Me before You: Jane Eyre and White Feminism

Jane Eyre, written by Charlotte Brontë, is heralded as a feminist, if not queer, novel for Jane Eyre’s flouting of social class, gender norms, and sense of obligation throughout her narration. Though these facets are glimpsed in the story, the book is still rife with misogyny, racism, and colonialist attitudes toward women and people of color. Although Jane is a feminist, she is utterly a white feminist. She upholds and romanticizes Mr. Rochester’s toxic manipulation and masculinity. She demeans a woman of color, Bertha Antoinette Mason, in both description and attitude. She does not correct the racist comments around her, nor does she inquire on how Bertha Antoinette Mason came to be locked in the attic.

Although this story may have been revolutionary and feminist for its time, it still, whether intentionally or unintentionally (though, I believe intentionally), places white women over women and people of color. It is time to remove Jane Eyre from the white literary canon. In fact, scrap the white literary canon altogether and make room for more prominent and qualified authors like Toni Morrison, Malinda Lo, Roxane Gay, Angeline Boulley, and Matthew Salesses. As times have changed, our readings and vocabulary should change as well.

The summary…

Jane Eyre is about a woman recounting her life, starting from the abuse by her aunt’s hands to her education, then onto her role as governess for Mr. Rochester (the love interest). She soon falls in love with Mr Rochester, despite the secrets he keeps and the “ghost” who haunts the large house. Mr. Rochester’s duplicity is revealed on Jane’s wedding day when Richard Mason (Bertha Antoinette Mason’s young brother) confronts him. Mr. Rochester married Bertha Antoinette Mason in Jamaica fifteen years prior. He has kept her locked in his attic at Thornfield Hall for at least fourteen years since they departed from Jamaica. Mr. Rochester does not deny these claims but only seeks to excuse them by revealing his first wife, Bertha Antoinette Mason, locked in the attic room and guarded by Mrs. Poole.

Jane, heartbroken and unable to support an affair (in good conscience) with Mr. Rochester, flees the house in search of new employment. Ill and starving, Mr. Rivers and his two sisters, Diana and Mary, support a sick and starving Jane Eyre. She stays with them for some time when they determine that she is their cousin, and her uncle, John Eyre, a merchant in Madeira, recently deceased, left all his property to her. Jane, being charitable, splits the wealth between her and her cousins. Mr. Rivers proposes to Jane, though he is in love with someone else, and she refuses, recognizing that marriage to him is equivalent to working with him and his work would wear her down. She returns to Mr. Rochester, only to learn that his house has burnt down and Mr. Rochester, who now has a disability, has relocated to Ferndean. She finds him there, and they marry. Jane saves Lucy (Mr. Rochester’s child – though he denies this) from her unhappy life at school, and the story has a happy ending.

Then he stretched his hand out to be led. I took that dear hand, held it a moment to my lips, then let it pass round my shoulder: being so much lower of stature than he, I served as both his prop and guide. We entered the wood, and wended homeward.
page 278, Jane Eyre

Supporting Stereotypes

With a simple plot such as this, one wonders how racism can slip insidiously into the text. But it is within Jane Eyre’s description of Bertha Antoinette Mason, the words she uses for Antoinette instead of her name, and the name Eyre as it relates to Jamaican history. The table below summarizes all descriptions Jane and occasionally Mr. Rochester have applied to Bertha Antoinette Mason for every sighting.

Page	Quote	Contex
Page 190	This was a demonic laugh— low, suppressed, and deep— uttered, as it seemed, at the very key-hole of my chamber door. The head of my bed was near the door, and I thought at first the goblin-laughter stood at my bedside— or rather, crouched by my pillow: but I rose looked round and could see nothing.	Jane hearing Bertha Antoinette Mason outside her door.
Page 57	“Fearfully and ghastly to me— oh, sir, I never saw a face like it! It was a discolored face— it was a savage face. I wish I could forget the roll of the red eyes and the fearful blackened inflation of the lineaments!”	Jane explaining to Mr. Rochester who she saw in her bedroom. Bertha Antoinette Mason is later revealed to be this woman she describes.
Page 58	“This, sir, was purple: the lips were swelled and dark; the brow furrowed; the black eyebrows widely raised over the blood-shot eyes. Shall I I tell you of what it reminded me?” …”Of the foul German spectre— the Vampyre.”	Jane continuing her description of who she saw in her bedroom. Bertha Antoinette Mason is later revealed to be this woman she describes.
Page 58	“…you ascribed to her a goblin appearance different from her own: the long disheveled hair, the swelled black face, the exaggerated stature were figments of imagination; results of nightmare”	Mr. Rochester gaslighting Jane into believing she had a “nightmare” and saw Grace Poole (the hired keeper for Bertha Antoinette Mason). Again, he reiterates her description of who she saw in her room.
Page 68	“Bertha Mason is mad; and she came from a mad family;— idtios and maniacs through three generations! Her mother, a Creole, was both a mad woman and a drunkard!”	Mr. Rochester explaining why he believes he has the right to bigamy based on the “behavior” of his first wife, Bertha Antoinette Mason.
Page 70	In the deep shade, at the further end of the room, a figure ran backwards and forwards. What it was, whether beast or human being, one could not, at first sight, tell: it groveled, seemingly, on all fours; it snatched and growled like some strange wild animal: but it was covered in clothing, and a quantity of dark, grizzled hair, wild as a mane, hit its head and face.	Jane Eyre comparing Bertha Antoinette Mason to an animal as she sees the windowless attic room Bertha is locked in, and has inhabited for 15 years.
Page 71	The maniac bellowed: she parted her shaggy locks from her visage, and gazed wildly at her visitors. I recognized well that purple face, —those bloated features.	Jane describing Bertha Mason
Page 71	Mr Rochester flung me behind him: the lunatic sprang and grappled his throat viciously, and laid her teeth to his cheek: they struggled. She was a big woman, in stature almost equaling her husband, and corpulent besides; she showed virile force in the contest…	Jane describing the fight between Bertha Mason and Mr. Rochester.
Page 72	Compare these clear eyes with the red balls yonder— this face with that mask —this form with that bulk; then judge me…	Mr. Rochester literally comparing his first wife (Bertha Mason), who has been imprisoned in his attic for 15 years, to Jane Eyre.
Page 87	“…her cast of mind common, low, narrow, and singularly incapable of being led to anything higher, expanded to anything larger— when I found that I could not pass a single evening, nor a single hour of the day with her in comfort…”	Mr. Rochester demeaning his wife’s intellect. He continues on for quite a while — he likes to hear himself talk.
Page 88	“Bertha Mason, —the true daughter of an infamous mother, —dragged me through all the hideous and degrading agonies which must attend a man bound to wife at once intemperate and unchaste.”	Mr. Rochester degrading his wife, though he has confessed he has had three mistresses in the past, and has been abusive in the past: “To women who please me only by their faces, I am the very devil when I find out they have neither sounds nor hearts…” (page 27, Vol 2)

Each one of these descriptions implies at least two of the stereotypes surrounding women of color, and each stereotype is pernicious and prevalent today. The three stereotypes studied in the United States are:

“Mammy” stereotype – an unattractive, strong Black woman who is content caring for children (typically children of White families or White enslavers)

“Sapphire” stereotype – the “angry” Black woman, aggressive, domineering, emasculating

“Jezebel” stereotype – a sexually promiscuous Black woman. This stereotype is connected to the sexual exploitation Black women faced during slavery.

Although these stereotypes are prevalent in the United States, remember the United States adheres to old colonialist ideas from its founders: the English and other European conquerors. Thus, searching for these stereotypes in Jane Eyre, readers can easily find them within the dialogue. For instance, on page 88, Mr. Rochester describes Bertha Mason’s behavior, hinting at her libido. By describing Bertha as “unchaste” and “intemperate,” Mr. Rochester is painting Bertha as a jezebel, the antithesis of femininity and of whiteness (for the criteria on femininity, please see the paper by Cole, Elizabeth & Zucker, Alyssa). Furthermore, Mr. Rochester points out the “difference” in Jane’s femininity versus Bertha’s “lack thereof”:

Compare these clear eyes with the red balls yonder— this face with that mask —this form with that bulk; then judge me…
Mr. Rochester, page 72, Jane Eyre

In this blatant comparison, what was Charlotte Brontë trying to prove? What was she trying to say by comparing Jane to Bertha?

The second stereotype often applied to women of color is the “sapphire” or “matriarch” stereotype. The stereotype depicts an angry, domineering, emasculating, and almost masculine woman of color. It is described in Jane’s description of the fight between Bertha and Mr. Rochester.

Mr Rochester flung me behind him: the lunatic sprang and grappled his throat viciously and laid her teeth to his cheek: they struggled. She was a big woman, in stature almost equaling her husband, and corpulent besides; she showed virile force in the contest…
Jane, page 71, Jane Eyre

Often, Jane describes Bertha as an animal or having an animal form (pages 70 and 71) or with “demonic” features. Jane only has one sentence of kindness for Bertha, the woman locked in the attic for fifteen years, and one of only pity. Jane does not ask Mr. Rochester questions on how or why he thought it was an excellent idea to lock his wife in the attic. She gives him no reproof on his treatment of his wife. She only listens to his tale and decides what to do according to her moral compass (which is to leave). She holds no empathy for Bertha Mason’s life, only pity that she is “mad.” Honestly, I would be “mad,” too, if someone locked me in a room for fifteen years.

To add further injury to insult, after learning of Bertha’s existence, Jane still refers to her with animalistic or bloated features and never refers to her by name. This refusal to state the name of the woman Mr. Rochester has kept locked in his attic is a refusal to see humanity in another person. It is another way of saying “me before you.” Jane’s behavior towards Bertha Mason is as racist as it is imperialist. By refusing someone’s name, you are refusing to acknowledge their humanity. No matter what mental state Bertha was in when Jane saw her each time, Bertha was still human, still a woman held prisoner.

The Name: Eyre

The name Jane Eyre may seem common enough. Still, when I began researching the history of Jamaica (see Wide Sargasso Sea blog post), I found a greater connection with the British Empire and the colonization of the West Indies. The Spanish first colonized Jamaica via Christopher Columbus, who destroyed the Arawak, the native inhabitants, within a few years. The Spanish brought enslaved people to Jamaica and, in 1655, released them (at that time, the formerly enslaved people were known as the “Maroons”) as the remaining Spanish soldiers fled to Cuba when the English took control. By 1673, the tobacco, indigo, and cocoa industries gave way to the sugar industry. By 1739, 430 sugar estates in Jamaica were harvested mainly by enslaved Africans. During the English rule, multiple slave rebellions occurred, including the Easter Rebellion of 1760, the Christmas Rebellion of 1831, and the Morant Bay Rebellion. In 1808, the Abolition Bill abolished and prohibited the trading of enslaved Africans, and by 1838, total freedom was granted, though the old social system was still in effect.

During the period of 1861-1865, Edward John Eyre governed Jamaica. In 1865, during the Morant Bay Rebellion, Eyre declared martial law and moved troops into the district where over 430 people were shot or executed, 600 flogged, and over 1000 dwellings burnt. The troops were indiscriminate, hanging, shooting, or flogging any Black men, women, or children in the district. After this massacre, tensions rose, and Edward John Eyre was recalled to England in 1866, where a grand jury in London refused to indict Eyre for murder.

Recall Bertha Antoinette Mason’s marriage certificate, produced by Richard Mason, presented by Mr. Briggs when he confronts Rochester for his duplicity:

I can affirm and can prove that on the 20th of October AD, _____, (date fifteen years back) Edward Fairfax Rochester of Thornfield Hall, in the county of ______, and Ferndean Manor, in ___shire, England, was married to my sister, Bertha Antoinette Mason, daughter of Jonas Mason, merchant, and Antoinetta, his wife, a Creole, at — church, Spanish-Town, Jamaica…
Page 66, Jane Eyre

By using the name Eyre, Jane’s uncle, a merchant in Madeira, with the name John Eyre, could Charlotte Brontë have meant something more? Perhaps it is only coincidence that Jane Eyre was published in 1847, fourteen years before Edward John Eyre’s promotion as governor of Jamaica. Yet, it still stands to question: did Brontë believe the British colonial system necessary?

One such theory is described in limited detail in the introduction, written by Lucy Hughes-Hallett, where she states:

Bertha embodies the racial anxiety and political guilt associated with wealth and empires

But if Bertha embodies this anxiety, as she is the reason for Mr. Rochester’s deception and fear, would Brontë be reintegrating the same colonialist values? If we look at Bertha’s actions from a political standpoint, assuming she is a metaphor for a colonized and oppressed country and Mr. Rochester, the embodiment of the imperial patriarchy, Bertha’s actions toward freedom ultimately lead to her death and almost the death of Mr. Rochester. Is Brontë stating that an imperial power must be in place to avoid the deaths of the colonized peoples who, as Mr. Rochester states, referring to Bertha Mason, “her cast of mind common, low, narrow, and singularly incapable of being led to anything higher, expanded to anything larger…”

Is Brontë supporting his claim with Bertha’s actions and eliminating the backstory of an imprisoned and traumatized woman? Perhaps the novel is as Jean Rhys stated: “That’s only one side— the English side.”

A second theory that Lucy Hughes-Hallett expounded upon was Jane’s unconscious will and libidinal mind embodied in Bertha’s actions. When Jane felt dubious about the veil Mr. Rochester purchased for her, Bertha tore it in two.

Whenever Jane’s sexual nature is aroused, Bertha appears…Bertha is a terrifying counterpart for that aspect of her ‘passionate’ personality— avid, lustful, angry —that Jane struggles to subdue.
Introduction, page XXVI

Again, one can circle back to the stereotypes of women of color in the text, even in the introduction. Brontë and Hughes-Hallett support both “jezebel” and “sapphire” stereotypes for Bertha. Regardless of whether Bertha is Jane’s unconscious, making Bertha a woman of color and adhering to stereotypes makes the novel problematic at best.

With this evidence laid bare, should Jane Eyre ever have been deemed a “classic”? Should it even be required reading in high schools and colleges? Did Brontë intentionally seek to support the imperialist and oppressive values of the British Empire?

Test	Pass/Fail	How
Bechdel-Wallace	Pass	Jane Eyre develops from a child into adulthood having conversations with women and men.
POC! Bechdel Test	Fail	Only one person of color in this book – and she’s locked in the attic.
The Native Bechdel Test	Fail	N/A
The DuVernay Test	Fail	Only one person not color in this book – again, she’s locked in the attic.
Mako Mori Test	Fail	Although Jane’s story is independent from Rochester’s story, she has no goals other than remaining true to herself. Her narrative arc ultimately goes back to Rochester.
Raleigh Becket Test	Fail	Rochester is romantically involved with Jane and it is only when he loses his eyesight does he become more gentle? Still think Jane’s crazy for wanting this guy.
Vito Russo Test	Fail	Sexual orientation not addressed
Sexy Lamp Test	Pass	There would be no story if Jane were replaced by a lamp.

Sources

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