BosaMasoninJaneEyre:aConsciousWomaninStruggleBy刘靖馨LiuJingxinAtermpapersubmittedtotheForeignLanguageandLiteratureDepartmentofBaojiUniversityofArtsandSciencesClass:11Grade:2010TermpaperAdvisor(signature):Student’ssignature:刘靖馨Date:23November2010BosaMasoninJaneEyre:aConsciousWomaninStruggleI.IntroductionJaneEyre,CharlotteBronte’srepresentativeworktheEnglishnovelistof19century,theauthorsuccessfullytracestheemotionalandspiritualdevelopmentoftheheroineJaneEyre.Thisnoveldescribeshersearchforanidentityasawomansupportedbyequalstatusandindependenthumandignity.ThenoveltakesheroineJaneandheroRochester’scircuitousloveasthemasterstroke,depictingJaneEyre,thelovinggirlonthewaytoseektheideallifeofhappinessandencountersmanyhardshipsandfrustrations.ThereisnodoubtJaneEyreistheauthor’sprotagonist.Ontheotherhand,ifwepaymoreattentiontoanotherwoman---BosaMason,sheisthewifeofRochester,sheisinthestatueofwordless,andalwaysgivesoffloudlyeerinesslaugh,infact,sheisaconsciouswoman,becauseattheeveningeveofRochesterandJaneEyre’swedding,BosaMasonmanagedtobreakinJaneEyre’sroomandonlytearsherweddingdress,butdoesn’thurther.ThispaperwillanalyseBosaMason’scharacteristicsandrevealthatthiswomanisnotmadbutconsciousandclear-minded,shealsohasfeminineconsciousness.Inthisnovel,thefirenotonlystandsforsomethingwonderful,butalsostandsforsomethingfearful.Forexample,BosaMasonusesfiretoinjureRochester,thefireisasymbolismofherfeminineconsciousnessinvolvedwithrebelliousspiritandreprisaltrend,sheusesfiretohaveastrugglebutthisistheonlywayshecanfindtogoagainstthemaleoppressionofthatsocietyinthatage.Theimageoffire,wecaneasilyfindeverytimeBosa’semergenceisbyfire,manyofususuallytreatfireasbenevolence,thefriendship.ButforBosa,thefireisthesymbolagainstmalepowersociety’spowerfulevidence.AnalyzingfireistheexistenceevidenceofBosaMason.II.TheEvidenceofBosaMasonisnotMadinThornfieldInThornfield,BosaMasonwasapersonwhoisneglectedbyothersandtheytreatsherasainsanewoman,andsheisonlysecludedfromtheworld,thelong-termlifeinthedarkThornfield,shewasnotcarriedonadialoguewithothercharactersinnovel,theauthorgivesherinaverybrieflyandgenerallydescription.However,hershadowisactuallyomnipresent,sometimesshemakes“stereotypicaliscrushedwithgrief”and“constrains,butlowanddeeplaughter”(Ma,2007:2).ThisGothicstyledescriptionisstimulatingreader’sandthesenseorganunceasinglypullsreader’snerves,addingtheterrorunceasinglyatmosphere.Moreover,BosaMasonalsoisnotverygladtothelifeinthegloomycorner,inanotherwords,sometimesshewillmakesomesoundsandstrangesmilesinordertodisturbthetranquilatmosphereandattractspeople’sattention,alloftheseincludesomesweepingandretaliateactionsinthenovelhappenthreetimes.ThefirsttimeoccursinJanecomestoThornfieldnotaverylongtime,shegivesoffloudlyeerinesslaughwhichmadeJaneEyresurroundedwithtrepidation,andalsoshesucceedentersintoherhusbandRochester’shomeandsetsafireinordertokillhislife,ifsheismadthatisimpossibleforhertogetthekeytoatticandfindRochester’sroomexactly,theseactionshouldenoughtoprovethatsheisclear-mindedandconscious.Thesecondtimeshestabsherbrother,whocametovisither,butactuallyitishewhobetraysher,soheractionisrightlytoexplainwhyshetreatsherbrotherbadly.Thisisalsocanexplainsheisconscious.Thethirdtime,theretaliateactionoccurintheendofthenovel,BosaMasonsetsfiretoburndownThornfieldinruins,thusleadingRochestertobeblind...