The way that male characters treat the protagonist in Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre” is a major theme. The male characters in Jane’s life subject her to a variety of mistreatment and discrimination throughout the course of the book. In this paper, we will examine how Bront portrays how men treat Jane Eyre.

Jane is mistreated by her cousin John Reed at the start of the book. She feels unwanted and unworthy as a result of his verbal and physical abuse. John stands in for the patriarchal society of his time, where men were in charge and could treat women however they pleased. John’s treatment of Jane is a reflection of this system, where men can treat women badly without suffering any repercussions.