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  • Essay / Marxism and the Class System in Jane Eyre

    It is said that only complete and complete trust in government will ensure equality and prosperity for their people. No man has ever been able to feed his family, no man has ever been homeless, no economic and political freedom, no constant economic growth and the abolition of class systems as a whole. Communism appears to be flawless in its battle for solidarity as well as in the fundamental ideals on which it is based. In 1847, Karl Marx published The Communist Manifesto, which became very popular in the following years among the middle and lower classes. Charlotte Brontë witnesses the injustice of the class system as she grew up in a poor Victorian family and neglected the necessities that only wealth could provide. She considered the Victorian era as a whole, hierarchical within its morality and social rules. Bronte comments on the hypocrisy of this age in his writings. Its characters desperately seek answers to their dissatisfaction with existing social systems and ultimately fail to conform to Victorian ideals and instead turn to Marxist principles about society and equality. In Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Jane questions class systems and searches for her place in society. She discovers that she is predominantly Marxist in her beliefs through her interactions and relationships with John, Mrs. Reed, and Mr. Rochester. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Jane's childhood with her cousin John in Gateshead establishes that Jane from childhood was taught that she was less so because of her class. Jane, still a destitute orphan, feels alienated from the rest of the family. John openly points out that Jane “doesn’t have to take [their] books; [for Jane] is dependent… [On the contrary, Jane] should beg and not live here with the children of gentlemen like [them]” (29). John openly tells Jane that because she is poor, she cannot associate with John and the rest of the Reeds on equal ground. With the distinction that John is a gentleman and Jane is not, John asserts not only his dominance, but also the fact that Jane must rely on her family for survival. Jane is not a servant, nor part of the family and therefore she has no definition of her class and put into a class system, she is degraded and miserable. Jane refutes his authority by calling John a “nasty, cruel boy…like a slaver…like the Roman emperors!” » (30). By saying this, Jane tells John that she recognizes his corruption and, furthermore, the corruption of the upper class as a whole. As Jane is punished for her argument with John, Miss Abbott calls John Jane the “young master” (34). Jane is quick to question Miss Abbott, wondering if she is, in fact, a servant. Without a decisive answer about Jane's place in society, Jane questions societal regimes as a whole. Jane understands that high society lacked morality, as demonstrated by her cousin, and that middle class being Jane seemed to be superior. With Jane's new questioning of what she considered superior, she begins to test her communist ideals with Mrs. Reed. As Mrs. Reed speaks to Mr. Brocklehurst about Jane's subordination, Jane tells Mrs. Reed, "...the thought of you makes me sick, and [she] has treated her in a miserable and cruel way" (57). . Mrs. Reed being upper class oppresses Jane even in Jane's new life as she enters school; for the sole benefit of Mrs. Reed to get rid of Jane, seeing her as a burden. Jane attempts to break the system of abuse as well as her master bytelling Mrs. Reed of his atrocities and cruelty towards Jane. Instead of challenging Jane's new authority, Mrs. Reed ignores the problem and further pushes the lower class down. When Jane returns to Gateshead as an adult, Jane quickly realizes that Mrs. Reed depends on her for peace. Although Mrs. Reed is in a fragile state, Jane “…[feels] still a determination to master her” (747). Jane wants to affirm them as equals, even after so many years. This idea of ​​equality and balance between Mrs. Reed's cruelty and Jane's inner desires coincides with similar ideals of communism. Jane wants to degrade the upper class to make their status equal. After questioning the social and political structure, Jane learns to appreciate equality among people and not play one man above another. Although Jane tries to combat her difference in status between Rochester and herself, she is unsuccessful and is subsequently unhappy and seeks a way to rectify her relationship. As Rochester is about to propose to Jane, he calls her a “dependent [who] is doing her duty” (812). Thus, Rochester emphasizes a class difference between him and Jane, designating her as a subordinate. Jane does not reprimand him and even continues to worship Rochester as a God in return, further transforming a difference in earthly social status into a divine one. In doing so, Jane discredits Rochester's social superiority by making him a heavenly creature on earth, to whom there could be no valid comparison. Associating earthly goods such as wealth in this way makes no sense. As Jane begins to see the flaws in her nonchalance on the issue, she must choose either to be "a slave in a fool's paradise...as Mr. Rochester's mistress...or to be free and honest" (1166 ). Jane is caught between her feelings for Rochester and his feelings for her, ultimately recognizing that they have different perceptions of their relationship. Rochester considers her a vulnerable inferior and degrades her to the rank of mistress. Jane must choose between upper-class Rochester taking the resources, or her coveting them for her own benefit while the middle class toils tirelessly in vain. Jane is not content with this and wants to be recognized as an equal, but ultimately decides that she would rather be alone than be separated from her love by her status. After Jane inherits his wealth, she seeks out Rochester to make their love equal. As Jane returns to Thornfield, she finds it in ruins. She reflects on the “silence of death: the solitude of a solitary wind… [She sees it] as a blackened ruin” (664). The stately Rochester mansion was destroyed and with it the place where Rochester and Jane were not husband and wife but rather master and servant. Jane travels to find Rochester in a more humble state; emotionally, he regrets the emotional torment he put Jane through. Physically, he lost his sight and his hand. He tells Jane to leave and “not suffer to devote herself to a blind lamenter” (681). Rochester claims that Jane's new class is above his own. Jane levels the field by proclaiming them equal and thus abolishing Rochester's haughty conformity to the social system. Jane and Rochester marry soon after and through this union, a member of the upper and formerly middle class is revitalized and lives in peace with each other. They restore moral values ​​in their marriage and ignore the old mixed morality that Jane witnessed earlier in her life during her past relationships. Rochester is seemingly resurrected as a good-natured husband who relies on his wife as much as she relies on him. They are made classless in relation to each other..