Women are supposed to be very calm generally; but women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties and a field for their efforts as much as their brothers do; they suffer from too rigid a restraint, too absolute a stagnation, precisely as men would suffer; and it is narrow-minded in their more privileged fellow-creatures to say that they ought to confine themselves to making puddings and knitting stockings, to playing on the piano and embroidering bags. It is thoughtless to condemn them, or laugh at them, if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced necessary for their sex.

– Charlotte Bronte

Jane Eyre, Chapter 12. Jane expresses these feelings as she looks out over the rooftop of Thornfield Hall. She speaks out strongly against the sexist treatment of women and the restrictions her gender faces in Victorian society. She rails against expectations that women remain calm and submissive and confine themselves to baking, knitting, playing piano and embroidery. She demands freedom from “restraint” and “stagnation” and equality with men, saying that women have the same feelings as men. Jane’s rebellion against the limitations and confinements of her lot is a powerful example of early feminism, making this the first major feminist novel. Jane’s revolt against social injustice is not just a story for Victorian England. It is one that is still very relevant to today’s society.