Charlotte Brontë taught me to believe in myself as a woman

The Brontë novel which influenced my life the most was Jane Eyre. As the first novel I had to study for my GCSEs, I immediately disliked the text. However, after deciding to re-read Jane Eyre in my final year of A-Levels, I finally got it. I think the best thing about reading Jane Eyre was realising that the notion of feminism wasn’t a new thing – believing in it isn’t ‘taboo’ and it doesn’t make me a ‘black sheep’.

We are equal beings and we deserve the same rights and opportunities as our male peers

Brontë showed me a female who refuses to conform to unfair societal norms and values. I was in awe when I finally realised what Brontë had created: an inspiration for women around the world. She proved to me that women have the ability to write texts that can be used to inspire others to stand for their own rights, to be educated, and to simply be themselves. I wholly agree that “women feel just as men feel”; we are equal beings and we deserve the same rights and opportunities as our male peers.

Another one of the life-changing quotes present in Jane Eyre is “If people were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust; the wicked people would have it all their own way: they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter, but would grow worse and worse. When we are struck at without a reason, we should strike back again very hard; I am sure we should — so hard as to teach the person who struck us never to do it again.” I agree with this completely. The boy who picks on you in the playground is not picking on you because he likes you, he is picking on you because society entitles men to have a delusion of superiority. So, how do you retaliate? You make sure that they all know you will fight back.

You don’t have be an ‘innocent good girl’ to get far in life; just be yourself and if that’s good enough for you, then it’s good enough for everyone else too

Brontë taught me that you’re not a bad person for having aspirations, and you are not a bad person for fighting back – it doesn’t make you a wicked person, it in fact makes you strong. Brontë taught me that you don’t have to be a damsel in distress, you don’t have be an ‘innocent good girl’ to get far in life; just be yourself and if that’s good enough for you, then it’s good enough for everyone else too.

Image Credits: Jay Morrison / Flickr (Header)