Jane Eyre: Discussion Topic 8

This novel represents very accurately the period of time it was based in. In this period of time, the 1800s, women wore long dresses, men wore coats, and there were carriages and horses that were used for transportation. Also, the social classes were more defined and rigid. If you had money, you had a lot of money. The rich people would live in mansions with fine clothing and servants. The servants were at the bottom. They had no money and were worked very hard to make a living.

Also, the division between men and women were accurately portrayed. Women were just there to be seen and for the families they came from, not love. In our time, we marry because we love the person and want to spend the rest of our lives with them. But in Jane's time, you married someone of your same class, which is why the union of Mr. Rochester and Jane was scandalous. You married someone, too, for their money and the family they came from, especially the rich people. Names meant everything to them and if you had a good name, you were somebody. Charlotte Bronte accurately portrayed the time that this book was set in.

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes and Noble Classics, 2003. Print.