WOMEN’S EMANCIPATION THROUGH MARRIAGE, EDUCATION, AND ECONOMIC INDEPENDENCE IN “JANE EYRE” BY CHARLOTTE BRONTE
Keywords:
female emancipation, Jane Eyre, marriage, education, governess, economic independence, Victorian woman, self-respect, female voice, Charlotte BrontëAbstract
This thesis examines Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre” as a novel of female emancipation in which marriage, education, and economic self-support become central paths toward a woman’s dignity. The study focuses on Jane’s gradual movement from dependence to self-respect. Special attention is given to her childhood at Gateshead, her moral and intellectual training at Lowood, her work as a governess, her refusal of unequal marriage, and her final choice to marry Rochester only after gaining personal and material independence. The analysis shows that Brontë does not present freedom as rebellion without limits. Instead, freedom is connected with self-discipline, moral judgment, work, and the right to speak in one’s own voice. The thesis also argues that the novel criticizes the Victorian belief that a woman’s value depends only on marriage or social status. As a result, “Jane Eyre” can be read not only as a love story, but also as a narrative of female selfhood, education, and economic awakening.
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