Jane Eyre

A detailed Summary of Jane Eyre

"He was motivated by an enormous fear of giving way or visibly failing to live up to his standards and responsibilities" (Mitchell 271). This quote refers to the attitude of gentlemen in the Victorian Era. During this time the greatest ambition that flooded the minds of most men and women was to be a member of high class. The dream of being part of the gentry clouded their thoughts and led to change in the upper class. For example, in the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the young character Pip dreams of being a gentleman, but it does not bring him as much happiness and fortune as he had hoped. The gentleman followed a simple code by being wealthy and polite. The upper class was made up of those who strove to be recognized as the most influential and prosperous people in society. In Dickens' novel, Pip's character reflects the desire and difficulty to live up to the expectations of a "gentleman" and struggle through class differences in the Victorian Era.

The need to be at the top of the class structure was a dominant priority especially for the average man. One reason that Pip wanted to be a gentleman was because he wanted the respect of Estella, who was beautiful, rich, and powerful. It was a widespread de

Gentlemen imitated each other instead of being individual. To become a gentleman, Pip merely had to follow the actions of other gentlemen such as Mr. Pocket and Jaggers. Since they looked down upon the poor, so did Pip. "The upper classes liked to ridicule or pity the poor for their lack of social graces" (Olsen 16). When Pip believed that he was to become a gentleman, he scorned Joe for his lack of intelligence. At Miss Havisham's when Joe uses Pip to relay what he has to say, Pip looks down upon him for not speaking for himself.

Gentlemen frequently were impacted by change. The class system had a variety of loopholes and twists that made it susceptible to change. Pip became a gentleman without formally being born in a prosperous family. "To the people in England, the predominant experience in their lives was change" (Swisher 11). Events during the time and throughout history have led to the shaping of class structure. The industrialization and urbanization led people to move into the cities, shifting the classes again. "The economic changes led to changes in the class system, breaking down the rigid class divisions and bringing greater freedom to move between classes" (Swisher 12). When there were more people moving into London, it was hard to enforce their social laws, so the class structure weakened.

Overall, the class of gentlemen relied on belittling the lower classes. The difference between the poor and rich was so vast that they struggled to understand each other (Thorold 83). Even though social mobility led to changes between classes, wealth commonly was incapable of fulfilling hopes. The poor aspired to become gentleman, while the gentleman grew into a well-defined culture. Longing a title and craving to be on top, the citizens of England lacked the true essence of life. They followed a code of conduct that was based upon traditions passed down from the wealthy before them. In the novel Great Expectations it became clear that living up to the expectations of a "gentleman" was not an easy task to accomplish. In fact, becoming a gentleman was such a vague and complicated goal that it was difficult to aspire to.

In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens tries to show that the higher classes are corrupt and since the poor do not know this, they continue to dream. The poor were not treated fairly, but within their own culture, they could thrive and enjoy life. "Charles Dickens, the foremost English realistic writer, spoke out on behalf of the poor" (Farah 638). Having "good fortune" was not always good for the poor, like Pip who was corrupted by his quest to be genteel. In Dickens' novel, he shows that the poor are capable of conducting themselves in the same good manner and morals of gentlemen, despite what was thought during this time. To assess his feelings for the poor, Biddy and Joe are examples of unwavering kindness that were found to represent the lower class.

Gentlemen looked down upon those who were not as well off as themselves. Associating with lower classes was looked down upon. Poor were not invited to upper class events. Biddy writes a letter to Pip and adds to it ... "I hope and do not doubt it will be agreeable to see [Joe] even though a gentleman, for you had ever a good heart, and he is a worthy worthy man" (Dickens 27). "There was one very important division: that between the 'gentleman' and the 'common people'." (Newlin 35). Since the poor were considered as inferior, they were thought to possess less knowledge on correct behavior. At Miss Havisham's Joe will not speak to her himself, but instead uses Pip to relay messages. "The upper classes liked to ridicule or pity the poor for their lack of social graces" (Olsen 16)

Some common words found in the essay are:
Biddy Joe, Joe Pip, Jaggers Dickens, Phantom Avenger, Charles Dickens, Victorian Era, Magwitch America, Jaggers Jaggers, Victorian Period, Joe Biddy, lower class, pip gentleman, class structure, becoming gentleman, upper class, miss havisham, gentleman pip, role gentleman, lower classes, victorian era, lack social graces, pity poor lack, poor lack social, social graces olsen, ridicule pity poor,

Approximate Word count = 2506
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English