Jane Eyre :: Literature Books Papers

Jane Eyre Social class distinction is very evident in Victorian England. This distinction is found not only in society, but also within the Anglican Church and its clergy. In Jane Eyre we are introduced to three Anglican ministers who represent different social classes. They are Jane Eyre’s father; the Reverend Brocklehurst, the administrator of Lowood Institution; and Reverend St. John Rivers, the curate of a small country parish at Morton and owner of Moor House. Comparing the way these clergyman are viewed by society establishes the adherence to the same social class structure within the church as is evident outside the church. Contrasting clergy from the same religious sect shows that class status was also reflected in some methods of practicing the Anglican faith. The first clergyman introduced in the novel is Jane’s father. We learn of him as Jane does, through a third person. Jane hears a servant, Miss Abbott, discussing Jane’s lineage with another servant, Bessie. Jane hears Miss Abbott say about her father: " My father had been a poor clergyman, my mother had married him against the wishes of her friends, who considered the match beneath her; my grandfather Reed was so irritated at her disobedience he cut her off without a shilling" (37; ch. 3). Young girls, especially of the upper class, were supposed to follow their parent’s wishes in regards to whom they should marry. In choosing a clergyman from a lower social class, Mrs. Eyre sacrifices her social standing as well as her family’s care and support. The fact that Jane’s mother was banished for her marriage reflects the disdain felt by the upper class for marrying beneath their class. Jane knows from her treatment by the Reeds that she is a poor relation. John Reed emphasizes this when he tells Jane "You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live hear with gentleman’s children like us" (23; ch. 1). The fact that Jane’s father left her no inheritance was a reflection of his position as a clergyman. Indeed if her parents had lived she still would have been poor. In Alan Haig's The Victorian Church, we learn of the wages paid to the clergy. The text states that "The income earned by the clergy are so scanty as to likely to straiten a married man " (qtd. Jane Eyre :: Literature Books Papers Jane Eyre Social class distinction is very evident in Victorian England. This distinction is found not only in society, but also within the Anglican Church and its clergy. In Jane Eyre we are introduced to three Anglican ministers who represent different social classes. They are Jane Eyre’s father; the Reverend Brocklehurst, the administrator of Lowood Institution; and Reverend St. John Rivers, the curate of a small country parish at Morton and owner of Moor House. Comparing the way these clergyman are viewed by society establishes the adherence to the same social class structure within the church as is evident outside the church. Contrasting clergy from the same religious sect shows that class status was also reflected in some methods of practicing the Anglican faith. The first clergyman introduced in the novel is Jane’s father. We learn of him as Jane does, through a third person. Jane hears a servant, Miss Abbott, discussing Jane’s lineage with another servant, Bessie. Jane hears Miss Abbott say about her father: " My father had been a poor clergyman, my mother had married him against the wishes of her friends, who considered the match beneath her; my grandfather Reed was so irritated at her disobedience he cut her off without a shilling" (37; ch. 3). Young girls, especially of the upper class, were supposed to follow their parent’s wishes in regards to whom they should marry. In choosing a clergyman from a lower social class, Mrs. Eyre sacrifices her social standing as well as her family’s care and support. The fact that Jane’s mother was banished for her marriage reflects the disdain felt by the upper class for marrying beneath their class. Jane knows from her treatment by the Reeds that she is a poor relation. John Reed emphasizes this when he tells Jane "You have no business to take our books; you are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not live hear with gentleman’s children like us" (23; ch. 1). The fact that Jane’s father left her no inheritance was a reflection of his position as a clergyman. Indeed if her parents had lived she still would have been poor. In Alan Haig's The Victorian Church, we learn of the wages paid to the clergy. The text states that "The income earned by the clergy are so scanty as to likely to straiten a married man " (qtd.