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THE STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY: SOCIAL AND GENDER THEMES IN
THE WORKS OF CHARLOTTE BRONTE
Nasreddinova Farzona Shuxratovna
Research Intern at Samarkand
State Institute of
Foreign Languages
е-mаil: fаrzonаnаsrеddinovа@gmаil.com
(+99890)655-94-94
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15048867
Annotation:
This article examines the problem of gender inequality in the
works of Charlotte Brontë, especially in the novel "Jane Eyre". The author
emphasizes that Brontë experienced a sense of dualism, which was reflected in
her views on women's destiny and the struggle for independence. The opposing
views of researchers on the role of women in her works are also analyzed,
including the ideas of women's emancipation and subordination to patriarchal
society.
Key words:
Victorian era, dualism, gender inequality, motive, autonomy,
emancipation.
Sh. Bronte, a great writer of the 19th century, who, along with Jane Austen,
Charles Dickens and Mary Roberts, wrote about the inequality between the male
and female genders during the Victorian era. Sh. Bronte herself experienced a
sense of dualism, which means a contradiction between different sides of the
personality and also regarding the female purpose and place of women in
society. In Bronte's books, one can often encounter opposite things, such as
freedom and restrictions, the outer world and the inner world, which help to
better understand the psychology and motives of the main characters. For
example, in the book "Jane Eyre" we can often encounter a sense of dualism in
the main character, as she is torn between her emotions and reason: she loves
Rochester madly and wants to be with him, but with her mind she understands
that they cannot be together from a moral point of view and that she herself
must follow the principles of morality. So, for example, N.V. Shamina in her
article “The Peculiarities of the Realization of Women’s Issues in the Early
Works of Sh. Bronte” clearly described the term “dualism” and noted: “Bronte
experienced a feeling of dualism regarding women’s destiny and the realization
of her own capabilities and abilities practically from the moment of the
publication of her first poetry collection» [1].
She even published her first collections not under her own name, but under
the male pseudonym "Carrel Bell". The main plot in almost all of Sh. Bronte's
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works was the acute social inequality between men and women. A woman
during the Victorian era simply did not have the right even to her own child, to
express her opinion, to be on the same level as men. Seeing and living in such an
environment, Sh. Bronte decides to write her work "Jane Eyre", which is known
as the autobiography of the writer herself. The reason for choosing female
autonomy is that the main character of the novel, Jane Eyre, believes in the
importance of female independence and strives to maintain her position in life
and get rid of debts to other characters.
But, in addition to dualism, the works vividly describe the problems of
inequality, and that women in that era did not have their own autonomy and
that women longed for emancipation to be equal with the male gender. In world
literature, interest in the study of women and their place in society began in the
60-70s of the XIX century. Bronte's books brought to the forefront the role of
women in society, in which they were full of emotions and experiences and who
also decisively fought against the oppression of women's rights and had their
own opinion. For example, one of the most striking examples is the novel "Jane
Eyre", which was perceived as a manifesto of the struggle for women's rights.
This trend was continued and deepened in subsequent works, such as "Shirley"
and "The Town".
As G.K. Darvisheva noted in her article, “One of the controversial issues
raised in the novel is the position of women in society. The heroine of the novel
defends the idea that women should have equal rights with men” [2]. However,
Inda Miftah Awaliya expressed the opposite idea. He noted that “In Jane Eyre, a
woman is considered the second sex, under the dominance of men” [3]. But few
people can understand that it is in her works that Sh. Bronte shows the strong
character of the main characters who protest against accepted systems, that a
woman cannot always be “ideal”, but on the contrary can show her character, be
independent and self-sufficient in her decisions. For example, when Jane found
out that Rochester was married, she left without thinking, since his deception
does not suit her principles. Jane also did not tolerate injustice towards herself,
beatings or humiliation from her cousin John Reed and aunt Mrs. Reed, she was
not afraid to show her anger. She openly declared: "I am not an angry child, but
if I am treated unfairly, I will not remain silent!" [4, p. 17]. And all this was not
just hysteria or a protest against her guardians, but a fair protest against
injustice.
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List of References:
1.
Дарвишева Г.К. The importance of equality of women’s rights in the
works of Charlotte Bronte // Oriental Renaissance: Innovative, educational,
natural and social sciences, 2024. – Vol.4, № 1. – Р. 345-352.
2.
Шамина Н.В. Своеобразие реализации женской проблематики в
раннем творчестве Ш. Бронте // Филологические науки. Вопросы теории и
практики, 2019. – Том 12, выпуск 1. – С. 271-274.
3.
Шарлотта Бронте. Джейн Эйр. – Москва: Издательство АСТ, 2022. –
672 с.
4.
Awaliah Indah. GENDER ISSUES IN CHARLOTTE BRONTE’S JANE EYRE.
ETERNAL // English, Teaching, Learning and Research Journal, 2017. – Vol.3. –
P.107-117.
