In this essay a comparison has been made between Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and Elizabeth Gaskell’s Mary Barton. The two novels were both written during the 1840’s and both of them treat a young woman’s life during this period of time. The question is weather the novels are as similar as it seems at first sight. In this essay I have mainly focused on the question of gender and class when it comes to the female protagonists’ ways towards independence. Do they get there and in that case, how? I have divided the essay into two parts. In the first one Jane Eyre is discussed in relation to the main issues. Secondly, I do the same when it comes to Mary Barton. By doing this I thus hope to show differences and similarities between the two novels. As part of the theme I discuss for example education and differences in conditions between the genders; these matters are mentioned within the class issue as well, but then of course, from class oriented perspective. Also discussed as an aspect of class are the language differences and the conventions that prevented people from developing except within rigid class limits. This will help me to develop the discussion about whether or not Jane Eyre and Mary Barton reach independence.