Essay on Jane Eyre classes

‘Bronte reflects the Victorian class system’ How far and in what ways do you agree with this view?

Intro:

With very immoral depictions, Bronte critiques the upper classes and outlines the difference between them and the middle classes members such as the governess. The display of social dominance by Rochester towards Jane embodies the nature of the upper class and the Victorian expectation held by society. Bronte uses this to show her idealistic values through Jane as a reflection of herself and there for uses her heroin to save the upper classes depicted through the immoral and arrogant Rochester. She does this by first foreshadowing this when Jane causes Rochester to be de-horsed when she first meets him, this foreshadows fall of his status and how they will become equal. “man and horse were down; they had slipped on the sheet of ice that now glazed the causeway” The phallic symbol of the horse is used by Bronte to show the pure power in Rochester masculinity and how it gives him standing over others, and by bringing the horse to the ground Jane is embodying the inevitable fall of the upper classes if they continue to pursue their eccentric and power fuelled lifestyles. Bronte disagrees highly with this way of living and portrays this opinion through her portrayal of Blanche Ingram and her attempted exploitation of Rochester. “Purple riding habit… veil streamed long on the wind… gleaming shone rich raven ringlets.” The description of Blanche fully represents the flaws that Bronte believes corrupts the upper classes. Her purple riding habit is in the colour of royalty and wealth due to the expensive dye used to make it, this gives us the impression that she enjoys showing off her wealth showing her arrogant side very clearly. The alliteration of the r’s in the description of Blanches hair shows how Bronte’s feeling towards the excessive through the phonetic sound of this repetition, the long pronunciation of the r’s cause the reader to linger on this for longer adding emphasis upon the lavished nature of the upper class. The use of raven is used by Bronte to show danger as ravens are a symbol of death, in this case a representing the death of the integrity and prowess of the upper class. Bronte’s ideals of the upper class are reflected through herself embodiment in Jane Eyre. Jane has all the qualities that Bronte believes that the upper class should strive to obtain or recover. Firstly Jane’s intent value of education and how knowledge defines how you sit in the class along with money. Yet Bronte believes that Jane wouldn’t belong in the upper class as she is blessed with out the flaws of those who fall into the upper class. Education plays a large part in Bronte’s placement of characters class within the novel and she shows this through Jane’s reaction to them.
Bronte’s depiction of Jane’s reaction towards the Low wood children reflects her own opinions on those in the lower classes and their disregard for education.