The Thin Truth of Jane Eyre The role of a woman in Victorian England was unenviable. Social demands and personal desires were often in conflict. This predicament was nothing new in the 19th century, but it was around this time that the waters began to roil in anticipation of the cascading changes that would shake the very foundations of an empire on the brink of colonization and global industrialization. The question of what role women would play in this transformation came to the fore. Charlotte Brontë's coming-of-age novel, Jane Eyre, attempts to highlight many of the "women's question" issues facing this period and to strike a balance between a woman's social role and her need for personal freedom. Simply put, Jane Eyre's childhood and her transition to adulthood are characterized by two conflicting needs: one to love and be loved, and the other to be someone in her own right, a woman of success and integrity, with an outlet in the world. for his passions and energies. We are often reminded that Jane is a passionate woman - an often dangerous quality for the Victorian woman - and through her passion, Brontë conveys to us a message that, if it came by way of a sober treatise that calls for a reversal of the status quo , would scare us with his indignation, but appears softened by the outpouring of frustration from an unfortunate orphan trying to find her footing in life. The message, however, is clear to all who choose to recognize the truth delivered in his passion: it is vain to say that human beings should be content with tranquility: they must act; and they will make it if they can't find it... Women should be very calm g...... middle of paper...... novels, this is happy, yet the reader seems to take away something more of a simple feeling of romance: there is a sense of justice in Jane Eyre. We are drawn to Jane's insistent plea: "women feel just as men feel: they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their exertions, as much as their brothers..." Charlotte Brontë addressed various aspects of what came to be known as the "women's question" in Victorian England, but the longevity of Jane Eyre's appeal lies in her subtle truth and justice that "it is reckless to condemn [women] if they try to do more or learn more than conventional wisdom has dictated." necessary to their sex" (114). Works Cited Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1975. Gilbert, Sandra A and Susan Guber. The Madwoman in the Attic. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1979.