Analysis of Jane Eyre from the Postcolonial Perspective

Bingjie Fu; Chengyao Jian

doi:10.54097/am73zy19

Authors

Bingjie Fu
Chengyao Jian

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/am73zy19

Keywords:

Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Postcolonial Theory

Abstract

In this paper, the author conducts a comprehensive exploration of Jane Eyre from the postcolonial perspective. Certain characters are viewed as postcolonial archetypes for analysis: Jane Eyre as a marginalized figure due to her orphan status and mistreatment; Bertha Mason as a colonial woman with dual oppression because of her Creole identity; Mr. Rochester reflecting the era’s power dynamics and racial hierarchies; St. John Rivers embodying the colonizer with his missionary zeal and authoritarian behavior. The research also explores key postcolonial themes underlying the text: racial hierarchies and othering, exposing how these lead to dehumanization; imperial influence on social structures, critiquing how it shaped 19th-century British society; and cultural hegemony and identity formation, showing how it pervades Victorian society and affects Jane Eyre’s journey towards self-identity. This analysis helps understand literature’s reflection of its social and historical context, especially regarding imperial influence and cultural hegemony.

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References

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