Views, Values and Contexts Essay on Jane Eyre - 1072 Words

Jane Eyre is primarily a critique of social elitism. Discuss. Charlotte Brontà «Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s novel, Jane Eyre was produced in the Victorian era, when social elitism was in its prime and there was great segregation between the upper and lower estates. The former was composed of the clergy and nobility and was defined by wealth, privileges and lavish lifestyles. The middle class, conversely, were the most frustrated by the exclusiveness of the upper estate. Possessing skill, intelligence and assertiveness, they believed that rank and power should derive from talent and merit, rather than from noble birth. Through the demonisation and infliction of a tragic downfall upon â€Å"Master Reed†, Brontà « condemns the life of pleasure and honour, the lifelong†¦show more content†¦John Reed believes the aristocracy to be innately superior, with the right to subjugate lesser classes. Brontà « implements John Reed’s fleshiness and â€Å"sallowness† as a visual representation of tyranny, demonising the unvalidated preconceptio n that aristocrats may subordinate anyone hierarchically inferior to them. Additionally, John Reed’s physically repulsive appearance demonstrates his gluttony and constant pursuit of insatiable pleasures, foreshadowing him to become nothing more than a â€Å"dissipated young man† in future years, â€Å"ruin[ing] his health and his estate†, getting â€Å"into debt and into jail†, ultimately â€Å"kill[ing] himself†. By demonising and inflicting a tragic downfall upon John Reed, Brontà « exposes the vulgarity of the life of pleasure and honour sought by aristocrats, asserting that absence of virtuous activity results in absence of virtuous character. Brontà « therefore demands that the Victorian social structure be reformed, as the nobility are excessively privileged and insufficiently burdened. Furthermore, Brontà « champions the lower clergy and condemns the upper clergy, the former for their altruism and virtuous activity and the latter for their likeness to the nobility. Early on in the narrative, Jane discovers that her father was a clergyman who contracted the typhus fever while â€Å"among the poor†, and who her mother married despite the will of her friends and family, being â€Å"cut †¦ off without a shilling†. Jane backstory, for which Bessie and Miss AbbotShow MoreRelatedEssay about Jane Eyre Ap Question861 Words   |  4 PagesKwist AP English Literature and Composition Quinn April 1, 2013 Jane Eyre: AP Question Essay â€Å"Writers often highlight the values of a culture or a society by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, or creed. 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