Institutionalized Religion and Ambivalence in Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre
Abdulla M. Dagamseh, Department of English Language and Literature, Yarmouk University, Irbid, Jordan
Abstract
In Charlotte Brontë’s novel, Jane Eyre, the protagonist, Jane Eyre, cannot avoid the trap of empire, which represents the British colonial domination in the 19th century. Through close reading of the text and using Postcolonial and Marxist theory, I claim that Jane Eyre develops an ambivalent attitude towards oppression. That is to say, she, at one point, is very critical of using religion to oppress her own people. On the other hand, she keeps silent when the same discourse of institutionalized religion is used to justify colonizing and oppressing other people and nations. This ambivalent attitude shows that the unquestioned ideology of British colonial domination contaminates and even handcuffs Jane Eyre. Thus, the mainstream ideology of the British empire shapes Jane Eyre and informs the novel, which seems to celebrate the prevailing Eurocentric attitudes in Britain back in the 19th century when people believed that Europe in general and Britain in particular had an obligation to “civilize” and “enlighten” the “less civilized” people and nations.
Keywords: Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, institutionalized religion, ambivalence, empire, colonialism