In the novel Re Jane, within the second chapter (titled “Uncanny Valley”) we learn of who seems to be the protagonist’s, Jane, only friend from home: Eunice. Although, Jane notes what ties them together isn’t their “common interests” but rather how they stand out from everyone else their age (Park 10). In the year 2000, when the novel begins, Jane has just graduated from college, and so has Eunice. Though Jane has lost a job opportunity in New York City, Eunice plans to move across the country to what is referred to as Silicon Valley where she has a job at Google lined up; Jane also notes that Eunice’s boyfriend has a job waiting for him in the Valley (Park 11).

Silicon Valley is located in San Francisco, California, and is centered around Stanford University. The nickname for the location was penned due to “the dense concentration of electronics and computer companies that sprang up there since the mid-20th century, silicon being the base material of the semiconductors employed in computer circuits” (Dennis para 1). By 2000 (the year the novel Re Jane begins), the population had grown to almost 2 million (Dennis para 10). This year was the year that ended what is referred to as the “Internet bubble”: “a five-year period when the paper value of publicly traded stock in Internet-based companies rose far above the real earning potential of the industry” (Dennis para 11). This might hint at some foreshadowing for Eunice. 

Park seems to foreshadow many major events during the early 2000s in America such as the Twin Towers (where Jane’s failed job offer was) and 9/11. It makes sense to position at least one character with involvement in the rising tide of technology in the country, but perhaps from this research, we can note how with the decline of stocks in 2000, Eunice might face some hardship or struggles in the rest of the novel. After the year 2000, job opportunities would decline (Dennis para 11). Jane even notes that she doesn’t understand why Eunice “would take a job with a dot-com immediately after the dot-com crash” which likely refers to the decline of jobs after the Internet bubble (Park 11). This might be foreshadowing for what might come in Eunice’s future and if she will keep her job or not.

Jane notes at one point that “Eunice Oh could not wait for the day when paper went digital” (Park 11). It’s an interesting idea to factor in all these innovations and changes being made to America and filter it through the lens of the novel Jane Eyre. When viewed this way, the character of Eunice and what it means to be a woman in the 21st century is widened. Silicon Valley was and is still a place largely dominated by men; Eunice represents a new way that women are breaking ground as we progress, not only because of her straight-forward personality, but also because of the high achieving job she is offered. And, from this quote, we see that Eunice is all for these changes. However, the note we get that Jane suspects her decision to accept a job at Google despite the decline taking place in 2000 has to do with Eunice’s boyfriend also being offered a job there (Park 11). I think we see a lot of this questioning throughout the novel, and how many women’s radical and progressive decisions (i.e. Beth) seem to often focus around men. I think Park is doing something clever here as she dissects what it means to be a woman in the early 2000s, and, not only that, but a progressive and feminist woman.

Works Cited

Dennis, Michael Aaron. "Silicon Valley". Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Sep. 2019, https://www.britannica.com/place/Silicon-Valley-region-California. Accessed 26 March 2022.

Park, Patricia. Re Jane. New York, Penguin Books, 2016. 

Image Citation

McKnew, David. Freeways in Silicon Valley in 2000. INSAne, https://insane.insa-rennes.fr/the-geek-corner-2/silicon-valley-history/. Accessed 26 March 2022.