Research Task 4

In several parts of the novel, Jane experience dreams which in some cases parts of her dream becomes true. However she does know that these dreams are not reality, but only a part of her imagination and sub consciousness. Her dreams could be the things that she is unhappy about or the fears she has. Many of Jane’s dreams is about children that are either lying in her arms, sitting on her lap, playing outside or playing with water. Her dreams were sometimes happy ones, but then there were sad ones as well. In some dreams she wanted the children close to her and other times she ran away from the children. The reason for her dreams of children could be her sub conscious mind that is so damaged by her experience as a child. She did not belong and did not have real parents. These feelings could still haunt her in her dreams.

Jane experiences a bad dream after Mr. Rochester asks her to marry him. In her dream they are walking on a road where he walks so fast and she cannot keep up and falls so far behind that she cannot get to him again. Another dream she has, has a child in. The whole of Thornfield is being destructed. She remains, walking alone with a child in her arms. She tries climb over the wall that separates her and Rochester, but then child begins to strangle her. After she eventually reached the top of the wall Rochester is too far away and the wall gives in, letting Jane and the child fall to the ground. She also has a dream where Rochester marries Ingram and fires her.

The first real conversation that Jane and Mr. Rochester have is over the painting. Mr. Rochester sees the talent that Jane has and realizes that he underestimated her when he sees its beauty. Jane’s paintings, just like her dreams contained a lot of water and human’s as inspiration.

The thing Jane paints is also a representation of what is going on in her sub conscious mind. Her first painting shows a ship’s mast, a bare hand and a bracelet rising out of the stormy sea. Jane’s second painting is a hill with heavy winds and a night sky from which a woman’s face is showing. Her third painting is a big, dreary human head that is supported by and resting on a iceberg that is coming out of the sea. When Jane is asked to draw a painting of Mr. Rochester he receives it as a mockery and wants to tear it up before Adele tries to grab it from him.

Jane grew up under difficult circumstances so by putting her imagination to work helped her to escape the problems and hurt she experienced in reality. The things she draws and dreams about could be fit to her life, but through painting and dreaming she makes her circumstances less serious and more fairy-like. She uses these things to except a circumstances and work through her pain. This could also be her way of escaping from the society she finds herself in which se differs from so much.

Research Task 3

1.     

The woman question was all about the position of the woman in the Victorian era. Woman was confused with where they belonged in the society. It was difficult for men, because they weren’t sure how to treat woman since they were their equal from then on. Thanks to feminists woman and men had the same rights and wasn’t inferior to men. Woman also had the opportunity to become educated and own property. People started to worry about the effect of this new movement. Woman was now able to get divorce whereas before they had stay with the man they married no matter what. Men didn’t have that much power and authority anymore, so woman could get out easily. Woman weren’t trapped under the roof of their spouse anymore which gave them more freedom. This caused several bad incidents which made people wonder if this idea was so great.

2.     

One finds in chapter 10 that Jane is surprised by how she is treated as a governess at Thornfield. She finds it hard to believe that they are so nice and soft with her almost if she is a guest at their home. She enjoys a love stories and poetry books of theirs, but nothing much academically.

Jane is asked in chapter 16 to be drawn. She was also asked to not to hide the painless and poorness of a governess.

It is clear in chapter 17 that the class ladies didn’t think much of governess’. The saw them as incompetent, but ironically they all would make use of a governess to educate and look after their children. Even Mr. Rochester thinks the same as they do. Since a governess had to work for an income they were seen as part of the working class, but living with wealthy families, they lived a middle class life. These high class ladies almost looked down upon governesses and don’t want to be associated with them socially.

3.     

Middle class people often saw governesses as a threat to them. A governess was the one that educated their children so they had to have good values to bring up a good child. By educating their children it breaks down the barrier between the middle class and the working class. It was hard for them to see accept that a governess was working class but were living the lifestyle of a middle class person. They didn’t like governesses, but they had to accept them for the sake of their children.

The position of a governess was tricky. They were seen us better than the servants, but at the same time they were inferior to the middle class. They couldn’t marry either of them. A governess was often named very sexual, where in fact most of them were pure. They performed the same duties of a middle class mother, but yet they could not be named one. A governess didn’t really know where she fit. She was always in between the classes.