RemovingtheGossameroftheMadWomanAReviewoftheFunctionsoftheMadWomaninJaneEyre-2019年

1、Removing the Gossamer of the Mad WomanA Review of the Functions of the Mad Woman in Jane Eyre【】 Jane, the heroine in the novel Jane Eyre, has become a symbol of independence, bravery and ration. But another woman-Bertha Mason has always been ignored. With the study of the mad woman, there appear qui

2、te different understandings of the functions of the mad woman. This essay tries to assemble the different understandings together in order to help readers get a comprehensive view of the mad woman.1. IntroductionBertha Mason, a character in the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, has always been ig

3、nored and regarded only as a supporting part that “makes the plot turn and twist ” （李 21）. She has appeared secretly and indirectly for merely six times. Her first appearance in the novel begins with a curious laughter, which much frightens the newcomer Jane Eyre in Chapter 11. Her last appearance i

4、n Chapter 36 is her death with the collapse of Thornfield. Readers are often disgusted with the womana nd even rejoice at her death. However, since the two American womenprofessors “liberated her from the attic” （ 李 21）,people have gradually realized that she has profound meanings.2. The Mad Woman i

5、s to Add Gothic AtmosphereEver since its publication, Jane Eyre has appealed to the public. If we put aside the great social effects and practical influence, we will find another attraction of the novel is the gothic atmosphere as well as the complicated plots. In Jane Eyre, there are many plots tha

6、t always hold readers in suspense and anxiety: the red house, the strange dreams, the illusions, many coincidences and the mad woman. Among the above, Bertha the mad woman has attributed most to the mystery and readability of the novel. With her horrible laughter, stealthy actions and mysterious rol

7、e, she leads readers into an uneasy mood and gets readers more eager to finish the novel. It is said that Charlotte is much influenced by the Gothic novels in the neoclassical period. So it is likely that Charlotte puts this image in the novel for the sake of creating a kind of Gothic atmosphere.3.

8、The Mad Woman is Another JaneHowever, in the 1970s two American feminists Sandra Gilbert and Susan Gubar opened for us a new window to see the mad woman. They announced their discovery that women writers in the Victorian period attack the patriarchy by molding a negative character through whomt heir

9、 own secret desires are expressed. Charlotte Bronte is no exception. If we cast a glance at the social environment in the Victorian period and Charlotte s character, we will find some significance in their discovery.In the Victorian time, a good womans hould be obedient daughters and good wives. Gro

10、wing up under the environment, Charlotte, who though has sagacious eyesight and brain than the contemporary female, still consciously or unconsciously, restrains herself in words and actions. Charlotte is the daughter of an Irishman from whom she inherits the Celtic nature fair -minded, somber, radi

11、cal and perverse.But it is not all. She is quiet and shy but holding radical political views; her works are full of romance and passion but her life is lifeless; she is wordless whereas she can sharply comment upon the current events.Bearing the above ideas in mind, it is not difficult to see that C

12、harlotte bestows her double characters on Jane and Bertha respectively. If we look deeply into the novel, we could find that Bertha, rather than a menace to Jane, is actually seducing Jane and helping her win her love. so we cannot deny that the mad womani s another Jane, the angry Jane who takes ac

13、tions for Jane.4. The Mad Womanis to Attack the Man-dominated Society Some specialists would not agree with the two points mentioned above. They argue that“the mad woman is usedto attack the man- dominated society ”（ 葛 44）.A careful reader would not forget the painful shrill, the helpless laughter a

14、nd the horrible image of Bertha Mason. Bertha is unfortunate. She is a victim of an unfortunate marriage, and also a victim of the society. For the sake of money, Rochester gets married with Bertha. Four years after their marriage, Bertha becomes mad and Rochester s indifference aggravates it. Inste

15、ad of taking care of his mad wife, Rochester confines her in the dark attic.In Bertha s endless dark days, the flame of the hatred bursts into ghostly horrible laughter. When she is conscious, she tries to revenge. In the end, Bertha sets a fire and turns Thornfield and herself to ashes. She release

16、s herself from Thornfield, and“releases herselffrom the authority of family and husband”（ 葛 45）.Bertha actually stands for most of the women in the Victorian period. In those days, womena re inferior to men. Charlotte knows well about it. As a Victorian womanw riter, however, she is still fettered t

17、o social rules and dare not show her standpoint in a direct way. Thus, in the novel Jane Eyre, she makes the mad woman a hidden atom and Jane, an obvious one, together attack the man-centered society.5. The Mad Woman is a Distorted Figure in Real LifeBesides the analyses above, there is another idea

18、 which is welcomed by a great number of readers. Itsays that thenovel Jane Eyre is an autobiography. Janes model isCharlotte; Mr. Rochester has many things in commonw ith Mr. Heger, Charlotte s teacher and later（下转第 9页）（ 上接第8页）her student ; so, who is the prototype of the mad woman?Madam Gaskell, as

19、 a good friend of Charlotte, writes a biography for her and provides us with the first-hand sources. The biography records a period of Charlotteslife of study in Brussels. She falls in love with her teacher, Mr. Heger, who has married twice. In the Victorian time, “it is shameful to fall in love wit

20、h a man who has already got married ” （陈 40）. It has caused some disputes. Even Mrs. Heger turns to be very cold to Charlotte and their daughter shows a kind of hostility to her. Charlotte is quite depressed and desperate, so she tries to relieve her pain in the novel Jane Eyre. She describes Mrs. H

21、eger as a disgusting mad woman and sentences her to death, while Jane (Charlotte herself) wins her love and lives happily with her lover. Several decades later, four love letters from Charlotte to Heger are published, and this is the best answer to the questinon: who is the prototype of the mad woman?6. ConclusionAll in all, the study of the image the