Feminism in Literature
Feminism in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre and Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House
Feminism, if anything, has appeared majorly in the literature spectrum through all decades and forms. Feminism is the political, cultural, or economic movement aimed at establishing equality and protection for all women. No matter the time period or place feminism has always been a popular literary topic that has made a few works quite notorious, including Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Both works contain the scenarios in which the main characters are taken advantage of due to the apparent feminist society. Made obvious by the title, Jane is the main character of the novel Jane Eyre. During the novel Jane meets people, in Jane’s case, men who try to hold her back or suppress her from becoming all that she can be. She is faced with men who aim to hurt her while others do it without notice and full of love. Jane finally realizes the way to be equal with the men in her life, and be treated as an equal is to rise against them and stand for her rights and what she believes in. Jane would not have to do this if not for the Victorian time period she lives in, where men consider themselves superior to women. Through the hard work and suffering Jane finally beats society’s unjust morals and becomes an equal to man thought impossible to change. In the second work we meet the main character of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, Nora Helmer. Like Jane, Nora is constantly demeaned by her husband Torvald. He uses pet names for Nora that time and time again asserts his dominance and show very little respect towards her. Nora was never treated as harshly as Jane was, but she was still nevertheless continuously disrespected. In Nora’s life as well, the society in the Victorian Era is to be blamed for the men’s anti-feminist views. In the play, in order to gain her respect Nora must decide between her husband Torvald, or leaving him and the suppression of Victorian
Feminism, if anything, has appeared majorly in the literature spectrum through all decades and forms. Feminism is the political, cultural, or economic movement aimed at establishing equality and protection for all women. No matter the time period or place feminism has always been a popular literary topic that has made a few works quite notorious, including Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen. Both works contain the scenarios in which the main characters are taken advantage of due to the apparent feminist society. Made obvious by the title, Jane is the main character of the novel Jane Eyre. During the novel Jane meets people, in Jane’s case, men who try to hold her back or suppress her from becoming all that she can be. She is faced with men who aim to hurt her while others do it without notice and full of love. Jane finally realizes the way to be equal with the men in her life, and be treated as an equal is to rise against them and stand for her rights and what she believes in. Jane would not have to do this if not for the Victorian time period she lives in, where men consider themselves superior to women. Through the hard work and suffering Jane finally beats society’s unjust morals and becomes an equal to man thought impossible to change. In the second work we meet the main character of Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll House, Nora Helmer. Like Jane, Nora is constantly demeaned by her husband Torvald. He uses pet names for Nora that time and time again asserts his dominance and show very little respect towards her. Nora was never treated as harshly as Jane was, but she was still nevertheless continuously disrespected. In Nora’s life as well, the society in the Victorian Era is to be blamed for the men’s anti-feminist views. In the play, in order to gain her respect Nora must decide between her husband Torvald, or leaving him and the suppression of Victorian
Cited: Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. London: Penguin Classics, 2003. Print. Cameron, Rebecca S. “Irreconcilable Differences: Divorce and Women’s Drama before 1945.” Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. Conway, Kathleen. “The Disclosure of Secrets: Reflection and Growth in Jane Eyre and Middlemarch.” Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. Goonetilleke, D.C.R.A. “A Dolls House: Overview.” Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2010. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House. New York: Signet Classic, 1965. Print. Kaplan, Carla. “Girl Talk: Jane Eyre and the Romance of Women’s Narration.” Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., Fall 1996. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. Metzger, Sheri. “An Overview of A Doll’s House.” Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2010. Scott, Shelley. “Ibsen’s’ Women.” Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. Wylie, Judith. “Incarnate Crimes: Masculine Gendering and the Double in Jane Eyre.” Literature Resources from Gale. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Mar. 2010.