Jane met Mr. Rochester, after long time of miserable life. Rochester wanted to marry Jane without telling her his mad wife’s story. When they prepare things for marriage, Rochester says he will put the diamond chain “round Jane neck, and circlet on her forehead, clasped the bracelet s on these fine wrists and load her finger s with rings”. He used visible jewelry to limit Jane invisibly. Jane felt that she is oppressed. She felt Rochester’s smile has “such a sultan might, bestow on a slave his gold and gems had enriched ”, and she, herself, just like the east allusion, was without freedom. Jane knows, facing Rochester, she is no longer as independent as before. Jane’s heart is always in a state of intense struggle. She willingly devotes herself to Rochester, but she still tries to grasp her own soul.
When the secret is discovered, Rochester hopes that Jane can go with her in the name of love. Jane is nearly shaken. After all, she keeps her individual soul. In Jane’s life, she never stops struggling against miserable life and misfortune. She hasn’t a noble position, an illustrious background, wealth or a beautiful appearance. The only proud thing for her is her self-respect, which is supported by her self-confidence and her staunch independence. She never expects that Rochester can love her because she thinks there is a big gap between them forever. When they fall in love, Jane has to keep her self-respect and independence in case of losing her self. What she can give to Rochester is only her love, her infatuation, her spiritual support and nothing else. However, what Rochester gives her is more than hers. He can also improve Jane Eyre’s social status and increase her wealth. This unequal exchange makes Jane Eyre uneasy. The situation makes her feel that they are not quite equal and her independence is also threatened. When Jane were aware that Rochester had a wife, and Rochester was trying to make her stay, she said, “I DO love you, more than ever: but I must not show or indulge the feeling: and this is the last time I must express it.” “No, sir, finish it now; I pity you—I do earnestly pity you.”” “Mr. Rochester, I no more assign this fate to you than I grasp at it for myself. We were born to strive and endure—you as well as I: do so. You will forget me before I forget you.” To maintain the equality of marriage, she refused to be Rochester’s lover, farewell to the rich life, a wandering life. Jane violated the traditional notions of women at the time, and emphasized equality between men and women. Jane didn’t keep silent, she expressed her feeling and protected her self-respect and value.
In the reading of Jane Eyre, there have been some examples of oppression and resistance. Audre Lorde touches on those examples by unintentionally comparing it to herself in modern day America. In the book, Jane is oppressed by the males in her life. From the beginning of her life, Jane was made submissive by people like Mr. Brocklehurst and John Reed as well. Apart from the fact that John Reed didn’t like Jane to be considered part of the family, he always belittled her and tried to insult her intelligence. Mr. Brocklehurst had once compared Jane to his son and said he was smarter because he memorized six Psalms. He basically told Jane that his son has greater capabilities than Jane due to his “intelligence”. Audre Lorde refers to how women in America struggle today; more specifically Black women. Women were pretty much invisible before the Women’s Movement and Black women had to fight even harder to become visible because of the barrier of racism. Jane Eyre was vulnerable as a person because she was a woman. Audre is vulnerable as a person because she is lesbian and near the death bed because of her breast tumor. Audre was vulnerable as a woman because she is black. Audre and Jane brought to light that women are constantly being judged. For Jane, it was simply because she was a female. But for Audre, being in a homophobic, racist and sexist country will make it much harder to break that barrier of invisibility.