Characterization: Blanche Ingram (pt.2)

"'No,' I heard her say: 'She [Jane] looks too stupid for any game of the sort'"(185).

This second quote occurs a couple weeks after Blanche first states her opinion of governesses to Mr. Rochester. Miss Ingram says this to Mr. Rochester after proposing to invite Jane to play in the tableaux game Mr. Rochester and his rich friends were going to play. She still loudly proclaims her dislike for Jane, if not in a more obvious way this time. Her haughty words are evident of her prejudices against the poor and especially Jane. Her character is described my Mr. Rochester as being similar to a robot, emotionless, and only motivated by money and status. This is ironic because her character is not only flat to readers, but to other characters in the novel.

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to my blog! While reading Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, something that especially stood out to me was the role that social classes played in the interaction between the characters. The main character, Jane Eyre, belongs to arguably one of the lowest social classes in Britain, at the time: when she was little, she was an orphan, poor and a woman. Her social role remains the same for most of the novel, and as a servant for the rich bachelor Mr. Rochester, she encounters many people who are above her socially. These interactions between her and the rich form the basis of the social critique that takes place in the novel. This blog will be exploring these interactions and how they show the theme of social conflict and the characterization of flat and round characters. This blog will also be analyzing how allusions and diction show these social discrepancies, and will also include a few interactions connect to the 'real world'.  

Characterization: Blanche Ingram

"You should hear mama on the chapter of governesses: Mary and I have had, I should think, a dozen at least in our day; half of them detestable and the rest ridiculous, and all incubi - were they not, mama?"(179).

The character of Blanche Ingram is flat because some of the most notable qualities about her is her disdain for those below her and her haughtiness. This quote is Blanche Ingram speaking to Mr. Rochester on the topic of governesses, and how it would be financially responsible to send Adèle to school, rather than have a governess. Blanche believes that because all governesses during her childhood were supposedly less than moral or unlikable, all will be. While Blanche is saying this to Mr. Rochester, Jane is sitting within hearing range of the couple, however, it doesn't stop Blanche from saying it anyways. Her haughtiness associated with her class is something taught to her by her mother, shown by her asking her mother for confirmation of her beliefs. Another notable fact is that of a dozen governesses that Blanche and Mary had as children, none were remotely likable. Her mother's agreement with Blanche about governesses being horrible shows that this prejudice exists between the two, and possibly Mary.

Theme: Social Conflict

"'Leah is a nice girl to be sure, and John and his wife are very decent people; but then you see they are only servants, and one can't converse with them on terms of equality: one must keep them at due distance, for fear of losing one's authority'"(98).

Social differences among different social classes is a theme that is very prevalent in Jane Eyre. This quote is Mrs. Fairfax, the housekeeper of Thornfield Hall, speaking to Jane about the social differences between the residents of the hall. Mrs. Fairfax is describing her social class, relative to the other servants, and her feeling as though she is unable to talk to them because she is not on the same level socially as they are. Instead of finding company with the other servants, she instead wallows in her loneliness in fear of losing the ability to continue to manage her servants. Initially, Jane believes that Mrs. Fairfax is the owner of Thornfield Hall, and therefore her beliefs believable and understandable; however, Jane soon discovers that Mrs. Fairfax is not the owner, and in fact the manager of the household, making her only slightly above the other servants. Her placing such great importance on the social level of her fellow servants and refusing to speak to them jovially demonstrates the significance social class plays in Mrs. Fairfax's mind.