Considerations of Female Non-Normativity in Jane Eyre

Abstract

In this essay, I plan on investigating and discussing non-normativity in Charlotte Brontë's novel Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel it is understood that through unconventional means Jane Eyre is able to complete the normative marriage plot of the story. However, the completion of the marriage plot of the novel could not be possible without the existence and demise of the character Bertha Mason. Bertha epitomizes the idea of non-normativity in Brontë's novel through the means of madness, her unfeminine characteristics, and the fact that she is not English, but a white Creole. Throughout the novel Jane finds herself in circumstances that no ordinary Victorian heroine would find themselves in. The circumstances include several forms of imprisonment, both physical and metaphorical, issues with identity, as well as reclaiming her independence. Along with these trials Jane goes through, a reader also understands that Jane's story is intertwined with Bertha's. Bertha is the dark counterpart of Jane and her story serves as a cautionary tale for Jane showing her what she may become if she falls completely into non-normativity. Through these circumstances a reader understands that even though the plot of Brontë's novel is normative, the means of completing it are not.