Harriet Jacobs And Jane Eyre Comparison - 1751 Words

Womanhood and Solidarity Jane Eyre and Incidents in the life of a slave girl are two opposite literary texts which, despite being 19th century texts, belong to different historical periods. Brontà « sets her character in the Victorian England. Jacobs, on the other hand, writes about slavery during the civil war in order to relate the treatment of slaves, and more precisely that of female slaves. We will analyse, in this essay, the differences as well as the similarities which exist between Jane Eyre and Incidents in the life of a slave girl written by herself. We see that they differ in terms of genre, the period of history in which they find themselves, the way the characters are presented and so forth. However, they share some of the main†¦show more content†¦The way she is treated is denounced. Jane is not from the working class, nor is she a servant. Being an orphan who has been given a roof from her aunt and late uncle, the little girl whom we meet in the beginning of the novel is furious at t he idea of being treated less than the others around her. In Bronte’s writing, the message is at times, quite clear, and at other time, relatively subtle. Jane questions the status of woman. Yet, she does so mainly through her writing. A woman, at that time, should not be free to have opinions and to manifest her feelings. However, through her writing, she is able to treat certain taboo subjects, at times quite openly and at other times in a subtler way. A woman is expected to follow the path which has been carved out for her. There is no room to be passionate and to have opinions. Bronte, however, allows Jane to do so. The description of the weather in several instances reflects the protagonist’s state of mind. The beginning of the novel is a perfect example to illustrate the way in which the narration sets the tone for what is to be expected by the reader: â€Å"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning; but since dinner [†¦] the cold winter wind had brought with it clouds so sombre, and a rain so penetrating, that futher outdoor exercise was now out of the question† (7). After reading those opening lines, we discover that the fate of Jane