Jane Eyre

Question 1

Chapter 1, Gateshead introduction to horrific life and exclusion.

Answer 1

Jane is reading her book alone- excluded from the family

John Reed enters, attacks and frames her, and she is sent to the red room.

Question 2

Chapter 2, RED ROOM, reversed conception.

Answer 2

As a punishment for events in chapter 1, Jane is locked in the red room, and panics in the presence of mysterious hallucinations. She then faints.

Question 3

Chapter 3,

Answer 3

woken up after the red room incident, explains what happened but is not believed by Ms Abbot.

Question 4

Chapter 4 MR BROCKLEHURST INTRODUCTION

Answer 4

Mr Brocklehurst visits Jane. Jane stands up to Ms Reed. Maternal moment with Bessie. Liminal stage in her life- transitioning from Gates Head to Lowood.

Question 5

Chapter 5 LOWOOD LIMINALITY

Answer 5

Travels from Gateshead to Lowood. CONTINUED LIMINALITY between phases in her life. Very first introduction to Ms Temple and Helen Burns.

Question 6

Chapter 6

Answer 6

Jane attends lessons and talks to Helen introducing her to Calvinism.

Question 7

Chapter 7

Answer 7

Brocklehurst returns, embarresses Jane, but Helen reassures her. She (Helen) belief in predestination, the idea that one’s life is guided by fate rather than choice, which shows her adherence to the philosophy of Calvinism. Teaches Jane to endure the pain and helps her control her lashings out with this philosophy.

Question 8

Chapter 8 MATERNAL FIGURE FOR JANE.

Answer 8

Jane collapses after Mr Brocklehurst incident. Helen acts as a maternal figure for Jane, helps her through her hard times at Lowood and adapting to its climate.

Question 9

Chapter 9

Answer 9

Epidemic of Typhus- Helen dies of ‘consumption’. This is another maternal figure for Jane lost in her passage of life (Bessy earlier in novel.) However, unlike before, the paragraph ending in ‘Resurgam’ leaves Jane with some religious hope, and gives us hope for the future.

Question 10

Chapter 10

Answer 10

8 YEARS HAVE PASSED, Ms Temple has left, Jane gets a job offering at Thornfield House as governess. Bessy visits and informs Jane of GatesHead latest… Closening Jane to the reader and gives us a new hope as Jane finds a connection to her Uncle… ONCE AGAIN APPROACHING LIMINALITY.

Question 11

Chapter 11

Answer 11

Jane awaits nervously to travel to Thornfield. Imagines things and has hallucinations of supernatural around her. Anticipates the nature of Ms Fairfax. She arrives at Thornfield in the dark which adds to the unknown and gothic nature of the large daunting house. VERY LIMINAL STAGE. Description of Rochester is mysterious, and plays on Jane’s mind very much, overshadowing the connection she is yet to engage in with him.

Question 12

chapter 12

Answer 12

MEETS ROCHESTER IN THE GOTHIC ATMOSPHERE OF THE WOODS- incident of the horse accident. BYRONIC HERO OF ROCHESTER INTRODUCED.

Question 13

Chapter 13

Answer 13

Jane thinks about Mr R, Fairfax tells Jane R wants to see her. Jane forced to show Rochester her painting, discover a bit about Rochester, Jane and Rochester grow closer, we as the audience grow closer to R, POWER STRUGGLE IS DEMONSTRATED.

Question 14

Chapter 14

Answer 14

From then, Jane saw little of R for many days, they became suddenly detached and distanced by R coldness. Jane and Adele called downstairs by R bell,
Mr Rochester seems more upbeat than the frigid and rigid gloom he displayed in the mornings.
“do you think me handsome?”
“no, sir”
R calls Fairfax to temporarily take the role of Jane so he can speak to Jane, confesses his hatred for children.
Power struggle continues, as he speaks to Jane and this is reflected by their age difference.
‘I envy you your peace of mind, your clean conscience, your unpolluted mind.’ ‘Little girl,’
‘You are dumb, Miss Eyre’
R holds the power, guides the convo, roles of governess and employer hold quite strong generally at this point, with a few exceptions. Certainly not a normal relationship between employee/er. They discuss beauty and appearance, and then class and equality.
Jane speaks of the salary between them that initiates a wall of distance between them.

Question 15

Chapter 15

Answer 15

R describes to Jane his long affair with Celine Varens, however broke it off when she was found to be unfaithful.
Disturbed in her sleep by demonic laugh, she opens the door and finds smoke in the hallway. His bed curtains are on fire. R rushes to 3rd floor, and upon returning tells Jane not to speak of this to any1. He thanks Jane with the upmost emotion for saving his life. Very intimate scene for Jane and Rochester in the bedroom despite their difference in class draws them together. However, the primary focus for me as the reader is what the cause of the incident was, and draws a greater suspicion than ever before in the book.  

JANE can be seen as THE ANGEL Rochester believes will transform his life.

JANE feels that his plans are outside the bounds of conventional morality, and she has more trouble jumping past this boundary than Rochester.

Rochester is portrayed as an attractive gothic hero, BRINGING BACK THAT THEME OF BYRONIC HERO, however his past with Celine seems only the surface layer of the countless hidden secrets that lie below.

Jane is not shocked so much by the scandal of Celine Varens because his actions are somewhat redeemed by those of responsibility towards Adele.

The incident of the fire deepens the gothic mystery of Thornfield, as well as greatly foreshadowing the fire that would destroy the mansion and permanently injure R. Where Bertha does damage, Jane cleans up the mess, and although she was not there to save R from the fire that cost him his vision, she returned to him in the end once again to save his soul, and replenish his love and hope for the future, leaving us with hope, similar to that of Helen Burns infamous ending, ‘resurgam’.

Question 16

Chapter 16

Answer 16

Following morning, Jane is shocked to hear that R tells everyone he accidentally set the fire.
G poole shows no sign of guilt or remorse, and so Grace Poole as a result falls under the suspicion of Jane, and therefore under the suspicion of us as the reader as well.
Jane learns that R has gone away for likely 1 week + to a party, which saddens Jane.
Fairfax ‘gossips’ of Blanche Ingram and the strong compatibility between the two. They sing together etc. which strikes up a large jealousy and at the same time a feeling of helplessness in Jane.

In an attempt to reign in her emotions and hatred towards herself, she draws an explicably harsh self portrait, and compares it to one of Blanche Ingram which she whips from her imagination and the few words that Miss Fairfax described to her, composed only of her unbeilievably extensive beauty.
Here, her plain and dull features of her face contrast with her deeply inquisitive imagination, which itself is so beautiful, but at the same time can do her so much harm. JANE CANNOT STOP FIXATING ON THE SUPERFICIAL ARCHETYPE OF FEMININE BEAUTY.
Speaks to herself in the third person gives the perspective that she has another side to her personality, a religious side which limits her expectation and reflects the themes of Religion and Self-Control, which after learning from her friend/maternal figure Helen Burns, she only appears to demonstrate these features in times of suffering and struggle, which makes question the value of religion to Jane after all, whether its just a coping mechanism.

Question 17

Chapter 17

Answer 17

Jane begins to notice Grace’s constant disappearances to the third floor. Arises suspicion for Jane and us as the reader. Thornfield receives a letter that R will be bringing guests for a party, including B.I.
Jane prepares mentally for a future without R, and demonstrates her side of self control.

Guests arrive and Fairfax comments once again on the compatibility of R and B.I.
At the party, Jane sits away from the group on the window seat, which takes us back to a time of exclusion far long ago at Gateshead with the Reed family reading her book when she was only a child.
However now older, she observes Ingram’s beauty and attraction to R, but also Ms Ingram’s self consciousness.

When Jane sees R, her feelings of passion come flooding back, Then, knowing that Jane is within earshot, Ms Ingram makes insulting remarks about governesses, and Jane consequently leaves the drawing room.

Rochester follows, Jane on the breach of tears so he allows her to leave, but informs her she must stay downstairs in the presence of all the other guests on all other occasions.

JANE DISCOVERY OF GRACE POOL SECRET CONTINUES TO EMPHASIS THIS IMPORTANT PLOT ELEMENT.

ROCHESTER NOT OPEN WITH JANE WITH THIS SECRET SHE SUSPECTS AT TIMES HEIGHTENS HER SEPARATION FROM ROCHESTER.

JANE FEELS THE NEED TO DISTANCE HERSELF FROM BLANCHE INGRAM.

AS JANE OBSERVES THE GUESTS AND COMMENTS ON APPEARANCE, THE NARRATOR SWITCHES TO THE PRESENT TENSE, GIVING THE SCENE AN IMMEDIACY AND GREATER EMOTION IMPACT FOR THE READER.

Question 18

Chapter 18

Answer 18

Guests stay at Thornfield over the next couple of days, and she observes the compatible and flirtatious affection between R and Ms I, making her more upset.

Jane is asked to play sharades, but her mother claims she looks to stupid to play. CREATES A LEXIS OF RUDENESS AND INEQUALITY FOR THE INGRAMS, WHICH CONTRADICTS WHAT WE GENERALLY SEE OF ROCHESTER.

Mr Mason arrives, Jane learns that he and Mr R knew of each other from the West Indies.

Gypsy arrives, tells the guests their fortunes in the library. Blanche Ingram goes first, and comes out dissapointed.
Gypsy insists that Jane has a go and so eventually she agrees reluctantly.

COMES TO TERMS WITH THE PROBABILITY OF R AND B.I. MARRYING, HOWEVER MAINTAINS THE BELIEF THAT SHE AND ROCHESTER HAVE A FAR STRONGER BOND. TAKES COMFORT FROM THIS.

SHE DIRECTLY ADDRESSES THE READER TO CONVEY SHE HAD FALLEN IN LOVE, WHICH AMPLIFIES THE INTENSITY OF THIS FEELING.

Question 19

Chapter 19

Answer 19

Speaks to the Gypsy in the library.
At first, Jane seems frightened by the intensity of the gypsy.
Then, the gypsy begins to speak to Jane in a playful, quick dialogue which seems familiar to us when Jane and R speak normally.
Jane questions the future of Blanche Ingram and Rochester, and the gypsy confirms her suspicions by stating that the two are to be married soon.
Mr R breaks out of the costume and reveals himself to Jane. She is at shocked, embarrassed, and feels exposed and tells him that it was wrong. However, she feels the comfort that he only revealed himself for Jane, and this shows enhances their connection over that of Ms Ingram.
Jane brings up Mr Mason (brother of Bertha Maison) and he nearly faints. Feels unwell, and speaks of how he wishes to escape his hideous recollections. SUSPICIONS AGAIN AROUSED.

ROCHESTER THE GYPSY TELLS JANE OF HIS BELIEF OF THE BEAUTIFUL MISS INGRAM: SHALLOW, INTERESTED ONLY IN MONEY, AND WILL SOON LOSE INTEREST.

PROVIDES THE SUSPICION THAT MAISON WILL THREATEN R’s REPUTATION IN SOME WAY.

Question 20

chapter 20

Answer 20

Begins by describing the Gothic atmosphere, reflecting the dark and violent actions that would occur that night. She hears a cry in contrast with the deadly silence of the night from the upstairs.
SYNECHDOCHE CALLED UPON TO INTENSIFY JANE’s EMOTIONS. “My pulse stopped: my heart stood still: my stretched arm was paralysed.” tricolon of this synechdoche enhances the drama by repeating these descriptions of fear to show the exceptional effect it was taking on her entire body.”

She is called upon by R and is taken to the mysterious 3rd floor where so much suspense has been built up over her time at the mansion. She finds Mr Maison upstairs, bleeding and tends to his wound whilst R gets the surgeon.

R tells Jane a story about himself (“as just some person”) who made a mistake in a foreign land, and this mistake now casts a shadow on his life.

Rochester asks Jane whether he is justified in ignoring moral conventions to be with the person he believes can reform him (reference to Jane being the angel that would save Rochester). She responds with religious influence, and that he should look to god.
WITHOUT EXPLICITLY SAYING THAT JANE IS THE PERSON WHO WOULD SAVE HIM FROM HIS PAST LIFE, HE REVIVES THE IDEA THAT HE WILL MARRY BLANCH INGRAM.

Question 21

Chapter 21

Answer 21

John Reed dead, committed suicide.
Mrs Reed has had a stroke, wants to speak with Jane.
Jane asks permission to leave , R gives her money and she asks about future of Adele.

Jane has a very pleasant reunion with Bessie, a maternal figure in her life who she has not seen since Lowood school.

Her cousins are cold at first, but become more tolerable over her time spent there. Georgiana and Eliza described as ‘sharp’ and ‘abrupt’ at first meeting.

She has her moment of recollection to the time where Mr Brocklehurst was introduced, every piece of furniture the same as it was.

She speaks with Mrs Reed:
- Her Aunt expresses no regret for the way she treated Jane, shows her a letter she received 3 years earlier from John Eyre. Wanted to find Jane, adopt her and have her come live in Madeira with him. He was successful in bushiness.
-Miss Reed told John Eyre that Jane had died of typhus at lowood.
- Jane asks for Ms Reeds forgiveness. SHE REFUSES.
- Nevertheless, Jane forgives her Aunt for the way she treated her, HIGHLIGHTING THE CHANGES JANE HAS GONE THROUGH AND THE ENORMOUS EXTENT TO WHICH SHE HAS MATURED. THE DIFFERENCE REMINDS US OF THE CONTRAST IN MR BROCKLEHURST’s EVANGELICAL HYPOCRISY and HELEN BURN’s CALVINIST CHRISTIAN VALUES. NOW IN THIS SITUATION JANE TAKES THE ROLE OF HELEN AND THE VALUES SHE INSTALLED IN HER AND Ms REED TAKES THE ROLE OF MR B.
SHOWS SHE HAS INTERNELISED HELEN BURN’s MESSAGE, and the religious hope that we were left with at the end of chapter 9 (“resurgam”) is evident in this scene, where Helen lives on as a part of Jane.

JANE’S cousins Georgiana and Eliza provide a counterpoint to her, the coldness and bitter display to Jane and one another strongly contrasts with the Rivers sisters who accept Jane from the start, even without knowledge of their family connectivity, they seem more of a family than the Reed’s and Jane.

A new hope aroused, possibility that Jane’s position and status in life, set back by Ms Reed, may one day change for the better.

Question 22

Chapter 22

Answer 22

Jane returns to Thornfield after 1 month, tedious journey, sees Rochester and passion for him run back, confesses wherever he is she feels is her home.

Rochester spends more time than ever with Jane, and no evidence of R marital plans with B.I.

Elves and Fairies are frequently compared to Jane, and this paints a picture reinforcing that Jane is the agent of change in his life from his unspeakable past.

JANE CONVAYS HER EMOTION AND FEELINGS IN THE GARDEN THROUGH THE PRESENT TENSE, HEIGHTENING the EMOTIONAL INTENSITY DURING THIS SWITCH.

Question 23

Chapter 23

Answer 23

LOADS OF ROMANTIC IMAGERY GOLD TO MIRROR THE LOVE and Strong connection between Jane and Rochester through the beauty of nature that surrounds them.

Adele will be leaving Thornfield, and Rochester has found a new situation for Jane in Ireland.
Jane is overwhelmed by sadness.
He suddenly asks to be his wife. Jane thinks he is mocking her. R convinces her that his interest only in Jane, emphasizing his feeling and want for their equality.
Storm blows in, the tree is struck by lightning splitting it in half. The change in weather foreshadows the chaos that is yet to erupt- represents religion and convention of the time that will stike the two apart with the truth of R past.
Despite his speak of equality, the way he uses the fiction that he will marry Miss Ingram to arouse Jane’s emotions suggests that he still holds significantly more power at this moment over Jane.

Rochester says, “I know my maker sanctions what I do”. He’s marrying someone not in social class, again Defying Convention.

Signals another process of liminality to come in Jane’s life.

Question 24

chapter 24 + 25

Answer 24

Next day, R full of plans for the future,

Jane speaks to Fairfax who dissaproves of the marriage and is shocked by the defiance of social convention and expectation.

Jane becomes uncomfortable and is synical. She decides to write to John Eyre after recalling the inheritence offering, thinking she would be at ease with a fortune of her own, because at the moment she maintains the belief that she will be losing all her power, to Rochester- shown by Rochesters objectifications. OBJECTIFYING HER, AND SHE HAS NOTHING TO BACK UP THAT ONCE SHE MARRIES ROCHESTER AND BECOMES JANE ROCHESTER, SHE WILL HAVE NOTHING LEFT OF HER IDENTITY, especially without any fortune truely of her own.

Reflects on the lighting-split tree, reflecting on the two sauntered sections clinging together.

Jane describes a disturbing incident from the night before- she awoke from a disturbing dream, and heard someone in her closet. The figure emerged was tall, savage and discoloured, wearing Jane’s vale. Bertha removed the vale, tore it in half and stomped on it. The woman came close to her with bloodshot eyes and blew out the candle.

Rochester lies, tells her it was in fact Grace Poole, she was half dreaming and half awake and misconstrued the situation before her.

Jane realises that with marriage, the self-sufficient independent life of her past will change.
The moon shining on the sceen is blood red, and gives Jane a bewieldered and dreary glance only amplifies the weary and gloomy future that may await her marriage with R.

Jane has disturbing dreams, holding a baby and Thornfield in ruins, foreshadowing a great obsticle (bertha) that would encounter Jane and Rochester’s marriage.
THE BABY might represent Jane’s hopes and aspirations, which she tries to protect and carry forward into the future.
The Vale shreaded in such a violent way by Bertha mirrors her hopes of happiness that are yet to be shattered by a dark secret of Rochester.

Question 25

Chapter 26

Answer 25

Jane and Rochester prepeare and then go to the Church. Although they have no guests Jane notices 2 men stood on the side, who would be the root of chaos eruption upon their wedding day.

Mr Briggs objects, and claims R is already married, to Mr Maisons sister, Bertha. Mr Mason appears and affirms this.

Inarticulate fury and rage displayed by the expultion of this dark secret (releasing the darkness inside him) he admits its true, explains he knew he was taking a second wife.

He promises everyone that Jane was ignorant of Bertha’s existence, so she doesn’t recieve retribution.

They go and see Bertha on the third floor, Grace Poole there, Bertha behaves like an animal on all fours ANIMALISTIC, ZOOMORPHISM,
She bites Rochesters face, tries to strangle him. They tie her to a chair.

Briggs informs Jane that her uncle, John Eyre is dying. Knowing the truth (John Eyre knowing of the previous marriage) he sent Mr Mason to stop the false marriage.

Jane is shocked, locks herself in her room, doesn’t know what to think or do. She decides SHE MUST LEAVE THORNFIELD.
She feels alone, and prays for Gods help. The mysteries surround Poole finally explained, and Rochester feels that he had a right to break the marriage bond given that he was tricked into marrying a mad-woman.

After these revelations, she feels she doesn’t completely know Rochester, becomes detached and removed from him and fears that what he feels for her is only something of FICKLE PASSION.