A study of key passages in Jane Eyre

Key Passages in Jane Eyre

CH2: Red RoomCH4: Defying Mrs ReedCH7: Lowood PunishmentCH9: Helen diesCH12: Rochester’s first appearanceCH13+14: Jane and Rochester’s conversationsCH15: Jane saves Rochester from fireCH20: Mr Mason gets attackedCH23: Rochester’s 1st proposalCH25: Dreaming of babiesCH26: The wedding day

List of passages

CH27: Jane flees ThornfieldCH28: Jane gets taken in by the RiversCH34: St.John’s 1st proposalCH35: St.John’s 2nd proposalCH36: Return to ThornfieldCH37: Rochester’s 2nd proposalCH38: End of the novel

List of passages

After hitting John Reed, Jane is punished and sent to the Red Room: the room where her uncle died

For Jane this room represents terror and deathJane tells the story of the red room as a woman

emphasising what a terrible memory it was for her, this experienced has always stayed with her and whenever she feels embarrassed or ridiculed the memory of the red room comes back to her

As a child she exaggerates things making it worse than they are, she mixes reality and fantasies together

It’s only when Jane faints that she is released from the terror

CH2: The Red Room

CH2: The Red Room

RED

Blood

deathwarning

danger

passion

love

embarrassment

anger

destruction

fire

Woman’s menstrual cycle

Denotation of the colour red and how it reflects themes associated with the red room passage

‘mirror’-looking back on a memory/to her younger self

‘stateliest’ -grand, imposing, sign of wealth –emphasises Jane’s poverty

‘tapernade’-associated with death

Gothic/ Supernatural:“strange little figure...coming out of the lone” –

fantasy and reality blurred, exaggerated and child-like

“Breathed his last”-gothic, ghost stories

CH2: The Red Room

Jane’s fear:“I attached myself to my seat by my hands” – fear Red repetition ‘red’ ‘crimson’ –symbolises the fear

taking over, reality becoming blurredRed and white imagery-contrast, representing reality

and fantasy

Writing Devices:“crimson cloth” “Bessie...bitter”-alliteration adding to

emotions of fear and angerUse of colons and semi-colons represent Jane’s

heightened senses

CH2: The Red Room

Defying Mrs Reed is a big turning point in Jane’s early adult life as she stands up for herself and against an oppressive authority figure

Mrs Reed has always treated Jane as an outsider: “From every enjoyment I was, of course excluded”At the start of the chapter Jane feels that she is “not

worthy of notice” and Jane finally bursts Mrs Reed is surprised at Jane’s outburst as showed on

pg 21 “ her usually cold composed grey eye became troubled with a look like fear”

Jane’s outburst would be seen as very unlady-like and overly passionate from the Victorian point of view

CH4: Defying Mrs Reed

In chapter 7 Jane accidently drops her slate for which Mr.Brucklehurst humiliates and punishes her for

Jane is ‘paralysed’ with fear as she can feel “their eyes directed like burning-glasses against my scorched skin” (pg 56)

Mr.Brucklehurst forces Jane to stand on a stool for the rest of the day and night, and he instructs the children not to speak to Jane or give her food forcing Jane into isolation

The punishment is humiliating and torturous which makes Jane feel belittled

However there is hope as Helen Burns, one of Jane’s classmates, rebels and brings some food to Jane. Helen comes to Jane at one of her darkest hours and offers kindness: something that the Reeds never showed Jane.

CH7: Lowood Punishment

Soon after Jane’s punishment, disease strikes Lowood school causing most of the children, including Helen, to fall fatally ill

From chapter 8, Helen showed signs that she had fallen ill that Miss Temple had observed “Have you coughed much today?” (pg 61)

However it is not until towards the end of chapter 9 that Helen dies

When Jane enters the room and sees Helen, she is messianic-like as she lays “half covered with its white curtains, there stood a crib” (pg 69)

From there on it is clear that Helen is on her death-bed as there is a lot of death imagery surrounding Helen

“I saw her face, pale, wasted, but composed” “her forehead was cold, and her cheek both cold and thin” (pg 69)

CH9: Helen dies

Helen asks Jane if she will stay with her “don’t leave me Jane; I like to have you near me” (pg 70)

As both girls go to sleep, Helen dies in her sleep and in the morning Jane is carried away from Helen

Jane doesn’t fully comprehend what had happened until Miss Temple explains it to her “...had found me laid in the crib; my face against Helen Burn’s shoulder, my arms around her neck. I was asleep, and Helen was –dead” (pg 71)

CH9: Helen dies

It has been 4 months since Jane’s arrival at Thornfield and her illusive employer still hasn’t returned to the estate. Jane has settled now and is happy with her surroundings and her student

One day Jane offers to go into town to post some letters, on her lonely journey encounters a mysterious rider who falls off his horse and injuries himself.

Before the horse is visable, a dog (Rochester’s dog Pilot) appears which reminds Jane of the story of Gytrash which frightens Jane

When the rider falls Jane helps him up, even though she is scared of his horse.

The man has dark facial features , features which are mysterious, serious and associated with evil

CH12: Rochester’s first appearance

Rochester slips on the ice; which causes him injury He then has to lean on Jane for support –which foreshadows

the end of the novel when Rochester has to depend on Jane “necessarity compels me to make you useful” (pg 100) The rider queries Jane, yet doesn’t reveal he’s true identity.

Here Rochester is playing games and testing Jane

CH12: Rochester’s first appearance

Thornfield is brought back to life when Rochester returns On Rochester’s return he asks to meet with Jane, Jane is told

by Mrs Fairfax to dress in her best clothes but Jane doesn’t see why she should –her Jane’s rebellious side shows as she questions authority

Rochester seems blunt, stern and distant Rochester continuously tests Jane as she is unique and he is

trying to figure out why and what makes her different, as he says “she has a look of another world” – link to fairytales

At first Jane doesn’t expect Rochester to be nice as she associates him with Mr.Brucklehurst, as she hasn’t met many men and only knows them to be stern and cold

CH13+14: Jane and Rochester’s conversations

Again in chapter 14, Rochester sends for Jane and Adele Rochester appears to be slightly drunk, and asks Jane some

peculiar things First of all he asks Jane if she finds him attractive, which she

answers ‘no’ Then their conversation gets into more deeper topics, however

Jane is feeling a little awkward still by the previous question he asked and how she feels

Adele mentions her mother, which Jane shows interest in, however Rochester promises to talk about Adele’s mother in the future

Rochester goes on to argue that their relationship is not servant to master, he explains the way he is and how he doesn’t want to be inferior to Jane as he believes they are equals

CH13+14: Jane and Rochester’s conversations

Jane believes that Rochester’s age does not make him wiser and she makes that known – again showing her rebellious side as servants were not supposed to speak so boldly to their employers

Rochester talks of his sinful past to Jane, showing honesty to an extent as he leaves out information about his wife

After their conversation Jane feels confused about Rochester’s melodramatic tone/behaviour, and feels that she has little experience in life after hearing his stories

CH13+14: Jane and Rochester’s conversations

Before going to sleep Jane hears “demonic laugh[ter]” (pg 129)-first appearance of Bertha: Rochester’s wife

Bertha sets Rochester’s bed on fire in attempts to kill him, Jane puts out the fire and saves Rochester once again

Jane notices after the fire that Rochester has a “strange fire in his look” (pg 133)

Rochester goes to the third floor

Analysis: The fire foreshadows the destruction of Thornfield which happens

towards the end of the novel The fire itself could symbolise a lot of different things, such as

passion, destruction or loss of control Jane is either naive enough to believe that it was Grace Poole (one

of the servants) who may have caused the fire and is still being employed OR she is blinded by her feelings by Rochester that she doesn’t question him

CH15: Jane saves Rochester from fire

In chapter 19 Mr Mason (Bertha’s brother) shows up unexpected which startles Rochester. Mr Mason stays the night at Thornfield but his time is shortly disturbed

There is a scream which wakes everybody in the house, Rochester assures his guests that it was nothing and they should go back to sleep, he then asks Jane to come with him –Rochester finally starts to show that he trusts Jane, however are her feelings still over clouding her judgement?

Rochester takes Jane to where Mr Mason is lying bleeding and half-dead “I saw too that his linen on one side and one arm was almost soaked in blood” “corpse-like face”

Bertha had stabbed and bitten her brother Mr Mason is left badly wounded and frightened “she sucked

the blood: she said she’d drain my heart” –vampire-like

CH20: Mr Mason gets attacked

Pages 219-226

Before Rochester proposes, his shadow is cast by moonlight –hiding his true identity

Rochester proposes to Jane under the chestnut tree, after they kiss (which is a public display of affection, which would have been frowned upon in Victorian Society). Mrs Fairfax, who doesn’t know about the engagement, saw the kiss and thought it was scandalous as they aren’t married and Jane is Rochester’s employer

That night, the chestnut tree is stuck by lightening and “half of it spilt away”

The Chestnut tree is significant as it represents Jane and Rochester’s love, the fact that it is struck by lightening and damaged by the natural disaster shows that their love isn’t meant to be

CH23: Rochester’s 1st Proposal

Jane and Rochester’s wedding plans do not go as planned. Mrs Fairfax treats Jane coldly because she doesn’t realize that Jane was

already engaged to Rochester when they kissed, and Mrs Fairfax disapproves of the marriage.

Jane feels unsettled and almost fearful when Rochester calls her, soon to be name, Jane Rochester. ‘It is Jane Eyre, sir’ ‘Soon to be Jane Rochester’ he added ‘in four weeks Jane, not a day more. Do you hear that?’ Jane explain that everything feels un-comfortable as she is clearly out of her comfit zone 'I was not born for a different destiny to the rest of my species: to imagine such a lot befalling me in a fairy tale- a day-dream.’

Rochester tries to turn Jane into a Cinderella-like figure, something that she is not, he encourages her to dress in jewels and the finest which Jane becomes terrified and defensive.

She has doubts that the wedding will not happen and decides to write to her uncle the illusive John Eyre who is in Madeira. Jane reasons if her uncle were to make her his heir, her inheritance might put her on more equal footing with Rochester, which would make her feel less un-comfortable about the marriage.

CH24: Jane and Rochester Engaged

Jane’s unease with the wedding plans Here we see some of Jane’s rebellious side come out and she

objects to the rich materials such as jewellery and dresses: "I will myself put the diamond chain round your neck, and the

circlet on your forehead,—which it will become: for nature, at least, has stamped her patent of nobility on this brow, Jane; and I will clasp the bracelets on these fine wrists, and load these fairy- like fingers with ring.”

  "No, no, sir! Think of other subjects, and speak of other things, and in another strain. Don't address me as if I were a beauty; I am your plain, Quakerish governess."

And she doesn’t seem so happy to be called ‘Jane Rochester’ as she is very dominant and an independent woman who would not like to be overruled. If she was to be married she wouldn’t be Rochester’s equal as the marriage would be unequal.

CH24: Jane and Rochester Engaged

Before the wedding, Jane dreams about the destruction of Thornfield (foreshadowing events to come), in her dream she wonders around the estate holding a child. As she tries to climb a wall to get sight of Rochester the child clings to her neck, nearly strangling her.

When she reaches the wall Rochester vanishes. The wall beneath her crumbles and Jane and the child fall Then Jane wakes to find Bertha standing there with “fiery

eyes” and she rips Jane’s veil in half Both the ripping of the veil and the dream are warnings that

the wedding isn’t meant to be and that Jane should probably leave in order to save herself

CH25: Dreaming of babies

Analyse of Jane’s dreams Bronte uses dreams to create tension and foreshadowing

events to come an example of this would be in Chapter 25 on the night before the wedding.

Jane is dreaming of being married and having a family but she drops the baby she’s holding representing doubts and being out of her comfit zone. The dream is so disturbing Jane awakes from her sleep.

The dreams reflect her doubts as she is about to set foot into a new life which is extravagant, new and scary to Jane as well as she’s always despised and mocked Rochester’s world of upper class people.

CH25: Dreaming of babies

The day of the wedding and Rochester seems on edge and wants the wedding to commence quickly, he is ‘on fire with impatience’ (pg 253).

Jane is both excited and nervous ‘my forehand dewy, and my cheeks and lips cold’ (Pg 254).

As the wedding is taking place a stranger objects to the wedding taking place and claims Rochester already has a wife. Jane is shocked and Rochester becomes angry and wants to protect Jane but seems slightly possessive ‘he twined my waist with his arm and riveted me to his side’ (pg 256)

Rochester takes Mr Mason, Mr Briggs and Jane to see his mad wife, Bertha Mason.

Towards the end of the chapter Jane seems heartbroken and locks herself in her room. She prays that God to be with her.

CH26: The Wedding Day

Rochester, waiting outside Jane’s room, apologizes for wounding Jane. Jane feels faint.

Rochester asks Jane to leave England and to go France with him; but Jane refuses as she cannot lower herself to be his mistress

Rochester explains that it was his family sent him to Jamaica to marry Bertha for money, even though Bertha’s family are troubled. Rochester’s father and brother died, he had a mad wife and a huge fortune. He even considered killing himself; but returned to England.

Since Rochester has moves around a lot, then he retells the story when he met Jane.

Jane has a dream where a moon goddess figure appears and advices her to “flee temptation.” Jane wakes up realising she must leave Thornfield.

CH27: Jane flees Thornfield

After leaving Thornfield Jane is forced to sleep outside and has to beg in the nearest town for food, shelter and a job, no one helps Jane apart from one farmer who gives her a slice of bread

Jane sees a light shining across the moors she follows it until she comes to the source: a house

She sees through the window two young women conversing in German , the two young women are called Diana and Mary, there is also another character called St.John who is the girls’ brother

She knocks on the door but the servant, Hannah, refuses to answer. It is St.John who in the end opens the door to Jane and offers her food and shelter, as it is the Christian thing to do

Jane gives the false name of ‘Jane Elliot’ to her generous hosts –like Rochester in the first 25 chapters, she is not revealing her true identity

CH28: Jane is taken in by the Rivers

St.John asks Jane to go with him to India to be a missionary with him, and to become his wife!

Jane agrees to go to India to do missionary work, but refuses his hand in marriage as she states that they are not in love

St.John insists that they are to be married, he says that to refuse his proposal is just the same as to deny the Christian faith

CH34: St.John’s 1st Proposal

St.John still tries to convince Jane to marry him Jane refuses as kindly as she could; however this just makes

St.John more bitter and cold Diana, St.John’s sister, even tells Jane that she would be a

fool to marry her brother and go to India with him At dinner St.John prays for Jane, Jane is so overcome by his

prayer that she feels obligated to marry him St.John’s hex is broken when Jane thinks she can hear

Rochester’s voice calling for her in the distance and feels the need to return to Thornfield

CH35: St.John’s 2nd Proposal

After hearing Rochester’s voice the night before, Jane wonders if it was real and if Rochester was in trouble so she travels back to Thornfield: back to Rochester.

When she arrives at Thornfield she finds the estate burnt and in ruins, curious to find out what happened Jane sets off to a local inn called the Rochester Arms

She learns that Bertha set the estate on fire, Rochester saved his servants and tried to save Bertha, but Bertha jumped off the roof. Rochester lost a hand and now is blind due to his injuries; he went to a house deep in the forest called Ferndean where he is staying to recover from his injuries

CH36: Return to Thornfield

After revealing herself to Rochester and talking about her experience away from Thornfield

Jane assures Rochester that she isn’t in love with St.John and promises never to leave him again

Now Bertha has died and he is a widower, Rochester asks Jane again to marry him and Jane says yes

Key Quotes: Bronte describes the injuried Rochester to be like “a royal

eagle, chained to a perch, should be forced to entreat a sparrow to become its purveyor” (pg 389) –this quote here describes Rochester’s dependence on Jane

Rochester to Jane: “I am no better than the old lightning-struck chestnut-tree in Thornfield orchard” (pg 393) –referring back to Rochester’s 1st proposal

CH37: Rochester’s 2nd Proposal

Jane and Rochester finally marry, Jane writes to Diana and Mary Rivers and they write back expressing their good wishes however St.John pretends that that Jane is not married

Jane moves Adele from her school to a more pleasant school, Adele grows up to be well-mannered under Jane’s influence –almost like Jane has redeemed both Adele and Rochester’s souls

After two years Rochester begins to regain his sight in one of his eyes, so when they have a child (a boy) Rochester is able to see his child

Mary and Diana both find husbands St.John goes to India to fulfil his missionary work, out in India

St.John becomes sick and eventually dies. Jane closes the novel quoting from one of St,John’s letters where he begs that the Lord should come and take him quickly

CH38: The End of the Novel

There are many ways to interpret the ending of the novel, one: a fairytale ending and the other: religion

The Fairytale Ending: Jane finally marries Rochester and they live as equals in Ferndean with

their child and Adele The ‘baddies’ (aka Bertha and St.John) die And all is merry in the end

Jane Eyre a Religious Novel? The final chapter is very interesting as it is almost hinted that Jane had

saved Rochester and Adele’s souls as she makes them better people/Christians

Jane also closes the novel with a quote from St.John, a strong religious character, which is interesting as the quote itself sounds like he is preaching “Amen; even so come, Lord Jesus!” (pg 401)

The End of the Novel: Analysis