#5
“And, ma’am,” he continued, “the laundress tells me some of the girls have two clean tuckers in the week: it is too much; the rules limit them to one.”
“Julia Severn, ma’am! And why has she, or any other, curled hair? Why, in defiance of every precept and principle of this house, does she conform to the world so openly—here in an evangelical, charitable establishment—as to wear her hair one mass of curls?”
“Naturally! Yes, but we are not to conform to nature; I wish these girls to be the children of Grace: and why that abundance? I have again and again intimated that I desire the hair to be arranged closely, modestly, plainly. Miss Temple, that girl’s hair must be cut off entirely; I will send a barber to-morrow.”
“(T)hree other visitors, ladies, now entered the room. They ought to have come a little sooner to have heard his lecture on dress, for they were splendidly attired in velvet, silk, and furs. The two younger of the trio (fine girls of sixteen and seventeen) had grey beaver hats, then in fashion, shaded with ostrich plumes, and from under the brim of this graceful head-dress fell a profusion of light tresses, elaborately curled; the elder lady was enveloped in a costly velvet shawl, trimmed with ermine, and she wore a false front of French curls.”
Analyze the author’s use of irony in describing Mr. Brocklehurst’s family in the second passage. How does the author contrast this description with Mr. Brocklehurst’s lecture to Miss Temple to provide social commentary on perceptions of class during this time?
The reader can sense a strong sense of irony as the author describes Mr. Brocklehurst's relatives. leading up to the description Mr.Brocklehurst tells Miss Temple to limit the amount of clothing given to them to one and to not allow natural curly hair because he desired "the hair to be arranged closely, modestly, plainly." He even says that the curly girl's hair should be cut off. Later Mr. Brocklehurst's relatives show up with curly hair and fashionable, expensive clothing( fur, velvet, silk). This is significant because it shows that Mr.Brocklehust is quite the hypocrite.For an added effect the author includes the following text,"They ought to have come a little sooner to have heard his lecture on dress".The author references the lecture that was given some paragraphs back to ensure that the irony was felt.
One could assume from the passage that the ones in power are not ethical and hypocritical. It seems as if Mr. Brocklehurst is mistreating the girls of the orphanage under the guise of doing what God intended. Because Mr. Brocklehurst dominated the conversation when speaking to Miss Temple, I would assume that women were not seen as equals to men. In the society that the author lived in, I would expect that there was a sizable gap between the wealthy and poor. Also, that the wealthy were very religious and used it as an excuse to do certain things.
