Dipten Zirveye: Brontë’nin Jane Eyre Romanında Sınıf Ve Toplumsal Cinsiyet Mücadelesi

Yıl 2017, Sayı: 37, 146 - 153, 01.02.2017

Nilay Erdem Ayyıldız

Öz

Britanya tarihinde on dokuzuncu yüzyıl olan Viktorya Çağı, Britanya siyaseti, ekonomisi ve kültüründe birçok değişime yol açan endüstri devrimi dönemidir. Sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet bu dönemde çoğunlukla ön plandadır. Bu sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyete dayalı kültürel normlardan erkeklere nazaran kadınlar daha çok çekmiştir. Charlotte Brontë’nin Jane Eyre romanı, çocukluğundan yetişkinliğine kadar sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet baskılarına karşı mücadele eden başlık karakteri etrafında döner. Başkahraman dişi bir yetim olarak çifte dezavantajla Viktorya toplumunda dünyaya gelmiştir. Fakat, kendisi, Viktorya döneminin “Evdeki Melek” kavramına uymaz. Bu türde bir karakter yaratırken, Brontë, roman boyunca baş kahramanı ve diğer dişi karakterler arasında zıtlık kurar. Jane’nin Gateshead’deki kuzenleri Eliza ve Georgiana ve halası Bayan Reed; Lowood’daki Bayan Temple ve Helen; Thornfield’daki Adele ve Blanche Ingram; Marsh End’deki kuzenleri Mary ve Diana, Viktorya döneminin ‘kadın’ kavramını temsil etmektedir. Ayrıca, Jane, gittiği yerlerin her birinde, ister orta sınıf olsun isterse üst sınıf, ataerkilliği temsil eden bir erkekle karşılaşır. Gateshead’deki kuzeni John Reed, Lowood’daki Bay Brocklehurst, Thornfield’daki Bay Rochester ve Marsh End’deki Bay Rivers, hepsi, ataerkilliği temsil etmektedir. Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Marsh End’den Ferndean’a olan yolculuğunda, Jane, döneminin tabiatına karşı çıkar. Sınıflar ve erdemler arasında yanlış bir ilişkilendirme olduğunu fark eder. En sonunda, dipten zirveye tırmanıp, Ferndean’da sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet sınırlarını aşmayı başarmış olur. Böylece, bu çalışmanın amacı dönemin sınıf ve toplumsal cinsiyet kavramlarını göz önüne alarak Jane Eyre’in romandaki Viktoryan modellere zıt olarak ilerleyişini incelemektir

Anahtar Kelimeler

the Victorian period, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, class, gender

From The Bottom To The Top: Class And Gender Struggle In Brontë’s Jane Eyre

Öz

The Victorian era, which refers to the nineteenth century in the British history, was the period of industrial revolution, which gave birth to many changes in the British politics, economy and culture. It was in this period of time that class and gender were mostly on the foreground. And it was the women who suffered more than men from these class and gender-based cultural norms. Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre revolves around the title character’s struggle against class and gender oppressions as an orphan from her childhood till her adulthood. The protagonist is born into the Victorian society with double disadvantages as a female orphan. However, she does not fit into the Victorian concept of “the Angel in the House”. While creating this kind of character, Brontë draws contrast between her protagonist and the other female characters throughout the novel. Jane’s cousins Eliza and Georgiana and her aunt Mrs. Reed at Gateshead; Miss Temple and Helen at Lowood; Adele and Blanche Ingram at Thornfield; her cousins Mary and Diana at Marsh End represent the Victorian concept of “woman”. Also, at each of her stations, let it be from either middle class or upper class, Jane encounters a man, who represents patriarchy. Her cousin John Reed at Gateshead, Mr. Brocklehurst at Lowood, Mr. Rochester at Thornfield, and Mr. Rivers at Marsh End all represent patriarchy. In her journey from Gateshead, Lowood, Thornfield, Marsh End to Ferndean, Jane goes against the grains of her period. She discerns that there is a false association between classes and virtues. She achieves getting over the class and gender boundaries in the end at Ferndean by climbing the ladder from bottom to the top. Thus, the aim of the study is to examine Jane Eyre’s progress in contrast to the Victorian models in the novel by taking into consideration the period’s concepts of class and gender

Anahtar Kelimeler

the Victorian period, Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, class, gender

Kaynakça

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