I don’t think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.
– Charlotte Bronte
Jane Eyre, Chapter 14. This is Jane’s response when Rochester says that he doesn’t wish to treat her “like an inferior” but at the same time claims “such superiority” resulting from the fact that he is older and more experienced. The feisty Jane asserts her independence and makes clear that will be commanded by no man. She is claiming to be Rochester’s equal. Jane is a feminist who challenges the patriarchal system of her society – in Victorial England males dominated and women were subordinate.