Jane Eyre - A figure of displacement and ambiguous independence.

Abstract

This essay focuses on Jane Eyre's experiences within various domestic spaces (Gateshead Hall, Lowood Institution, Thornfield Hall and Moor House) that inevitably contribute to the perpetuation of her marginalization. Instrumental to her marginalized state is the way in which the inhabitants of these households treated her. As such, her relationships with people in these communities affected her sense of belonging and had contributed to her displaced state, especially when she moved between the various residences for a total of seven times. Here, the domestic space serves to be an index of her emotional sense of belonging and also where her marginalization is mapped on. However, Jane also made use of these domestic spaces to resist marginalization by using it as an impetus to gain social and financial independence. The ill treatment and abuse that her oppressors inflicted upon her inculcated in her the need to be socially and financially independent to be free from all forms of oppression; for with that, she would be able to recreate her own home and reclaim her position in society – not as someone of a lower class but as a respected individual who is freed from the system where she is no longer a dependent.