Throughout the course of history, women have struggled to be recognized within society as human beings capable of every task that their opposite gender could as easily complete, including writing, postsecondary education, and control over their thoughts and actions. These general ideas and numerous others are present throughout Charlotte Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre, and Virginia Woolf's essay, A Room of One's Own. Both novels express themes of the courage women must possess in order to succeed, the history of the assertive superiority of men, and the idea that in order for two opposite sexes to be fully complete in both spirit and mind, they must coexist together and thrive off one another's strengths and weaknesses. The themes articulated in this novel were extremely controversial at the time they were presented, and it is women like Bronte and Woolf that finally expressed their own personal opinion specifically concerning the equality of their rights and their ability to complete numerous tasks previously unheard of for women to accomplish. Jane Eyre and A Room of One's Own ultimately represent the personalities of their authors and exemplify their beliefs and courageous qualities.
One theme found in both Bronte and Woolf's novel was the idea that women must possess the courage to want in order to succeed. The main character in Bronte's novel, Jane Eyre, is in constant search of a more fulfilling life than her society would allow in its time and it is this feeling of want that allows her to be with the man she truly loves - Mr. Rochester, her master. Jane Eyre is completely different than the other women characters of the novel in her beliefs, her ideals, her personality, and her strong will. Jane wanted to travel and to experience the world at hand after being trapped for eight years at Lowood, a charity school, so Jane decides to advertise for the position of governess.
Jane vs. the Men in Her Life Imagine being a poor orphan girl in a society where men dominate everything. ... Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, is a novel about such a girl. ... Jane Eyre must either verbally battle or "obey- each one. ... I need not say that I had my own reasons for dreading his coming - (61). ... Jane survived through each one's mental or physical abuse. ...