The social system of the Victorian era was heavily influenced by patriarchal male entitlement. This social construction favored men while forcing women into submission. Sigmund Freud, in his essay "The Poet's Relation to Reverie," explained that women were seen as capable only of having erotic desires that dominated their "fantasies" and that even their ambitious "fantasies" were rooted in erotic desires. 177). The prevailing idea about women in the Victorian era was that, due to their nature, they only desired marriage. Women who did not have the chance to marry (because of their appearance or their social status) had only one position left: that of governess. Charlotte Brontë, through her protagonist Jane Eyre, clearly depicts the struggles of a destitute young woman forced to become a governess. The story of Jane Eyre is clearly articulated by Adrienne Rich in her essay “Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman,” when she states that Jane wants to “choose her life with dignity, integrity, and pride” (471). Although Brontë depicts a woman who does not allow herself to be imposed by the mores of her society, she is not exuberant enough to let her protagonist proclaim: "I am a woman, hear me roar." » The mitigation of Jane's behavior and actions can be attributed to gratification of critics, but Brontë also demonstrates that societal expectations of men (seen as their patriarchal entitlement) have produced a similarly negative effect on men in addition to women. From John Reed and his right-thinking attitude to Rochester's internal battle over the treatment of women, Charlotte Brontë argues that sexism, inherent in a patriarchal society, has a negative effect on both...... In the middle of document ......hal society, and the sexism that is inherent in this type of social structure, is that there is a negative outcome on both men and women. Patriarchal societies that discriminate against women simply because of their perceived weakness do not empower men any more than they disenfranchise women. Works Cited Brontë, Charlotte. Jane Eyre, An Authoritative Text, Contexts, Review. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. WW Norton & Co Inc., 2001. PrintFreud, Sigmund. “The poet’s relationship to reverie.” Collected Papers Vol IV. New York: Basic Books, 1959. 173-183. Print.Rich, Adrienne. “Jane Eyre: The Temptations of a Motherless Woman.” On lies, secrets and silence: selected prose 1966-1978. WW Norton, 1979. Rpt. in Jane Eyre, AnAuthoritative Text, Contexts, Criticism. Ed. Richard J. Dunn. New York: WW Norton & Co Inc., 2001. 469-83. Print.