Literary Approach for Jane Eyre

Pretty much all of the approaches available can be applied to Jane Eyre. In fact, it was really tricky to choose which one would be the best approach for this particular book. But I am going to be using the Feminist Criticism approach for this book (for now). One of the questions along with this approach that really stood out to me was: If a female character were male, how would the story be different? I think this story would be dramatically different if Jane Eyre was a man rather than a women. Jane Eyre goes through much suffering in the beginging of the book becasue she's a women, and if she wasn't, it wouldn't have happened. Jane would also be even more independent than what she already is. I think many of the trials she had to face would have been eliminated if she were male. If Jane were male, this story would not be the same. This story has so much meaning in it because Jane is a woman. Another question: What behavioral expectations are imposed on the characters ? In this story, women, most importantly Jane ,was expected to grow up like the rest of the women: mindful and lesser-beings than the men. Jane though, did not fall under this catagory. She was independent and did many things on her own, which was almost unheard of at that time. A different question with this approach is this: How do male and female characters relate to one-another? I think that the most importatant relationship in this book is the one between Jane and Rochester. At first, Rochester sees Jane as an ordinary lady. But as the book progresses, he starts to confide in her. Ask her opinioins. Speak with her as a friend and an equal. This relationship is important because it proves that the gender barrier can be broken. If I had to choose a thesis for this book, depending on this topic, it would be about how gender barriers can be broken as long as one can overlook the barrier and see eachother as equals. It could also be about the change in Jane Eyre as she realizes she is and individual and gains her independence.