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Mr. Brocklehurst is a small but very vital character in the book. He represents a very stereotypical view of men in this time period. He also represents how women conform to their role when he is around. He is gone for a long period of time from the school and when he returns he yells at Mrs. Temple for the decisions she has made while he was away. Instead of voicing her opinion and sticking up for herself, she accepts what he says without thinking twice. Later on, when all the girls are sick and half of the school dies, the author once again shows a man in a high authority position making colossal mistakes. Because of the way he controlled the school it caused massive death. If Mrs. Temple would have been left in charge of the school, she would have made sure the girls were adequately nourished and the mass death would never have happened.
Like Mr. Brocklehurst and Mrs. Temple; Mr. Rochester and Mrs. Fairfax also conformed to stereotypical roles of men and women in this time period. Mr. Rochester is the owner of the estate and the master of the household. He is often gone for long periods of time leaving Mrs. Fairfax in charge of the house and also seeing that Adele is taken care of. Mr. Rochester makes all major decisions but is never around to experience the effects of his decisions. Mrs. Fairfax thinks nothing of this and is actually happy with the way things are because she does not know any other way. Mrs. Fairfax once states in a conversation with Jane Eyre "I consider myself quite in the light of an ordinary housekeeper. My employer is always civil, and I expect nothing more" (Jane Eyre 92). Mr. Rochester also ends up losing his estate because of mistakes that he had made. .
Throughout the book Jane Eyre conforms to, transgresses, and challenges her role as a women in this time period. In the beginning of the book she challenges her role as a woman by fighting with John Reed.