Two famous feminist theorists, Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, stated in their essay “The Madwoman in the Attic” that there is a trend in literary history that places women as characters into one of two stereotypes: the "passive angel" or the "active monster". The image of the “angel in the house” is that of a domesticated woman whose ultimate goal is to please and care for her husband (Gilbert 55-57). Jane Eyre, although often described as a strong female character, obviously fits well into this stereotype. At the beginning of the novel, she is sent to study at the Lowood Institute and gains an education in female submission, no doubt, while later seeking employment as the ultimate example of domestic submission: a governess. It is obvious that Charlotte Brontë intends to cast Jane in the role of the “angel,” as Jane willingly commits to her role as a governess and tends to fulfill Rochester's wishes to gain his acceptance. The more Jane falls in love with Rochester, the more he plays with her emotions, and whatever feminist ideals she may have demonstrated as a rebellious child begin to give way to inferiority and condescension. Jane fully takes on the role of the angel as she essentially believes she is weaker and unworthy of his love. This is common throughout the novel, as Jane often places the mental stigma on herself of being an inferior person and not deserving of happiness. Some particular "angelic" instances of Jane are demonstrated through her submission to Rochester during the fire scene, Mr. Mason's bite and the commands she is given to care for him, and the end of the novel where she helps him to get healthy. . (Brontë ch.15, 20, 38) Rochester's role in the novel, and in Wide Sargasso Sea, is that of image classifier, as he literally refers to Jane as his "angel" and uses his patriarchal power as a way to label it. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The monster, in the case of Jane Eyre, would be the character Bertha Mason. In most cases, the “monster” stereotype is actually representative of the angel's darker side. (Gilbert 359-361) In the case of Brontë's novel, Bertha Mason provides the binary for almost every characteristic of Jane's personality: she is the anger at Jane's repression, the rebellion against her tolerance, the "great woman... of virile strength" for the “poor, dark, simple and small” Jane (Brontë ch. 26, 23). Their respective marriages to Rochester are also opposites: Bertha's for sex and money and Jane's for love and equality. Bertha is essentially the psychic split between the woman who submits to the patriarch and the madman who rebels. According to Gilbert and Gubar, the “madwoman in the attic” stereotype is realized when a female character rejects the role of subservience to her husband and society and is “sexually fallen” (Gilbert 355-356). This demonizes women and denies their place in society. Bertha is a dramatic example of this as she refuses to play the role of “perfect wife” to Rochester. In exchange, he strips her of her humanity, places her under the image of an animal, and literally locks her away from the world. Rochester's main role in defining stereotypes for these two women through labeling is played in Bertha's case as she voluntarily alters her birth name. In Wide Sargasso Sea, Bertha is actually introduced as Antoinette Mason. However, in an attempt to impose his patriarchal power on Antoinette and tame her "monstrous" tendencies, Rochester dehumanizes her and gives her a name of his own creation. Accepting thisnew nickname, Bertha accepts her role not only as "madwoman in the attic", but also as a colonized other. (Spivak 249-251) Rochester certainly uses the power of patriarchal sexual desire over her as his relationship with Antoinette is largely based on erotic relationships. “I've seen her die many times my way, not her way,” he says of their communal relationships (Rhys 55). The fact that the majority of their relationship was conducted through sexual communication demonstrates Rochester's arc of power over Antoinette, now Bertha, through sexual dominance. It also solidifies her position as a “monster” as she is now “sexually fallen.” The feminist theory of the "angel in the house" versus the "madwoman in the attic" is important to both Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea. Jane as the protagonist and Bertha as the antagonist demonstrate characteristics rooted in these stereotypes and further play with the ideals of patriarchal society. Jane is essentially designed to be a strong feminist character, which is indeed demonstrated through her evasion of Rochester's sexual advances, eventual gaining of financial independence, and marriage to Rochester (her power is made evident through the statement " Reader, I married him"). (Brontë ch. 38) Despite her utmost self-independence, Jane's role as a stereotypical angel is undeniable. Bertha Mason's role is that of a dehumanized animal, a creature destined only for Rochester to use his power and dominate. Interestingly, while both of these stereotypes ultimately relinquish their power to the patriarch, it is only the angel who has the ability to eventually find independence. (Cho 107) This is perhaps due to the idea that Bertha is, in fact, the repressed side of Jane's personality. Bertha will never be able to find her place in society since she has been completely stripped of her humanity; the only way for her to escape her fate is through death. With the death of her monstrous side, Jane can now follow her own will and realize her own identity, thus obtaining her happy ending and expanding from the image of submission to that of female independence. The “angel” versus “monster” dichotomy heavily influenced women writers of the Victorian era. In response to the pressures of being writers in a literary patriarchy, these writers often felt metaphorically paralyzed by the debilitating options their culture offered them. This often led them to transfer their sense of “paternal anxiety” to the characters in their novels as physical and mental illnesses. Throughout the nineteenth century, most mental illnesses were thought to be “female illnesses” due to maladjustment to the social environment, and they eventually also served as the basis for the definition of femininity. (Gilbert 53-78). Anorexia, one of the most common “female diseases,” is often seen on the surface as caused by vanity and low self-esteem. This may be true; however, a deeper cause can be found in the woman's desire to literally shrink her body in hopes of achieving invisibility or escaping death. It is no exaggeration to say that Charlotte Brontë expressed her anxiety about fatherhood and feelings of imprisonment in her own gender by creating Jane as a character attempting to escape through the physical disorder of anorexia. Indeed, the “angel in the house” character in literature often suffered from literal illnesses in an attempt to demonstrate her conditioned femininity. (Gilbert 55) The scene in the Red Room is the first example where we see Jane's analytical view of herself and her situation in patriarchal society. As he sees his image in a “large mirror,” he meditates.