Jane Eyre: Victorian Women’s Madness Maze

Abstract

Madness has always been a difficult concept to define as different sorts of behaviors have been considered madness in different times as well as different geographical, social and cultural contexts. In other words, the concept of mental illness is socially constructed. Madness is one of the main themes in Jane Eyre and appears throughout the novel. One character commits suicide, two characters go mad and Jane has her moments of madness. Jane’s madness, however, is closely related to the social context of the novel. Hence this study of Charlotte Brönte’s autobiographical novel aims to shed light on how mental illness as a social construct inappropriately and unjustly were applied to the protagonist of the novel by patriarchal familial, institutional, ideological and marital forces as a means of social control. This study provides proof that Jane’s sanity and chastity was measured based on her conformity to the Victorian norms and her deviation from social norms was considered as insanity. The significance of this study lies chiefly on its comprehensive analysis of the protagonist’s personality development throughout her Bildungsroman. This study is based on close reading of the novel which provides readers clear evidence of how social forces make Jane consciously suppress her feelings or unconsciously conform to the norms that she once abhorred which, consequently, results in her mental problems.