Jane Eyre (Spoilers!)

For the student looking for all the answers!

Should I read this book?

• A great book I always give it Five stars (more of a female read, but eveyone should like and enjoy it)

• The books is very long with 659 pages, ( in my copy at least) but it is very easy to read.

• There are many adaptations of the book. There are a few free adaptations of the movies on Youtube. My favorite while matching many things in the book is the BBC min-seires (2006). There is another adaptation that I prefer just for a good movie night and that is the (2011) version.

• There is a Crash course video of it on Youtube.

• A great book report book for anaylizing the victiorian times a well as femisist ideals.

SUMMARY

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is a story filled with suffering, love, redemption and the utter strength of self-respect. The story begins with the miserable childhood of Jane Eyre, an orphan that is a dependent of her Aunt, Mrs. Reed of Gateshead Hall. Jane is submitted to constant abuse from her wicked cousins John, Eliza, and Georgiana. John torments young Jane verbally and physically.

Young Jane fights back and protects herself and is accosted by her loathing Aunt and is subjected to the red room. The red room is the room in which her Uncle Reed, passed away in, and is said to be haunted. Jane is truly living in a prison and is in terror of her family, who does not love her and thinks her unequal. Her Aunt sends for Mr. Brocklehurst the owner of Lowood school for girls, to send Jane off to school. Her Aunt deems her a liar, to Mr. Brocklehurst and conveys her as a troubling child. When in fact it is her Aunt that is being deceitful in her lie’s against Jane.

Eventually, Jane is sent to Lowood. A school that becomes a new test unto itself for young Jane as she learns the harsh conditions and people of her new setting, one of them being Helen Burns. Burns is a fellow student that Jane finds a friend in. Helen is the voice of reason and faith to Jane during her passionate times about Lowood. Jane is ridiculed farther when Mr. Brocklehurst reveals to everyone at the school of Jane's supposed deceit, as her punishment.

After that, a typhus epidemic breaks out at the school killing Helen Burns, but not Jane. The story flashes forward and Jane is now eighteen and a schoolmistress at Lowood, however, she feels trapped.

Jane advertises for a governess position and is immediately answered, so she sets off to Thornfield Manor. There Jane is greeted by hospitable people, who welcome her! Jane begins to teach the young, French, girl Adele. Soon following, strange laughter begins to echo through the house of Grace Poole’s, leaving unanswered questions and mystery. Months pass before one evening Jane goes forth to deliver a letter and comes across a man riding a horse, the horse after passing Jane on the misty, evening road, flips its rider and sends the man to the ground. Jane helps the man to get his horse-mounted again. The conversation between the two is brisk and strange. The two both go their separate ways. Jane returns that night to find out that the man had been Mr. Rochester owner of Thornfield Hall, her employer. Mr. Rochester begins to take an eager interest in Jane, frequently having indepth conversations in the evenings, this continues until, one night Jane awakens in the dead of the night after hearing a laugh and soon investigates, all the way to Mr. Rochester's room. Where the bed is on fire and Mr. Rochester sleeping soundly in it. Jane arouses Rochester and soon the fire is put out, Rochester tells Jane to stay put and that he will see to the matter himself. After a long while, Rochester returns telling her Grace Poole is responsible for the accident. They share a touching scene before Jane leaves to go back to bed. The mystery unfolds and Rochester doesn’t punish Grace in any way causing speculation from Jane.

The next morning Jane discovers that Mr. Rochester has gone to Mr. Eshton's place for a party assembly.

Jane begins to acquire feelings for Rochester in his absence, as well as jealousy for Blanche Ingram, a woman that has secured his heart. Rochester returns with a party of people including Blanche Ingram. Rochester, forces Jane, to attend the party in the evenings, subjecting her to analyze the wealthy party’s opinions of her, as well as his flirting with Blanche. Jane eventually admits to the reader, that she likes him.

Soon after mischief ensues as Rochester, dresses up like a gypsy to tell fortunes for all the lady’s, although it’s to really find out what Jane, thinks of him. Richard Mason arrives from Spanish Town, Jamaica. Rochester’s, personality changes, and more horror continue. In the night a fearfulshriek cries out, and the party of the guest is shaken up, then sent back to bed. Rochester, send for Jane, to tend to Richard Mason, who has been ghastly injured, The event was caused in Jane’s, mind by Grace Poole. Soon after Jane hears that her Aunt, Mrs. Reed, is on her deathbed, and has made a request for Jane. Jane travels back to Gateshead and also discovers that her cousin John Reed as ruined himself and committed suicide, leading to her Aunt's demise. Mrs. Reed, tells Jane, that she kept the secret of her Uncle, John Eyre of Madeira, her only relative. John Eyre had wished to adopt her and give her his money upon his passing. Mrs. Reed passes away and Jane returns to Thornfield one month later. Rochester, upon her return, leads Jane, out to a field and professes his love for her, “You­ you strange, you almost unearthly thing!­I loove as my own flesh. You­ poor and obscure, and small and plain as you are­I entreat to accept me as a husband (pg.367).” Jane is uncertain of his sincerity, because of Blanche Ingram. However, Rochester, say’s that she was a ploy only to make Jane love him in return.

Jane accepts his hand and they are happy in their short union and, plan to travel to Europe together. However, the day of the wedding takes a terrible turn, as at the altar it was revealed unexpectedly by Richard Mason, that Mr. Rochester, already has a wife, Bertha Mason, Richards sister. Rochester, not only has a living wife but she was the mysterious lunatic kept there in the attic, responsible for all the things Grace Poole, had allegedly done.

Rochester, tells Jane, that he was tricked int to the union and suffers, however, the next day she escapes in the night.

She wanders the moors, becominghomeless and a beggar until she is rescued by the River siblings, who evidently turn out to be her cousin’s. Jane, also discovers that she is now an heiress because of her uncle's death. She begins to live with her cousin’s. St. John; one of her cousin’s; proposes that she come with him to India as his wife. Jane scorns the idea and decides that she does not love him.

Jane hears the voice of Rochester right then and goes to him. After a year of separation, she finds out that Thornfield Manor was burned to the ground and the insane wife, Bertha, along with it, Rochester, was disfigured with the loss of an arm and is now blind. Jane, find him and, the two Marry. And the two continue their happy, married lives till the end of the book.

THEMES

The red room= sexuality in the begining of the novel as she is shunned and trapped for sexuality as a growing girl.

Bertha (Rochester Insane wife) is a reflection of Jane as she battles with the passion and insanity inside of herself.

Jane and Rochester can only be together at then end because Jane must become an equal in every sense for them to be together.

Thank you for reading I hope it was helpful!