Jane Eyre Quotes Flashcards
'’There was no possibility of taking a walk that day’’
- opening line immediately creates environment that is restrictive
- Bronte and (other novelists of the time)often place scenes of freedom and expression outdoors but Jane is imprisoned with the Reeds
- the indirect reference to bad weather is ominous and creates a sense of foreboding
- Perhaps introducing the concept ‘‘possibility’’ will whet the readers appetite
What does the quote ‘‘there was no possibility of taking a walk that day’’ show ?
'’Trying to forget the cold which nipped me…the unsatisfied hunger which gnawed me…delivered myself to watching and thinking’’
- Lowood is a harsh place reflected in the verbs ‘nipped’ and ‘gnawed’ .
- the feeling of hungers highlights the lack of care Jane experiences.
- her decisions to watch others marks a shift in her character to be more reflective
- it also highlights her reliance on ‘thinking’ as an escape from the brutal existence as a Victorian child
What does the quote ‘trying to forget the cold which nipped me …'’show ?
'’Cruel? Not at all! She is severe: she dislikes my faults.”
- Helen is answering one of Jane’s many questions.
- She is teaching Jane not to judge her teachers so harshly and displaying her own modesty.
- Jane learns two things: to stop complaining about her treatment and conform to the roll of a more modest Victorian child who accepts the ‘severity’ of adults; to accept that she may have faults that need altering
What does the quote’‘Cruel? Not at all! She is severe: she dislikes my faults.” Show ?
“Is Mr Rochester an exacting, fastidious sort of man?”
- ane is a questioner of life. She is clearly a curious, thoughtful woman keen to understand her new employer.
- She will be relieved that Mrs Fairfax is of a similar class to herself and so she can talk freely.
- Her vocabulary suggests that she is now well-educated.
- As a reader we also become intrigued by Mr Rochester- his Byronic traits make him into a typical Gothic hero.
What does the quote “Is Mr Rochester an exacting, fastidious sort of man?”
'’A clattering tumble arrested my attention. Man and horse were down; they had slipped on the sheet of ice that glazed the causeway.”
- Mr Rochester is introduced with dramatic language- the words ‘clattering’ ‘arrested’ and ‘slipped’ suggest that Mr Rochester is somewhat dangerous and will have a big impact on Jane’s life.
- We also see the impact the weather can have on the plot- typical of novels from the mid 1800s.
What does the quote “A clattering tumble arrested my attention. Man and horse were down; they had slipped on the sheet of ice that glazed the causeway.” Show?
“Were you happy when you painted these pictures?”
- This is the first time that a character takes a real interest in Jane as they sit talking one evening.
- The concept of ‘happiness’ is introduced and intimacy between Jane and Mr Rochester begins to develop.
- We also see evidence that Jane has maintained her relationship with her imagination producing unusual, modern paintings that intrigue Mr Rochester.
- As a Victorian woman this would have been unusual as she does more than simply conform to the style of the day.
What does the quote “Were you happy when you painted these pictures?” Show?
“Good God! What a cry!
The night-its silence-its rest, was rent in twain by a savage, a sharp, a shrilly sound that ran from end to end of Thornfield Hall.”
- Danger is getting closer. The use of punctuation here illustrates the clear tension mounting at Thornfield Hall-.the repeated exclamation marks re-iterate the mounting shock and confusion experienced by both Jane and the reader.
- The hyphens suggest immediate panic.
- The atmosphere is typical of a Gothic setting using night as a backdrop for violence.
- The use of sibilance echoes the sense of secrecy about Mr Mason’s identity.
What does the quote “Good God! What a cry!
The night-its silence-its rest, was rent in twain by a savage, a sharp, a shrilly sound that ran from end to end of Thornfield Hall.” Show ?
“as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame.”
- This metaphor describes the intimacy between Mr Rochester and Jane by describing them as physically bound.
- The use of the word ‘knotted’ could be interpreted as a sign of security or another example of Jane’s entrapment.
- The tone when he says ‘Your little frame’ could remind us of Mr Rochester’s superiority over Jane due to being both a Victorian man and very wealthy.
What does the quote “as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame.” Show?
'’the great horse-chestnut at the bottom of the orchard had been struck by lightning in the night, and half of it split away.”
- This is an ominous natural metaphor for the impending disaster about to befall Jane and Mr Rochester’s engagement as Bertha’s identity is revealed and the wedding is cancelled.
- This use of pathetic fallacy is especially dramatic as the tree is ‘great’ to begin with but is torn in two which could symbolise the potential but ultimate destruction by external forces.
What does the quote the great horse-chestnut at the bottom of the orchard had been struck by lightning in the night, and half of it split away.” Show?
“Reader, I married him. A quiet wedding we had.”
- Ultimately Jane conforms to a Victorian heroine and marries Mr Rochester; some modern readers have criticised Bronte for this.
- However we see Jane’s true character being adhered to as the wedding is quiet and not frivolous in any way.
- The direct address towards the reader is a break from the overall narrative style and pulls the reader right into the story intensifying the relationship between character and reader.
What does the quote “Reader, I married him. A quiet wedding we had.” Show?
