English writer anne bronte

Published: November 21, 2015 Words: 2387

As a woman writer in nineteenth-century England, Anne Bronte's set out to critique the patriarchal society and highlight the limitations it imposes on women's lives. Her literary works mark her as a prominent feminist writer with a distinct feminist overtone. Still, it is clear that Bronte's attack on the patriarchal doctrine is not as strident as that of some other nineteenth-century female writers. This does not come from shortcoming in Bronte's feminist version; rather, it is a manifestation of the realistic orientation of Bronte which is clear in her literary works. In comparison to other writers of similar genre like Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Shelley as well as the other Bronte sisters, who adopt a more blatant and harsh attitude towards the patriarchal norms of the day, it is evident that Bronte's style takes a more realistic stance. Bronte does show determinism and passion in criticizing the ills of society; however, she does not do it in the direct manner pertaining to the mentioned female writers. In other words, Bronte aspires to contribute to changing the stifling situation of women; however, instead of bluntly combating the dominant system, her mission was to create a strong bond between the two genders in which both can live peacefully.

Bronte's condemnation of the societal evil of patriarchy is basically conveyed through the depiction of her male and female characters. In terms of the female characters, Bronte fleshed out a variety of female protagonists who, to a certain extent, forge their way forward despite the challenges they face. Both Helen and Agnes appear to be capable of leading a dynamic and independent existence by living outside the limited frame of a domestic life. Bronte's female characters consider domestic life in a negative light and they persistently try to avoid it.

The frame of domesticity is the construction of the patriarchal society. Domestic life in its traditional connotations is characterized as an impediment to personal development of female potential. Therefore, it imposes various restrictions on women's search for self-empowerment, freedom and ambitions. Within this domestic atmosphere, women would never have the opportunity to express adequately their dreams and ambitions because of the preferences given to the male-dominating culture. For that reason, Bronte's protagonists are determined to attain social and economic independence, and realize that this is impossible in one simple domestic existence. Thus, they acquire a new sense of identity through which they fight the challenges they face.

Bronte shows female characters who face different kinds of challenges. These characters may suffer from an inappropriate, unsuccessful marriage, as in the case of Helen Huntingdon and Arthur. Helen is depicted as an extremely courageous woman who deals with arising difficulties with immense inner strength. The main challenge that she faces is associated with the behavior of her drunkard husband. Agnes also faces the challenge of leading a completely new way of life full of uncertainties after she decides to leave her family at a quite fragile age. Her dream of becoming a governess is realized, but she soon finds out that she needs to work under difficult conditions dominated by the lack of respect toward her personality.

Bronte furthers her rebuke of the male society by depicting male characters who embody the tyranny and violence characterizing the typical masculine mentality. In The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Arthur is a callous husband who deprives Helen of her possession, her talent, and thus her identity as a woman. He remains in the minds of the reader as a man known for his abuse of Helen and his insensitivity to her feelings. Gilbert is not much different from Arthur. He shares Arthur's sense of possessiveness, violence, and patriarchal way of thinking. Similarly, Mr. Bloomfield, in Agnes Grey, contributes to the heroine's dilemma through his brutality and lack of understanding. These male characters give Bronte an ample space to critique the patriarchal principles that gives women limited opportunities to establish their freedom. As Carol Senf explains, through the interaction between those male and female characters, Bronte shows how the "nineteenth-century notions of marriage consigned women to silence" (450).

However, it remains evident that Bronte's texts do not contain the strong agenda and the feminist politics found in other revolutionary feminists texts. Instead, Bronte favors an approach that relies on compromise and mutual benefit of both parties. As Rachel Carnell observes, "Bronte ultimately sought wholeness and integration between the sexes through an eighteenth-century ideal of the public good in which most women might participate indirectly as instructors and nurturers of their husbands and sons" (20). Bronte perceives women realistically and believes in their potential of being both instructors and nurturers. The combination of instructing and nurturing aspects in women's behavior is an inseparable part of making compromise within the marriage. In this way, females acquire particular freedom to express their individuality through instructing. Likewise, it is crucial that women fulfill their traditional role of nurturing because this role mostly pertains to nature and is more favorable in society. These are major roles prescribed to females, and Bronte is categorical that reinforcing the two roles can bring balance within the marriage.

This peculiar approach of Anne has drawn less attention to her as a feminist writer than her sisters and has lead many critics to criticize her works on different grounds. Compared to her sisters, Anne Bronte's literary works have received much criticism for a lack of complexity. According to Julie Nash and Barbara Suess, this peculiar aspect of Bronte resulted in her literature being in the shade until it was brought to the light quite recently (ix). Bronte has also been criticized for the "extravagant over-coloring in those very parts that were carefully copied from the life" (Bronte, Tenant 15). In a rejoinder, Bronte firmly and categorically defended her position declaring that the so-called distasteful subjects in her novel existed in reality, which contributes to giving a true representation of the current state of affairs within the society. That is actually why she prefers to "depict (her characters) as they really are than as they would wish to appear" (Bronte, Tenant 15).

It is this difference in approach between Anne's feminism and that of her sisters that resulted in the fact that her works remained in the shade. As Alisa Clapp argues, "unlike many writers in history, Anne Bronte has had the misfortune not to be unknown by literary critics but to be ignored" and that "even scholarship devoted to "the Bronte sisters" often fails to include the work of the youngest" (113). In comparison to Anne, both Charlotte and Emily entered into the field of writing defying patriarchal dominance in society and the literary field more strongly. They did not rely on the implementation of balance or compromise in their writing; on the contrary, Anne's sisters openly and categorically initiated various discussions on actual political, social, and cultural issues.

On the other hand, Anne adopted a more balanced view of depicting certain matters of her surrounding reality. For example, Anne's novels do not exhibit the politics and issues found in Charlotte's Jane Eyre and Bronte's Wuthering Heights. Through intricately interwoven psychological drama that Anne's works lack, Charlotte and Emily address issues that have not been addressed directly by Anne. These issues include the plight of the woman writer, women's madness, and women's sexuality, to name a few. The context of Jane Eyre definitely allows for exploring complex political, social, and personal issues in the Victorian era. Charlotte describes the story of a quest to be loved, as the female protagonist seeks both love and appreciation in society. In addition, Jane struggles to find the appropriate balance between moral duty and pleasure. Jane Eyre is also rather critical of Victorian England's social hierarchy.

By engaging in such detailed exploration of complex topics, Anne's sisters succeeded in capturing the reading audience's attention and claiming a solid view on the psychological force, which is important throughout the development of female characters. In addition, the two Brontes weave remarkable psychological profiles for their heroine, which is barely found in Anne's literature. Such psychological profiles definitely emerged with complexity and mysteriousness. Both Charlotte and Emily depict characters that are impressive with their psychological strength and complexities. For instance, the characters Jane from Jane Eyre and Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights demonstrate ambiguous class standing and extensive social tension. Anne was not occupied by depicting female characters in deep psychological contours, and that is why her works were inadequately appreciated.

Evidently, Anne's feminist stance is different from that of her two sisters. Even the kind of empowerment Bronte endows her female heroines with is only represented in the talents and skills which they celebrate. It seems that Bronte's implied message here is that women can achieve self-realization by relying on their own feminine attributes, not necessarily by revolution against the system. However, the tools the heroines are equipped with do not help them in combating the patriarchal repression. Although Helen takes a daring step by deserting her husband to fulfill her artistic aspirations, and although Agnes strives to create a living by her own efforts, both heroines ultimately surrender to the major patriarchal institution represented in marriage.

This brings forth a significant feature of Bronte's novels, which is the final destiny of her heroines represented in their marriage at the end. It is true that this aspect is shared with some other women writers including the other Brontes; however, it remains as an issue that helps further understanding the status of Bronte as a feminist writer. The marriages that take place at the end of each novel perpetuate the basic principles underlying the male-dominated society. Even in her condemnation of the male hegemony, Bronte seems to be promoting the same system that she aims to critique. This trend shows that insofar as Bronte's writings were an attempt to voice women's concerns, gendered socialization was clear in her texts. In the end, the very platform that was intended to highlight the plight of the woman succumbs to notions of male authoritarianism.

Within this context, Bronte's writing may be seen to serve the paradoxical purpose of both denouncing and promoting the patriarchal ideology. Her novels provide both a platform upon which she lambasts the oppressiveness of male hegemony, while ultimately conforming to it by ending the novel with the marriage of the female characters; in other words, the entrance into the very institution, which inhibits women's emancipation. Such contradiction demonstrates the difficulty in Bronte's situation as a woman writer, which although empowering as giving her the opportunity to voice her rejection of make hegemony, was a complex task, considering how embedded the patriarchal ideology was in her mind.

One may read these endings with view at Bronte's feminist stance and what Carnell terms as her "nostalgic vision of domestic harmony" (23). Bronte seems to propose the suggestion that emancipation of women does not necessarily mean that men and women cannot enjoy mutually respectful associations; instead, both can live together respecting one another's rights and freedom. This atmosphere of mutual respect is implied in Gilbert's letter to Halford at the end. His mentioning of Halford and Rose's impending visit, stressing the "invigorating relaxation and social retirement with us" (Bronte, Tenant 471) gives a clear indication of the difference between Helen's previous life with Arthur and her current life with Gilbert where she is no longer the oppressed wife functioning as a host for her husband's rowdy friends.

Bronte here is delivering the message that patriarchy is neither a divine law nor a natural phenomenon, and that men are not hegemonic by nature, but because of cultural constructions that instructs them to be so. Bronte's argument suggests that a marriage based on mutual respect is not only possible, but also required. This respect is required for better functioning of the marriage as it obliterates any possibility for marriage constituting an institution for oppressing women. Bronte's emphasis on the importance of this healthy atmosphere is articulated by Helen in her conversation with her son regarding marriage as she says: "Then you must fall each into your proper place. You'll do your business, and she, if she's worthy of you, will do hers" (Bronte, Tenant 53). Helen even goes on to mention her husband as "he was steady and punctual, seldom found fault without a reason, always did justice to my good dinners, and hardly ever spoiled my cookery by delay" (Bronte, Tenant 53).

Accordingly, while Bronte may be appropriately criticized on some grounds, she cannot be accused of failing to address the plight of women in a repressive patriarchal society. That is why her novels still serve the purpose of denouncing male domination of women in Victorian society though some critics have been appalled by her realism stating that "as a realist, Anne had the knack of being faithful in little things" (Harrison 243). Still, this realistic depiction of characters and situations expresses the true embodiment of a feminist spirit. Bronte's realistic style was evidently suitable in addressing the oppression of women, as the absence of such a style in female literature was an illustration of such domination. Comparing her perspective on patriarchy with that of other women during her time, she appears to be more realistic in her feminist discourse avoiding the complex portrayal of characters and events that may disturb the reader. This disturbance may come from psychological complexity that would probably lead to confusion and misunderstanding among the reading audience. Avoiding this disturbance may be the reason why a critic like Marion Shaw would describe Bronte as "A Quiet Feminist."

Put more clearly, Bronte remains as a prominent realistic feminist. She undertakes her feminist mission recognizing the impossibility of the complete eradication of the crippling circumstances inhibiting women's self-actualization within the patriarchal society. Bronte herself declared; "Let it not be imagined, however, that I consider myself competent to reform the errors and abuses of society, but only that I would fain contribute my humble quota towards so good an aim" (Bronte, Tenant 15). It is this recognition of reality that distinguishes Bronte's works. After all, her realism was a more firm adherence to women's issue than the case with some feminists striving to create ideal characters who may take revolutionary actions, which are impossible to take, not only in the Victorian patriarchal society, but also in the most developed and highly liberal societies in the twenty-first century.