Will Straw in his introduction to “Small parts, Small players dossier” writes that ‘small players’ are “reduced, much of the time, to fleeting moments or underdeveloped functions within films…[which] raise[s] the question of social identity in its simplest form – stereotypification.” In Jane Eyre, a story of the title characters life, told through several locations and occupations from childhood to adulthood we see one such character that has perhaps some of the stereotypes associated with the title, and an important role as a foil to Jane’s character. The character of the French maid, aptly named for her French nationality and her position as Adele’s maid, is seen mainly once when the character of Mr. Rochester’s potential love interest in introduced. Adele, Jane’s student, and Mr. Rochester’s ward is excited by the arriving party, and both look out the window at them. The maid sits in the background silently, a companion to Adele and a picture of what Jane could become. The maid is in a country where no one speaks her language with only a child for company. Jane, by parallel, could also be considered in a foreign country of the Rochester Estate. She is not one of the servants and is also not part of the household. The only company she has is of Adele, a child. The maid is nothing more than a perceived stereotype, a flat character that has no dimension, she also creates tension within the story highlighting what Jane does not want to become. She appears at the same time as Blanche Ingram, a woman who sits at the other side of the spectrum. She is a woman of wealth and status. Something Jane needs to be to truly be a part of the Rochester household. Jane sits in the in between. Not a member of the staff, of which she could have easily become, and not a part of the upper levels of society, a place she needs to be if her feelings for Mr. Rochester are ever to be fulfilled. Both the characters of the French Maid and Blanche Ingram are opposite ends of the spectrum Jane is currently a part of.
Provide Feedback