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Racial Stereotypes In Charlotte Bronte's Bertha Mason

502 Words3 Pages

The author’s ethnocentric perspective represents in the character of Bertha Mason. A sense of racial stereotyping emerges, however, Bronte’s use of subtle language effects difficulty in describing this perpetuation of racism. The strong imagery of animalistic behavior conveys the significance of the racial representations of Bertha. Jane’s narrative of her encounters with Bertha have the effect of portraying Bertha as less than human. Additionally, pairing words denoting dark or black with descriptive adjectives such as savage and fearful create the perception of Bertha as being an inferior being:

“It was a discoloured face—it was a savage face. I wish I could forget the roll of the red eyes and the fearful blackened inflation of the lineaments!”… …show more content…

Jane is a composed, modest English girl who is small and pale, contrastingly, Bertha is tall, dark, intemperate, and unchaste. (page ) The representation of Bertha Mason reinforced the fear of racial difference and of women that didn’t fit the cultural British norm. In another sense, Bronte’s use of race is also an allegory for 19th century inequality of class and gender - women’s dependence on men. In a subtler form of racism, Bronte uses Dionysius for the Irish family name. As Dionysius is the Greek god of wine, this intimates that the Irish are drunkards. Additionally, Adele and her mother are presented as shallow and materialistic because they are French, however, the English rescue Adele: ‘a sound English education corrected in a great measure her French defects.’ (Bronte, 479) In Victorian society, subtle racism and sexism in popular discourse served as safeguards for the psychological solace of the upper class when it felt uncomfortable with the proximity of the lower classes. With Jane Eyre, Bronte represents 19th century society’s fear of racial differences and the culture of imperialism which also buttressed these trepidations. Thusly, her contemporary readers viewed imperialism and its representations as positive for England. Consequently, the employment of race in Jane Eyre highlights the struggles to overcome gender and class inequalities in the 19th

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