“Mounted Aloft”: Feminist Themes Through Bird Symbolism in Jane Eyre

Jacey Anderson

doi:10.7273/000003757

Jane Eyre is often considered to be a hallmark of classic feminist literature, but many scholars overlook the influence of a profound cultural influence from the Victorian Era in relation to this topic. Birds were many things to Victorians: parlor ornaments, a symbol of conquest over nature, an emblem of the virtues that the ideal woman of this time was expected to display. This research explores the ways in which Charlotte Brontë communicates female empowerment within Jane Eyre, specifically through a reversal of the traditional dynamic between birds and Victorians. This book has always been a favorite of mine, and when I decided to analyze its exploration of feminist themes for this project I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it overlapped with another one of my interests: animals. I volunteered in a zoo during high school and spent a great deal of time working with birds, so it was fascinating for me to notice their influence in a book that impacted me greatly as a reader. To establish historical context, a brief explanation of the avian niche in Victorian society is provided utilizing several primary sources from the time period. This is followed by a literature review of peer-reviewed articles published after 2005, to provide insight into current scholarly discussion on Jane Eyre’s place in the feminist canon and Brontë’s use of symbolism. The majority of this work consists of an analytical close read, in which Brontë’s overt and oblique references to all things avian are examined and correlated to specific means of female empowerment. This research also focuses on the character of Bertha Mason, and the parallels that can be drawn between herself and the iconic bird of paradise that appears in the very beginning of the novel. This comparison highlights a key aspect of Brontë’s writing that is notoriously reminiscent of one of the feminist movement’s greatest sources of internal controversy: the lack of intersectionality in early campaigns for women’s rights that continue to influence modern day feminism. At this point, the work transitions into a contemporaneous comparison between Brontë’s writing and that of Maya Angelou, an acclaimed poet, writer and feminist active in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. A juxtaposition of their writings is deeply representative of the internal schism between the feminist movement as we know it today, despite their shared use of caged bird symbolism. This relationship is explored through a close read and brief analysis of one of Angelou’s most notable poems, “Caged Bird,” as well as her most well-known autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This project seeks to add to ongoing academic discussions over Jane Eyre’s approach to feminist ideology, as well as provide an original interpretation of one of the book’s subtler motifs that I believe has contributed to its longevity. The research also aims to use these conclusions to clarify and contextualize current debates within the mainstream feminist movement, and invite further discussion on these topics that are informed by the historical narrative. Sources used include peer-reviewed journal articles, recently published books with relevance to feminist discussions, primary sources such as newsletters, paintings and books from the mid-19th century, Jane Eyre itself, and the two Maya Angelou works mentioned above with particular relevance to this research. Explanatory footnotes are used throughout the paper to provide additional context and information on each source.

“Mounted Aloft”: Feminist Themes Through Bird Symbolism in Jane Eyre

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