men, which would place them in the “other” perception.