All the women around Jane are either domesticated and servants, or are spoiled socialites. They act as if they are less than men. She doesn't really identify with any woman in her life, which is why she struggles with her femininity inwardly. She never wants to compromise herself to please a man, and sees herself as an equal. Throughout the book, her mindset towards men and her self-worth only grow and get stronger.
At Lowood, she was considerably more gloomy and conflicted than she is at Thornfield. Every adult in her life has told her that she is a manipulative, lying child -- which couldn't be farther from the truth. She's just precocious because she expresses exactly what she's feeling and stands up for herself. However, she still gets sad about being misunderstood, and the only person to snap her out of this attitude is Helen Burns: "Love your enemies; bless them that curse you; do good to them that hate you and despitefully use you...Would you not be happier if you tried to forget her severity, together with the passionate emotions it excited? Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs" (69). Helen Burns empowers Jane to take charge of herself, and not worry about how others perceive her.
As she comes into her own, any guilt she felt when she was younger about not conforming (especially at Lowood) vanishes. Her time at Thornfield presents an opportunity to sort out her inner struggles thus far, and one conclusion she comes to is that "It is 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...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 than custom has pronounced them necessary for their sex" (129-130). Jane is the embodiment of Charlotte Bronte's radical (for the time) feminist ideals; she never compromises or fixes her flaws like Jo. (Louisa May Alcott was just as much of a feminist as Bronte, but "Little Women" had to cater to the cookie cutter ideals of the time in order to sell.) Jane says, “I would always rather be happy than dignified.” Her transformation over the book from a depressed, tempestuous child to an outspoken, intelligent woman is the result of her conquering the inner struggle of what it means to be a woman in the Victorian era.
I agree that Jane consistently struggles throughout the novel in order to live within the confines of the traditional Victorian woman. I believe that this is most clearly shown when she is studying at Lowood, especially when she is compared to Helen Burns. To me it is clear that Jane and Helen are foil characters, they both do not have the happiest childhoods or home lives and also undergo a lot of scrutiny by the teachers, though they take these criticisms in vastly different ways. Helen accepts her faults and the constant critiques of the teachers and always bears her punishments “without reply as without delay” (52). In this regard Helen presents herself as the perfect Victorian woman, working her hardest and accepting her punishments without fighting or complaining about them, no matter how unfair they might be. Jane on the other hand wishes for everyone to like her, and cannot imagine “bear[ing] the shame of standing on [her] natural feet in the middle of the room” (59). This fear of being shamed and seen as lesser is what drives Jane for most of her career at Lowood. Helen’s wish to truly be her best self is not rooted in the wish to be liked by others, or out of fear of reprimanding, but rather is prompted by her true wish to be good and pure. Jane’s biggest struggle while at Lowood is learning to be righteous and good for herself, rather than to earn the praise of others.
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