Quotation: “Do you think I am an automaton? — a machine without feelings? and can bear to have my morsel of bread snatched from my lips, and my drop of living water dashed from my cup? Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart! And if God had gifted me with some beauty and much wealth, I should have made it as hard for you to leave me, as it is now for me to leave you. I am not talking to you now through the medium of custom, conventionalities, nor even of mortal flesh: it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God’s feet, equal — as we are!”-(Bronte, chapter 23)
Comment/Connection: This quote from Jane hit incredibly hard. It is at this point within the narrative that Jane seems to, as she says, “talk without conventionalities” and truly speaks from the heart. The things she says within this piece of dialogue speak to the hundreds upon thousands of women during the 1800s who felt as though their voice could never be heard properly or at all.
Jane, in this moment, encompassed the thoughts and feelings of a united womanhood and spoke it loud and true for a predominantly male audience. The sentiment that she expresses, specifically regarding her worth though she may not be beautiful or rich, can be described as a cultural shift
within Victorian society. Most individuals during this time held worth in gender and place in society rather than the inherent worth and respect that all people are born with. To say this as a woman, as a woman to a man in high society, is groundbreaking and I can see how Jane Eyre startled and offended many because of this. I also believe that this quote encapsulates the theme of Jane Eyre quite well, as it is the climax of the feminist themes within the novel.
Questions: I wonder how society, women specifically, reacted to the release of Jane Eyre. Was there any pushback against the traditional normalities held during the Victorian era?