In the first 12 chapter of Jane Eyre, we observed the oppression Jane experienced. There is not only physical oppression，such as abuse in Mrs. Reed’s house and harsh environment in lowood，but mental oppression. A vague future is the worst oppression. In that society, few opportunity and choice are available for women. For most women, they had to be tied in households. Meanwhile, Jane desired liberty and the only choice for her was becoming a governor. Even though Jane remained silence when she experienced physical oppression, Jane transformed her silence into action and language when she faced the crucial decision in her life. As Lorde wrote in her article, “you’re never really a whole person if you remain silence, because there’s always that one little piece inside you that wants to be spoken out, and if you keep ignoring it, it gets madder and madder and hotter and hotter, and if you don t speak it out one day it will just up and punch you in the mouth from the inside.” For example, when Mr. Lloyd visited Jane after she returned from the red-room, Jane indeed declared that she didn’t want to live with her poor relatives even though they might treat her nice. She wanted to go to school since that’s the only way to pursue liberty. Also, Jane has become a teacher in lowood for two years. After Miss Temple left the lowood, the sense of settlement also disappeared. Jane soon realized that “she was tired of the routine of eight years” and decided to find another job. It’s clear that Jane understood what kind of life she desired and she will never remain silence when her life is diverging from the desired path.

Xiaoyan