Bosa-Mason-a-Struggle-and-Conscious-Woman.doc

Bosa Mason in Jane Eyre: a Conscious Woman in StruggleBy劉靖馨Liu JingxinA term papersubmitted to the Foreign Language and Literature Department ofBaoji University of Arts and SciencesClass: 11Grade: 2010Term paper Advisor (signature): Students signature: 劉靖馨Date: 23 November 2010 Bosa Mason in Jane Eyre: a Conscious Woman in StruggleI.IntroductionJane Eyre, Charlotte Brontes representative work the English novelist of 19 century, the author successfully traces the emotional and spiritual development of the heroine Jane Eyre. This novel describes her search for an identity as a woman supported by equal status and independent human dignity. The novel takes heroine Jane and hero Rochesters circuitous love as the masterstroke, depicting Jane Eyre, the loving girl on the way to seek the ideal life of happiness and encounters many hardships and frustrations. There is no doubt Jane Eyre is the authors protagonist. On the other hand, if we pay more attention to another woman-Bosa Mason, she is the wife of Rochester, she is in the statue of wordless, and always gives off loudly eeriness laugh, in fact, she is a conscious woman, because at the evening eve of Rochester and Jane Eyres wedding, Bosa Mason managed to break in Jane Eyres room and only tears her wedding dress, but doesnt hurt her. This paper will analyse Bosa Masons characteristics and reveal that this woman is not mad but conscious and clear-minded, she also has feminine consciousness. In this novel, the fire not only stands for something wonderful, but also stands for something fearful. For example, Bosa Mason uses fire to injure Rochester, the fire is a symbolism of her feminine consciousness involved with rebellious spirit and reprisal trend, she uses fire to have a struggle but this is the only way she can find to go against the male oppression of that society in that age. The image of fire, we can easily find every time Bosas emergence is by fire, many of us usually treat fire as benevolence, the friendship. But for Bosa, the fire is the symbol against male power societys powerful evidence. Analyzing fire is the existence evidence of Bosa Mason.II.The Evidence of Bosa Mason is not Mad in Thornfield In Thornfield, Bosa Mason was a person who is neglected by others and they treats her as a insane woman, and she is only secluded from the world, the long-term life in the dark Thornfield, she was not carried on a dialogue with other characters in novel, the author gives her in a very briefly and generally description. However, her shadow is actually omnipresent, sometimes she makes “stereotypical is crushed with grief” and “constrains, but low and deep laughter” (Ma, 2007:2). This Gothic style description is stimulating readers and the sense organ unceasingly pulls readers nerves, adding the terror unceasingly atmosphere. Moreover, Bosa Mason also is not very glad to the life in the gloomy corner, in another words, sometimes she will make some sounds and strange smiles in order to disturb the tranquil atmosphere and attracts peoples attention, all of these include some sweeping and retaliate actions in the novel happen three times. The first time occurs in Jane comes to Thornfield not a very long time, she gives off loudly eeriness laugh which made Jane Eyre surrounded with trepidation, and also she succeed enters into her husband Rochesters home and sets a fire in order to kill his life, if she is mad that is impossible for her to get the key to attic and find Rochesters room exactly, these action should enough to prove that she is clear-minded and conscious. The second time she stabs her brother, who came to visit her, but actually it is he who betrays her, so her action is rightly to explain why she treats her brother badly. This is also can explain she is conscious. The third time, the retaliate action occur in the end of the novel, Bosa Mason sets fire to burn down Thornfield in ruins, thus leading Rochester to be blind in eyes, and became a disable. This time Bosa Mason has managed to retaliate Rochester. As Gaskell Elizabeth said: “She will not try again and again to retaliate her husband if she is mad, she have no chance and wisdom to escape from that attic at least four times, if she is mad.” (Gaskell Elizabeth,1975:21).III.The Insane Womans Function and Symbolic Significance The insane woman-Bosa Mason is not dispensable she is the key impersonator in the novel, because her character and every times present is an extremely important part to impetus the plot to develop forward unceasingly, and pushes the story to one by one high tide, she plays a status as activator in novel. And Bosa Mason, the mad womans image likes a span between Rochester and Jane Eyres marriage. Mad women sets the first attack that burn down Rochesters bedroom, but he escaped from the dangerous successfully, although her project was in ruin but she is not give up. During the secrets of the mad woman who is locked in the attic is Rochesters wife was known to everyone, leading Jane and Rochesters marriage into failure, and this is the key fact leading Jane Eyre leaving Thornfield. This also pushes the novel to high tide at the first time. And the hero and heroines love story leave readers infinite worries for the two persons. Finally, Bosa Mason sets the last fire, which has destroyed Thornfield thoroughly and caused male leading character Rochester losing his sight, which pushed novel to the high tide once again. All of these evidences can prove Bosa Mason is an extremely important impersonator in Jane Eyre.Moreover, the insane woman- Bosa Mason has specifically symbolizes. In the novel, Bosa Mason three times attacks two men: Rochester and her brother, but she does not do any injury to novel feminie. And there is a special detail needs to be pay more attention, especially on Jane and Rochesters wedding ceremony eve, Bosa Mason suddenly breaks into Janes room and torn the wedding dress, but she does not do anything to hurt Jane. That is because Bosa Mason suffered more oppression from her husband and her own brother. She has more struggle in against male power oppression. In the novel there is no true love between Bosa Mason and Rochester. They have no the same attitude, their marriage is completely under their parents decision. The reason why Rochester marry Bosa is only want to obtain 30,000 pounds. Obviously, from the beginning this kind of marriage is doomed its defeats destiny, the marriage is in the morbid state. From some aspects, Bosa Mason is not the ugly strange character, is not the heroine Janes accompanying and opposite, but is the victim in Victoria time the male power and the unfair family male power oppression object. She is another Jane to against that unfair society, holding the same thinking as Jane has: looking for her own happiness in that male power oppression society. The long-term oppression captivity caused Bosa Mason to eliminate the words power completely, even pasted on the “insanely” label by others, but she has not silenced forever, she often make some strange laughter and pitiful yelling, which is a way to transmitted a signal to the common person tell them what she suffered in Thornfield. This is also a way to challenge to the male power rule, because as you know Rochester treats her as a secret. Finally she sets several times fire until burns down Thornfiel, the devil place for her.This fire has the symbolic significance. Bosa sets fire to burn down Thronfield, which means she is not only destroyed the male power rule which ruled her almost the whole life Rochester, but also as Li said “Bosa Mason destroyed Rochesters powerful and brave contour, and the key point is that she burns down Rochesters economically status, the energetic superiority and fell him to same statue as Jane, who has a poor family background.”(Li,2005:4). On the other hand, Bosa takes her life as a price, she burns down Thornfield and Rochester lost the ability to rule and oppress woman completely. This plot arrangement was symbolizing the female is no longer the masculine dependency, and become the masculine opposite and even saving role. At last, Bosas death causes the “span” between Rochester and Jane being able to eliminate, finally Jane and Rochester entering the marriage. Bosa Masons existence significance is that only by using struggle tools woman in that age can find happiness ending.IV.Conclusion Bosa Mason a conscious woman in struggle. She didnt have injury anybody who is innocent, except her brother who betrays her and his husband who actually doesnt love her and locks her in the garret treats her as a mad woman. At wedding ceremonys eve, she successfully get the key to escape from garret and visited Janes room but didnt injury her and other evidences are all enough to show she is not mad but conscious. Why people treats her as the insane, for she is often oppressed by Rochester who is the representative of male power rule. In a word, Bosa is not insane, she knows what she should do, and what shouldnt, she tells us several