Blog Post #4

The Brockle-hunter                             VERSUS                   "Never" Miss Temple 

IN THE OCTAGON

Brocklehurst depicted in the Kicking Position.
Miss Temple is seen waiting for her chance 

6. What does Mr. Brocklehurst’s analogy between the ill-prepared breakfast and the “sufferings of the primitive Christians…the torments of martyrs…the exhortations of our blessed Lord Himself” reveal about his character? How does this attitude contrast with that of Miss Temple to reveal the author’s social message?


Prior to Brocklehurst's dialogue, the internal narration of Jane Eyre reveals a standing dislike of Brocklehurst by Jane. Jane considers the man unpleasant and she's apprehensive by his immediate appearance. However, she becomes relieved after he begins speaking to Miss Temple. From his dialogue, the audience can infer he is not an empathetic man and, if anything, he is a Scrooge-esque character (A Christmas Carol was written 4 years prior to Jane Eyre). The analogy in question that's being analyzed is between a sub-par breakfast and tragedies of ancient Jewish people. After Miss Temple explains that she allowed "lunches" (an uncommon practice) to be made due to the unacceptable breakfasts, Brocklehurst expressed his anger. He stated that the discomfort of not eating/suffering through the meal could hold a light to the torments of the children's people. "A judicious instructor would take the opportunity of referring to the sufferings of the primitive Christians" (Brontë Ch. 7 Para. 21). Brocklehurst's analogy here reveals much about his character. In his head, he may see himself as something of a hero. He believes he is doing a great deed for these children by 'shaping' them into real adults of great character. This can be seen by the rigid fundamentalism that he invokes in his analogies and dialogue. Everything he says is philosophically stunted by being rooted, neither in reality nor in the faith that he is trying to spread. Brocklehurst states "You may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you starve their immortal souls!" (Brontë Ch. 7 Para. 21). Brilliantly written by Brontë if I do say so myself. She conveys a perspective of resentment and attempted spiritual 'saving.'

Miss Temple, on the other hand, seems to be a rational character from what can be inferred from just the passage. She allows the children extra clothing for specific situations and understands when food just isn't tolerable. The juxtaposition of these two characters, Brocklehurst and Temple, reveals the various different social messages that Brontë wishes to develop. There are two main lenses that I want to examine this chapter with, although more can be applied. The first that could be used is a Marxist lens. Although the concept "Marxism" really gained traction years after Jane Eyre was published, the term first arose during its writing and the idea was still applicable. The core idea is that there is a class struggle between that of the rich and that of the poor. This social message is revealed especially when examining the juxtaposition of the two characters. The attitude of Brocklehurst is seen as villainous ("rich") and Miss Temple is seen as saintly ("poor" or the common people). The same sort of concept of light versus dark (dichotomy) is used when using a feminist lens. One can consider Brocklehurst as being cruel to Miss Temple due to the fact that she is a woman. Considering the context of the mid-1800s, it is definitely not that uncommon. At the time, women were extremely oppressed by society. This feminist theme is a motif throughout the text and, even without reading the entire text, it can be seen how effective the text is on that social message. Jane Eyre was published in 1847. In 1848, the women's rights movement launched on a national level and, currently, Jane Eyre, is cited as a major novel for the women's rights movement. It was a powerful text with a powerful message that is still considered one of the greatest novels in 2018.

Until next time, I'm Connor LaRocca and this is Character Cage Combat. Also, Brocklehurst won because Miss Temple was a woman in 1847 and no woman won in 1847. Thanks everyone.