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.