In 19th century England, being a governess was one of the few occupations considered suitable for an unmarried middle-class woman. It was typical and socially acceptable for single middle-class women to become governesses in order to support themselves and families, and to maintain their social status. As a governess, a woman was obligated to fulfil certain roles and expectations. Some of the roles of a governess were well-defined while some were more difficult to precisely define. Nevertheless, the occupation of a governess can be very challenging. In the novel Jane Eyre ,Charlotte Bronte tries to capture the life of a Victorian governess named Jane Eyre. The character Jane Eyre may not reflect a typical Victorian governess entirely, but her experiences provide valuable insight into the life of a governess, including the joys and hardships involved in such an occupation.
The importance of being a governess is conveyed in the comment, “If they have no husbands to toil for them, they must win food for themselves. They found, if they would not sink in the scale, they must work with their heads, and not with their hands (qtd. in Fraser’s Magazine 569).” This comment not only expresses the economic necessity in holding a governess position, but also the social necessity to do so. In other words, it was necessary to obtain a governess position if a middle-class woman wants to maintain her membership within the gentry. The phrase,”Teach us on our own terms, or work, and cease to be gentlewomen (qtd. in Fraser’s Magazine 569),” further conveys this requirement which many middle-class women strove to fulfill. Therefore, if middle-class women worked in other occupations instead of working as a governess, they would consequently, be looked down upon and lose their membership in the gentry.
As a governess, there were certain roles that shewas expected to follow. Some of which were well-defined whereas some were poorly defined and vague. Her most important duty as a governess was to educate the children. She must be able to educate her pupils in academic areas such as geography, foreign languages, music, drawing, astronomy, as well as in morals. Not only was she responsible for conveying knowledge to her pupils, but she was also responsible for being a caretaker to them. The boundaries of her caretaker role was not as defined as her role as the educator. Her caretaker role was somewhat less defined because she may be expected to take on more serious responsibilities especially those of a mother. The burden of taking on maternal roles by a hired governess has been a topic of controversy in 19th century England. It has been questioned whether it was morally right for a mother to put her faith in a hired stranger, in this case a governess, to whom she grants the care of her children (qtd. in Fraser’s Magazine 590). In a letter to her sister, Charlotte Bronte personally expresses the burden involved in her caretaker role as a governess, “Mrs. Sidgwick expects me to do things I cannot do- to love her children and be entirely devoted to them (qtd. in 562).” Another ambiguity also existed regarding a governess’ relationships with the servants, her pupils, and her masters. It was known that because a governess belongs to the middle-class, she was neither a servant nor an equal to her masters. Thus, she was above a servant, yet below her masters. Yet, even though her social status was above a servant’s, according to the Punch, she was expected to sit at stations that are also utilized by the servants; furthermore, it was not part of the servants’ duties to serve her food (qtd. in 578).
Besides the maintenance of social status, financial neccesity, and many responsibilities associated with the governess position, there were certain disadvantages and challenges involved with being a governess. First and foremost, most governesses were paid low salaries. In fact, the best paid governess’ salary was equivalent to that of a well-paid servant (qtd. in Lewis 581). Not suprisingly, most young governesses did not even earn enough money to support themselves during old age (qtd. in Lewis 581). Besides being economically disadvantaged, governesses also experienced many social setbacks. For one thing, they did not receive the respect that they deserve from society. Education has been highly valued by the English during the Victorian era, yet its society failed to respect the governesses as educators (qtd. in 582). Instead of respecting governesses as educators, English society often pitied them, and failed to improve the conditions of the governess occupation.
Furthermore, a governess was expected to be obedient to her masters and their peers, and not assert herself to them. As described by Punch (qtd. in 578), in situations where a governess is looked upon with scorn by their masters or master’s guests, she was expected to be submissive and endure the verbal assault. Another major disadvantage of being a governess was having to continuously experience isolation. When the masters are having a gathering, it was expected that the governess would remain in the schoolroom unless invited to make an appearance. In addition, since noone in the house was equivalent to her in social status, she does not have a companion. For one thing, it was inappropriate to befriend or socialize freely with the servants for they were not her equals. In the same token, she cannot befriend her masters who are her employers. Even if she has friends, it is not appropriate for her friends to visit, as is the case with Bronte, who expressed her uneasiness in inviting Ellen Nussey to Upperwood House (qtd. in Bronte 565).
Jane Eyre represents the typical Victorian governess in many ways. First of all, like many governesses, her wages were meager. On the night that she was leaving Thornfield, for example, she had only twenty shillings to bring with her, which barely covered the entire cost of the coachride. Similar to most governesses, Jane hoped to maintain her social status as a member of the gentry through her governess job. If Jane and Mr. Rochester had maintained a strictly professional relationship, Jane probably would not have chosen to resign from her governess position. The social importance of her governess job was especially evident when she was at Morton undertaking a new occupation as a schoolmistress. Not surprisingly, Jane expressed discontent and degradation upon first settling at her post as schoolmistress. The lines, “I must not forget that these coarsely-clad little peasants are of flesh and blood as good as the scions of the gentlest genealogy…I felt degraded” (Bronte 454).
As a governess was expected to be, Jane was generally submissive and humble towards her master. She had listened attentively to Mr.Rochester’s narrations of his mysterious past, given him advice about his past, and willingly and obediently yielded to his commands. As a governess should, Jane was submissive and humble toward Mr. Rochester’s peers. At Mr. Rochester’s gathering, for instance, Jane was submissive and endured the verbal insults from Blanch Ingram and Lady Ingram. At that particular event, Jane had declined to participate in a charades game; upon hearing this, Blanch Ingram imparted that Jane must have been too dumb to participate in such a game anyway (Bronte 261). At the same event, Lady Ingram had also insulted Jane by saying, “I noticed her: I am a judge of physiognomy, and in hers I see all the faults of her class” (Bronte 255). In these two scenes, Jane could have retaliated and defended herself against Blanch and Lady Ingram but she did what was expected of her, which was to ignore and endure the verbal insult. These incidents, and many other incidents, demonstrate the disrespect and ridicule that many governesses must face on the basis of their occupation. Further adding to the many hardships of a governess’ occupation are their continuous bouts of isolation. Like the ordinary governess, Jane must spend most of her time at her Thornfield particularly the schoolroom. Because she is a governess, her world is restricted to Thornfield; she does not have the time or permission to enjoy and participate in outdoor activities as well as to socialize with her peers. Furthermore, Jane does not have a companion who is her equal, which is typical of many governesses. She may have confided in Mr. Rochester more than any else at Thornfield, but he was not her equal. Their relationship was not those of equals because he always had social power over her, whereas she would often yield to his wishes.
Jane also serves as the exception to the ordinary Victorian governess in various aspects, mainly due to her unique qualities as a person. Although Jane was generally humble and submissive, there were times when she was strong-willed, independent, and assertive. These three qualities seem to contribute to the experiences which set her apart from other governesses. For one thing, Jane did not seem to be discontented or burdened by her responsibilities as a caretaker and educator to Adele, in contrast to Bronte who expressed frustration with these responsilities (561-562). Her lack of complaints about her roles as a caretaker and educator may be due to her strong-will and ability to cope effectively with her demanding duties. Secondly, there were times when she expressed independence. The fact that Jane had stepped over the boundaries of those of an employer and employee by pursuing a more intimate relationship with Mr. Rochester is an act of independence and courage. She knew that stepping over such boundaries may involve social sanctions but she chose to accept these sanctions in exchange for the passion, friendship,and intimacy given to her by Mr. Rochester. Her decision to leave Thornfield was also an act of independence and courage as well. Although she was tempted to live with Mr.Rochester at Thornfield because of her strong love for him, Jane chose to leave Thornfield because she did not want to violate her morals by becoming a mistress. Jane’s assertiveness also sets her apart from the average submissive govereness. In one instance, Jane expressed assertiveness when Mr. Rochester had asked her if she thought he was handsome. Surprisingly, Jane replied with, “No,sir” (Bronte 202). She could have chosen to say yes or even to politely not answer at all as most governesses might do. However, she chose to say no out of pure honesty. Many governesses may not have responded as Jane had for fear of undermining their masters and putting their jobs in jeopardy.
Many unmarried Victorian middle-class women must become a governesses in order to support themselves and maintain their social status. A governess occupation consisted of many roles, some of which were well defined whereas some were less precisely defined. Nevertheless, a Victorian governess must face many challenges and hardships. Through Jane Eyre’s experiences as a governess, readers are able to gain a sense of what it is like to be a governess. In many aspects Jane Eyre is the embodiment of a Victorian governess. However, her strong-willed, independent, and assertive qualities seem to make her an exception to the ordinary governess as well.
Reference:
- Bronte, Charlotte. “Jane Eyre”. 1831.
