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Jane vs. the Men in Her Life Imagine being a poor orphan girl in a society where men dominate everything. Females are expected to tolerate their verbal abuse. Women are beneath them, and are supposed to be “seen and not heard”. How would one react in that situation? Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë, is a novel about such a girl. She faces three men in her lifetime: Mr. John Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester. Males greatly influence Jane’s life through the many experiences she has with them. Jane Eyre must either verbally battle or “obey” each one. Jane endures many beatings, as well as emotional scaring, during her ten years at Gateshead. John Reed orders Jane around, expecting her to obey every time. John says to Jane, upon finding her by herself, “Say, ‘What do you want, Master Reed?’…I want you to come here…” (8). John Reed expects Jane to refer to him as “Master Reed” in order to assert his dominance over her. He also says that to her while she is alone, reading “Bewick’s History of British Birds”; demonstrating, Jane is not allowed any form of peace or pleasure for herself. She is “beneath him”. Additionally, John Reed also beats Jane frequently. “He bullied