that her uncle was also his uncle: Jane and the Riverses are cousins. far from idyllic. spends eight more years at Lowood, six as a student and two as a Jane Eyre is written in the first-person point of view, with Jane serving as the narrator of the novel. So, even though we can trust Jane on most things, she’s not always her own best psychoanalyst. But Jane’s arrival at Lowood is the Inciting Event of her character arc, which solidifies her belief that she is unworthy of love except through servitude. Particularly among his guests is Miss Blanche Ingram, whom Rochester is evidently courting. Jane travels on to Rochester’s For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. and Helen dies of consumption. First Person (Central Narrator) The narrative point-of-view seems pretty straightforward here: our protagonist, Jane Eyre, tells us her own story in a novel called, um, Jane Eyre. But Rochester instead proposes her name over the moors. cruel, hypocritical, and abusive man. entire story. departure of Mr. Brocklehurst by attracting attention to the insalubrious Jane expects She wakes to find herself in the care of Bessie and the fours and growling like an animal. Jane narrates from ten years later than the novel’s end, meaning that she can both relate to her previous selves and comment upon them in hindsight. be sent away to school. That's our first hint that it's all Jane, all the time. Oh, sure, she explains how she makes decisions, and sometimes even explains how she feels—but often she seems a little too modest, like she’s suppressing her most intense feelings to try to seem calmer or more composed. accepts a governess position at a manor called Thornfield, where When her stories and singing songs to her. and soon marry. The epidemic also results in the Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte's beloved novel, is the story of the eponymous Jane Eyre and her struggles and successes in nineteenth-century rural England. The wedding day arrives, and as Jane and Mr. Rochester Your garb and manner were restricted by rule; your air was often diffident, and altogether that of one refined by nature, but absolutely unused to society, and a good deal afraid of making herself disadvantageously conspicuous by some solecism or blunder; yet when addressed, you lifted a keen, a daring, and a glowing eye to your interlocutor’s face: there was penetration and power in each glance you gave; when plied by close questions, you found ready and round answers. Their names are Mary, Diana, Rochester saved the servants but provides Jane with some of the few kindnesses she receives, telling work at Thornfield, Jane concludes that she has not been told the At the end of her story, Jane writes that she has It’s written in the first person, and the central character is doing the talking (or maybe writing). and finds that it has been burned to the ground by Bertha Mason, While A massive typhus epidemic sweeps Lowood, Brocklehurst preaches a doctrine wife under control. One day, as punishment for A servant named Bessie provides Jane with some of the few kindnesses she receives, telling her stories and singing songs to her. St. John is a clergyman, and he finds Jane a housekeeper Mrs. Fairfax presides over the estate. Mr. Mason testifies that India but refuses to marry her cousin because she does not love fighting with her bullying cousin John Reed, Jane’s aunt imprisons Jane Jane agrees to go to St. John spends the rest of his life laboring for "his race" in India. and St. John (pronounced “Sinjin”) Rivers, and Jane quickly becomes lost his eyesight and one of his hands. First Plot Point: Here, Rochester’s arrival knocks Jane’s orderly world off its axis. He takes the wedding party back to Thornfield, Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. Had he come and gone again within a day, or had he turned out to be a nice, boring old gentleman with a gouty foot, his arrival probably wouldn’t have qualified as the First Plot … The distinguished and beg for food. that Rochester already has a wife. Mason introduces himself as the him. Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. That's our first hint that it's all Jane, all the time. Bertha has gone mad. in. Knowing that it is impossible for her to JavaScript seems to be disabled in your browser. Jane Eyre is a young orphan being But because Grace Poole continues to kindly apothecary Mr. Lloyd, who suggests to Mrs. Reed that Jane Bertha, whom Rochester married when he was a young man in Jamaica, Use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. and faints. she teaches a lively French girl named Adèle. Jane was an orphan who wanted and needed the protection of family but at the same time wanted a certain amount of independence that was generally not available to … Rochester to propose to Blanche. Bertha was the real cause of the mysterious She years of blindness, Rochester regained sight in one eye and was John and Mary. The school’s headmaster is Mr. Brocklehurst, a At Ferndean, Rochester and Jane rebuild their relationship Think about the part of the novel (Volume 3, Chapter 1) where Rochester tells Jane his history up until the point he met her and the way he describes his own impression of Jane when she first came to Thornfield:"I found you full of strange contrasts. who lost her life in the fire. (3.1.100)Rochester claims that Jane may be stern and repressed, but he says he can tell this is just the effect of being at Lowood as a teacher and student for a really long time, and that with the right company Jane will loosen up a little. called Marsh End and Moor House take her in. day by declaring that her uncle, John Eyre, has died and left her a large fortune: 20,000 pounds. She saves Rochester Like Jane, they will be repressed by his merciless egotism. After a group of more sympathetic gentlemen Blanche’s eventual behavior justifies Jane’s judgment, alerting the reader to Jane’s astute point of view. Throughout, Jane has strong opinions that color the reader’s opinions of events and other characters. of poverty and privation to his students while using the school’s The narrative point-of-view seems pretty straightforward here: our protagonist, Jane Eyre, tells us her own story in a novel called, um, Jane Eyre. Jane immediately hurries back to Thornfield takes Brocklehurst’s place, Jane’s life improves dramatically. She brother of that wife—a woman named Bertha. One day, as punishment for fighting with her bullying cousin John Reed, Jane’s aunt imprisons Jane in the red-room, the room in which Jane’s Uncle Reed died. raised by Mrs. Reed, her cruel, wealthy aunt. at Thornfield is a dark, impassioned man named Rochester, with whom For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. In parts of Jane Eyre, she describes events as she experienced them and occasionally slips into present tense. [...] There was something glad in your glance, and genial in your manner, when you conversed: I saw you had a social heart; it was the silent schoolroom —it was the tedium of your life—that made you mournful." Jane Eyre is written in the first-person point of view, with Jane serving as the narrator of the novel. home a beautiful but vicious woman named Blanche Ingram. is still alive. © 2020 Shmoop University Inc | All Rights Reserved | Privacy | Legal. in the red-room, the room in which Jane’s Uncle Reed died. teacher. where they witness the insane Bertha Mason scurrying around on all Jane asks how he received this news, he shocks her further by declaring friends with them. Jane narrates from ten years later than the novel’s end, meaning that she can both relate to her previous selves and comment upon them in hindsight. fire earlier in the story. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. A servant named Bessie For example, when she describes Blanche Ingram, Jane emphasizes the haughty pride in Blanche’s expression, encouraging the reader’s dislike. He surprises her one Jane sinks into despondency when Rochester brings At Lowood, Jane befriends a young girl named Helen Burns, whose strong, he urges Jane to accompany him—as his wife. job teaching at a charity school in Morton. While locked in, Jane, believing that she … perfect equality in their life together. funds to provide a wealthy and opulent lifestyle for his own family. to Jane, who accepts almost disbelievingly. At last, three siblings who live in a manor alternatively be with Rochester, Jane flees Thornfield. prepare to exchange their vows, the voice of Mr. Mason cries out Jane finds herself falling secretly in love. been married for ten blissful years and that she and Rochester enjoy St. John pressures her to reconsider, and she nearly gives After teaching for two years, Jane yearns for new experiences. However, she realizes that she cannot abandon forever the man St. John decides to travel to India as a missionary, and conditions at Lowood. It’s written in the first person, and the central character is … Jane claims St. John "forgets, pitilessly, the feelings and claims of little people, in pursing his own large views"; imagine the damage he will inflict on any native people who resist him. But Jane is—well, not exactly an unreliable narrator (in fact, she pays a lot of attention to giving us accurate detail)—but a narrator who forces you to read between the lines. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. from a fire one night, which he claims was started by a drunken This is often used to introduce the antagonist. Just as much as the story is about Jane’s way to finding herself … and displeasing to Jane. Penniless and hungry, Jane is forced to sleep outdoors The reader can also interpret this switch as Jane reliving traumatic events, emphasizing their lasting impact; she still remembers what she felt like after leaving Rochester. To Jane’s delight, Mrs. Reed concurs. Jane’s employer Rochester does not deny Mason’s claims, but he explains that on the third story of Thornfield and pays Grace Poole to keep his She says that after two Luckily, we get a lot of information about Jane from the other characters. Rochester keeps Bertha hidden We think he’s right, but we would never have figured that out from Jane’s own self-presentation in the rest of the narrative. Jane’s pretty good at telling us what’s going on around her, but not always too good at telling us what’s going on in her head. Once at the Lowood School, Jane finds that her life is In other chapters, Jane makes use of the distance she has from the events to address the reader, drawing attention to the fact that time has passed, and Jane narrates with the benefit of hindsight.