Jane Eyre and the Abuse of Power

In the novel 7th chapter of the novel Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, it describes the events that occur after Mr. Brocklehurst, a high authority figure in a religious boarding school, visits the school to see how things are being run. He imposed very strict regulations on ths school, expecting them to be followed, but to his surprise, they were not. He had major issues with the fact that bread and cheese were being served to the orphan girls once a week, instead of being served burnt porridge. Also, he had issues with a girl’s natural curly red hair, another girl’s braided hair, and the fact that the teacher gave out extra clean clothing so that one of their students could attend an event. He believed that it went against the schools ideologies since he believed that, in order to teach the girls, they must suffer the way that Jesus for his followers. Irony comes into play when his family walk into the room in the middle of his speech. His family was wearing luxurious clothing and were wearing feathers and plumes, exhibiting all the behaviors he was complaining about. By juxtaposing Mr. Brocklehurst’s ideologies and the way his family is portrayed, Brontë is able to create a social commentary on the abuse of power.

It is clear that Mr. Brocklehurst is big on religion. He wants every aspect of the school to run a religious manner as well. He achieves this goal by imposing very strict regulations on the girls. For example, they are only allowed one clean tucker a week and are heavily restricted when it comes to their appearance. Mr. Brocklehurst believes in uniformity and wants all the girls to essentially be the same. The reason he does this is to inflict suffering in the girls; he wants them to feel the suffering that Christ felt for them on the cross. Ironically, this mentality does not apply to his family. His family comes into the class wearing clothing made of velvet, silk, and fur; extremely luxurious materials. Also, they all had curls; the girls had a strand of curly hair while the elderly women had French curls. What they were wearing completely contradicted what he was preaching against. Through the juxtaposition between his family’s attire and Mr. Brocklehurst’s expectations for the girls at the school, Brontë creates a sense of irony.

Brontë utilizes juxtaposition in order to comment on the abuse of power in schools during the early 19th century. Mr. Brocklehurst has all the power in the school and he could use it in any way that he desired. Even though all the orphan girls at his school were forced to suffer, from the description of his family, his family doesn't have to follow the strict rules that he imposes. By abusing his power, he goes against his belief of conformity that is in effect in the whole school, and allows his family to express themselves freely. Since the orphaned girls and the teachers don’t have any power over him, he is able to do this without a hassle. By showing how Mr. Brocklehurst has complete freedom to do whatever he pleases in the school, Brontë comments on the abuse of power in 19th century schools.