Gender Roles Flashcards
(20 cards)
Question: How does Rochester initially justify his “superiority” over Jane?
Answer: He cites his twenty years’ difference in age and his greater worldly experience, claiming these naturally make him more masterful and commanding.
Question: How does Jane respond to Rochester’s claims of superiority?
Answer: Jane rejects his assertion, arguing that age and experience alone do not grant him the right to command her. She believes his claim to superiority depends on how he has used his time and experience.
Question: In Chapter 12, what does Jane reflect about the limited opportunities for women in Victorian society?
Answer: Jane notes that societal expectations confined women to the role of “ladies,” making most forms of work humiliating. The only respectable professions available were governess or teacher.
Question: How does Jane’s resistance to Rochester’s authority contribute to her portrayal as a feminist character?
Answer: Her refusal to submit to traditional gender roles and male dominance positions her as an empowered individual challenging the patriarchal norms of Victorian society.
Question: In what ways is Bertha Mason presented as Jane’s antithesis?
Answer: Bertha is depicted as wild, uncontrolled, and a symbol of sexual excess, contrasting with Jane’s reserved, intellectual nature and her striving for moral control.
Question: What does Rochester imply about Bertha when he calls her a “professed harlot” and describes her as “intemperate and unchaste”?
Answer: He highlights a stark contrast between Bertha’s perceived lack of moral restraint and Jane’s values, emphasizing Bertha’s supposed sexual promiscuity and lack of virtue.
Question: What might Bertha’s madness symbolize in the context of Victorian society?
Answer: Her madness can be interpreted as a representation of the dangers of unrestrained sexuality or as a consequence of the societal limitations and repressions placed upon women. Some critics also link it to the final stages of syphilis, reflecting the perils of unchecked sexual behavior.
Question: How does Bertha function as the “Other” in the novel?
Answer: Bertha embodies otherness by being physically and psychologically removed from the Victorian ideal of femininity. Her madness and perceived sexual liberation disrupt the social order, making her an outcast.
Question: What is the argument for Bertha being Jane’s alter ego?
Answer: Some critics suggest Bertha represents Jane’s suppressed desires and fears, the chaotic and passionate aspects of womanhood that Jane strives to control. Rochester’s contrasting descriptions of “this woman” (Bertha) and his feelings for Jane underscore this tension between chaos and control.
Question: What does the quote “Women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do” (Chapter 12) reveal about Jane’s views on gender equality?
Answer: This quote directly asserts the emotional and intellectual equality of men and women, highlighting Jane’s belief that women are stifled by rigid societal restraints and deserve the same opportunities as men
Question: How do Rochester’s descriptions of Bertha in Chapter 27, particularly the phrases “intemperate and unchaste,” contribute to the understanding of Victorian expectations for women?
Answer: These terms condemn Bertha not only for her madness but also for a perceived lack of self-control and a questioning of her virtue. These qualities were central to a woman’s respectability in Victorian society.
Question: Analyze the significance of Rochester’s words in Chapter 28: “That is my wife, said he. Such is the sole conjugal embrace I am to ever know, and this is what I wished to have.”
Answer: “Sole” emphasizes Rochester’s feeling of being trapped. “Conjugal embrace” is formal and devoid of emotion, highlighting the lack of intimacy in their relationship. “To ever know” suggests his resignation and helplessness regarding his situation.
What quote shows: Rochester’s justification for feeling superior to Jane based on age and experience.
Answer: “I claim only such superiority as must result from twenty years’ difference in age and a century’s advance in experience.”
Analysis: This quote reveals Rochester’s patriarchal mindset. He believes that the mere passage of time and exposure to the world inherently grant him a higher status and authority over Jane. He doesn’t consider individual merit or intellectual equality, relying instead on traditional hierarchical structures based on age and gendered expectations of experience.
What quote shows: Rochester feeling entitled to be masterful due to his age and worldly travels.
Answer: “I have a right to be a little masterful, abrupt (…) on the grounds that I am old enough to be your father and (…) have roamed over half the globe, while you have lived quietly with one set of people in one house.”
Analysis: This further emphasizes Rochester’s sense of entitlement rooted in traditional power dynamics. He explicitly links his age (positioning himself as a father figure) and his broader life experiences to a “right” to be controlling (“masterful”) and even rude (“abrupt”) towards Jane. This highlights the societal expectation that men, due to their greater perceived exposure to the world, are naturally in a position of dominance over women.
What quote shows: Jane directly challenging Rochester’s assumption that age and experience grant him the right to command her.
Answer: “I don’t think you have a right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.”
Analysis: This is a pivotal feminist statement from Jane. She directly refutes the patriarchal notion that age and worldly experience automatically equate to superiority. Instead, she introduces the radical idea that true superiority lies in the quality of one’s experiences and how one has utilized their time. This assertion of her intellectual and moral equality challenges the established gender hierarchy.
What quote shows: Jane’s awareness in Chapter 12 that societal expectations limit women’s opportunities due to their gender.
Answer: “Women in Victorian society were expected to be ‘ladies’, and anything outside domesticity, like working in a shop or factory, would have been humiliating for them. The only respectable job available to them was to be a governess or a teacher.” (This is a summary of her reflection, as the provided text doesn’t offer a single direct quote for this point).
Analysis: While not a direct quote from Jane, this reflects her understanding of the severe limitations placed upon women in Victorian society. The emphasis on being a “lady” and the social stigma attached to most forms of employment highlight the restrictive gender roles that confined women to the domestic sphere or a few limited, “respectable” professions like governessing or teaching. This context underscores the challenges Jane faces as an independent woman seeking meaningful work.
What quote shows: Rochester’s negative portrayal of Bertha, condemning her for a lack of moral and sexual restraint.
Answer: “Intemperate and unchaste.”
Analysis: This brief but powerful description reveals the harsh judgment placed upon women who deviated from the strict Victorian ideals of femininity. “Intemperate” suggests a lack of self-control, while “unchaste” directly attacks Bertha’s sexual morality, a cornerstone of female respectability in that era. This condemnation highlights the double standard often applied to men and women regarding sexual behavior.
What quote shows: Rochester’s feeling of being trapped and devoid of intimacy in his marriage to Bertha.
Answer: “Such is the sole conjugal embrace I am to ever know, and this is what I wished to have.”
Analysis: The word “sole” emphasizes Rochester’s sense of confinement and the lack of any genuine connection in his marriage. “Conjugal embrace” is presented in a formal and clinical way, devoid of any warmth or affection, underscoring the loveless nature of the relationship. The final phrase, “and this is what I wished to have,” carries a heavy irony, suggesting a past desire or societal expectation that has turned into a bleak reality.
What quote shows: Jane’s assertion in Chapter 12 that women have the same capacity for feeling and the same need for intellectual and active engagement as men.
Answer: “Women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do.”
Analysis: This is a powerful and direct statement of gender equality from Jane. By using the parallel structure “just as men feel” and “as much as their brothers do,” she emphatically argues for the shared humanity and intellectual capacity of women. The phrase “exercise for their faculties” and “a field for their efforts” highlights Jane’s belief that women are stifled by a lack of opportunity and deserve the same avenues for personal and intellectual growth as men. This quote encapsulates her feminist stance and her rejection of limiting societal expectations.
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