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At first Lowood seemed as bad if not worse than Gateshead. Why do you think Jane came to prefer it despite its hardships? ‘Jane Eyre’ was written in the mid-nineteenth century and is set during the Victorian period, at a time where a women’s role in society was restrictive and repressive and class differences were distinct. A job as a governess was one of the only few respectable positions available to the educated but impoverished single women. Schools of the 19th century were strict, and they demanded much hard work and participation from the students, however, just the same, children of the time loved going to school. Most children felt that it was a privilege to attend school and they especially enjoyed the time it gave them to be with and socialize with other children. This is reflected in the novel because Jane is glad to be leaving her cruel aunt and of having the chance of going to school. In the country where small, one-room schools existed, the "Three Rs" were considered the most important subjects because, to be able to read the Bible would make a person a better Christian. In the novel, Mr. Brocklehurst said ‘take away your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh’. He was asking Jane to pray to God to change her attitude towards religion, highlighting the importance of religion. Good penmanship-writing was a valuable skill as neat, legible handwriting was considered a sign of a cultured person, and knowing how to solve mathematical-arithmetic problems was important for anyone who wanted to be a farmer, a store keeper, a craftsperson, a miller, or any number of other careers. The depiction of disease in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre helps define Jane's social position and. This is because the poor were often associated with diseases such as tuberculosis in the Victorian period, as a result of their unhygienic living conditions and filthiness. Also Jane’s father was a poor clergyman who died of typhus fever, associating her with the lower classes, and her friend Helen Burns died of TB at Lowood, which was a very dirty and unhygienic making the girls more vulnerable to the diseases. Children in Victorian society were taught to be good Christians, and this is shown in the novel by Helen’s strong belief in God and her self-denial as a result of her Christianity and Mr Brocklehurst’s attitude towards Jane after she tells him she does not find psalms interesting. The novel begins in Gateshead Hall where due to Jane's lower status; Mrs. Reed treats Jane as an outcast.
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