Jane Eyre

The Author Charlotte Bronte uses her novel Jane Eyre to criticize many of the contemporary social issues during the Victorian era. The experience of Bronte as child living in a boarding school served as the basis for the novels most vivid criticism. Charlotte Bronte uses Jane Eyre to demonstrate the Hypocrisy of Mr. Brockelhurst at Lowood to criticize the treatment of the lower class in Victorian society.

The basis of Lowood draws on the experiences of Bronte’s childhood and serves as a common reference when describing the organization of lower class education systems. Following Jane’s original enrollment at Lowood Bronte establishes the position of Mr. Brockelhurst as the solo provider at Lowood. However, she also revels his poor character to reader but outlines the conditions maintained at the school. The Hypocrisy of Mr. Brockelhurst is first expressed when he insistes that the girls eat at a starvation level diet so they do not become accustomed to luxury. This is in stark contrast Mr. Brockelhurst own situation as it is clear that he himself is leading a life of luxury and indulgence. The use of hypocrisy in this instance by Bronte serves to criticize both the church and the education system. Each instance was an area of conflict for the lower class during the Victorian era and Bronte’s clear objection to both demonstrates her active use of hypocrisy as a way of social criticism in her literary works.

Either popular support or tyrannical governments have often muffled the practice of social commentary but following the industrial revolution and the enlightenment thinkers it became far simpler for author to actively criticize social institutions. Following this period many new techniques where used to deliver an authors message. The use of hypocrisy by charlotte Bronte in Jane Eyre is a clear attempt at addressing the contemporary social problems that she and many of other English fell victim to during the rule