• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
 
Related Historical Events:
The Victorian period broughtsweeping changes across British society, and writerslike Brontë explored its crises and progress. Abroad, theBritish expanded into a global empire that brought wealthrom colonies. With the Industrial Revolution at home,manuacturing became Britain’s economic backbone. As themiddle class ound lucrative opportunities, a new laboringclass struggled or wages, job security, and adequate workingand living conditions.
 Jane Eyre
includes themes o reormsthat emerged rom the crisis: better political representation,working conditions, and education. Few o these reormscame immediately or women, who had limited status inVictorian society. As Jane strives or economic and personalindependence, she touches on the issues o class, economics,and gender roles that aected Victorian Britain at large.
Extra Credit
Bells and Brontës:
The Brontës became a literary powerhousewhen Charlotte, Emily, and Anne all wrote successul rstnovels. Each sister published under a masculine-soundingpseudonym based on their initials. Charlotte Brontë became“Currer Bell”; Emily Brontë wrote
Wuthering Heights
(1845-46)as “Ellis Bell”, and Anne Brontë published
 Agnes Gray 
(1847) as“Acton Bell.” Women could enter the marketplace as writersand novelists, but many writers, including the Brontës andMary Anne Evans (“George Eliot”), used male pseudonyms tokeep rom being dismissed as unimportant.
Background Info
Protagonist:
Jane Eyre
Antagonists:
Mrs. Reed, Bertha Mason, St. John Rivers
Point o View:
First person. Jane recounts her story ten yearsater its ending.
Historical and Literary Context
When Written:
1847
Literary Period:
Victorian
Related Literary Works:
The most popular literary orm inthe Victorian period was the novel, and
 Jane Eyre
illustratesmany o its dening characteristics: social relevance, plainstyle, and the narrative o an individual’s inner thoughts.
 JaneEyre
is indebted to earlier Gothic novels, with its mysteries,supernatural events, and picturesque scenery. But as Janematures, her autobiography likewise takes on Victorianthemes and characteristics.
 Jane Eyre
is a
Bildungsroman
, ora coming-o-age story, in which the protagonist’s aspirationsare set against the pressures and expectations o society.Victorian novels, including
 Jane Eyre
, depict social panoramaswith characters representing dierent economic and socialclasses, as well as gender dierences. Brontë uses Jane’smarriage as a metaphor or resolving England’s politicalissues. Victorian novels with similar styles and goals includeCharles Dickens’ semi-autobiographical coming-o-age story,
David Copperfeld
(1849-50), and Elizabeth Gaskell’s
Mary Barton
(1848) and
North and South
(1855).
Author Bio
Full Name:
Charlotte Brontë
Pen Name:
Currer Bell, the “editor”
Date o Birth:
1816
Place o Birth:
Yorkshire, England
Date o Death:
1855
Brie Lie Story:
Charlotte Brontë’s ather was a ruralclergyman. She lost her mother when she was ve yearsold. Brontë’s two older sisters—Maria and Elizabeth—diedrom an illness that they likely contracted at their harshboarding school. Though outwardly plain, Brontë had anactive imaginative lie, writing stories o an elaborate antasyworld called Angria. Brontë’s rst o our novels—
 Jane Eyre
—was immediately and widely popular, and brought her intoLondon literary circles. Her sisters Emily and Anne were alsosuccessul novelists. Ater losing all o her siblings to illness,Brontë married a clergyman she respected, but did not love.She died at 38 o complications during her rst pregnancy.
Key Facts
Full Title:
 
 Jane Eyre: An Autobiography 
Genre:
Victorian novel.
 Jane Eyre
combines Gothic mystery, aromantic marriage plot, and a coming-o-age story.
Setting:
Northern England in the early 1800s.
Climax:
Jane telepathically hears Rochester’s voice callingout to her.
 Jane Eyre
is an orphaned girl living with her aunt
Mrs. Reed
atGateshead Hall. Mrs. Reed and her children treat Jane cruelly, andlook down on her as a dependent. Punishing her or a ght withher cousin that she didn’t start, Mrs. Reed locks her in a red roomwhere Jane’s uncle,
Mr. Reed
, had died years beore. His ghostlypresence terries Jane. Soon ater,
Mrs. Reed
sends Jane to theLowood Institution, a charity school run by the hypocritical
Mr.Brocklehurst
. Lowood has terrible conditions and a harsh workethic, though the compassionate supervisor,
Maria Temple
,intervenes sometimes to give the girls a break. At Lowood,Jane makes riends with another student,
Helen Burns
, whohelps Jane learn to endure personal injustice and believe in abenevolent God. Helen, however, is sick with consumption anddies. When a typhus epidemic decimates the school’s studentpopulation, new management takes over and improves Lowood’sconditions. Jane fourishes under her newly considerate teachers,and ater six years, becomes a teacher hersel.Ms. Temple marries and leaves Lowood, and the eighteen-year-old Jane advertises or a job as a private tutor. She is hiredto become the governess o the young
Adèle Varens
. Adèle isthe ward o 
Mr. Rochester
—the older, swarthy, and command-ing master o Thorneld Hall. While in residence at Thorneld,Jane requently hears strange laughter, and one night rescuesMr. Rochester rom a re in his bedroom. On another occasion,Jane helps Mr. Rochester secretly bandage and send away aman named
Mr. Mason
who was slashed and bitten on thethird foor o the Mansion. Rochester blames a quirky servant,
Grace Poole
, but Jane is skeptical.Mr. Rochester brings a party o English aristocrats to Thorn-eld, including the beautiul but calculating
Blanche Ingram
.She aims to marry him, but Mr. Rochester turns Blanche away,as he is increasingly drawn to the plain, but clever and directJane. Mr. Rochester soon asks Jane to marry him. Jane, who hasgradually allen in love with Rochester, accepts. Rochester hast-ily prepares the wedding. But during the small ceremony, a Lon-don lawyer intervenes and declares that Mr. Rochester alreadyhas a wie—
Bertha Mason
rom the West Indies. Her brother,
Mr. Mason
, appears to conrm this. Mr. Rochester reluctantlyadmits to it, and takes everyone to the third foor, where Berthais revealed as a raving lunatic, looked ater by Grace Poole.Rochester was tricked into the marriage and he appeals toJane to come away with him anyway, but Jane reuses to be hismistress. Ater a dream that warns her to fee temptation, Janesneaks away rom Thorneld at dawn.Penniless in a region o England she does not know, Janeexperiences three bitter days o begging, sleeping outside, andnearly starving. Eventually she comes upon and is taken in atMoor House—the home o 
Mary
,
Diana
, and
St. John Rivers
,a stern local clergyman. St. John gives Jane a position teaching ina rural school. Jane discovers that an uncle she’s never met hasdied and let her 20,000 pounds. That uncle turns out to be relatedto the Rivers siblings, so Jane suddenly has cousins. In her joy atnding amily, she divides her ortune equally between them.St. John has plans to go to India as a missionary, and he pro-poses marriage to Jane so she’ll accompany and work or him.Jane eels amilial aection but no love or St. John. She says shewould go as St. John’s sister, but he will accept no conditions.St. John’s orceul personality almost convinces Jane to sacricehersel and marry him. But in her conused emotional state, Janeexperiences a telepathic fash: she hears Rochester’s voice call-ing to her. She immediately leaves to seek out Rochester.Jane nds Thorneld Hall destroyed rom a re that Berthahad set in Jane’s old bedroom. During the blaze, Bertha had jumped rom the roo and died. Rochester saved his servants,but suered injuries that let him blind and missing a hand. Janemeets the humbled Rochester at Ferndean, his woodland re-treat, and promises always to take care o him. They marry, bringback Adèle rom boarding school, and have a son. Rochestereventually regains sight in one eye.
Plot SummaryCharacters
 Jane Eyre
— The protagonist and narrator, Jane is an or-phaned girl caught between class boundaries, nancial situa-tions, and her own conficted eelings. In her youth and againas a governess, Jane must depend on others or support. Janeeels isolated, and strives or her personal reedom and mean-ingul connections with others—to nd the loving amily shenever had. Jane is intelligent, imaginative, and principled. Shedees many restrictive social conventions, especially those a-ecting women. As the novel progresses, Jane learns to temperher passions with sel-control—she controls her eelings with judgment based on sel-respect and Christian humility. Shemust reconcile her contradictory desires to be both indepen-dent and to serve a strong-willed man. Religion helps Jane togain a mature understanding o hersel as a sel-respectingindividual who credits her eelings, but also deers to God.
Edward Fairax Rochester
— The wealthy master o Thorneld Hall and
 Jane’s
employer and, later, her husband.Over the course o his lie, he grows rom a naive young man, toa bitter playboy in Europe, to a humble yet still strong man wor-thy o Jane. Both share similar virtues and seek their personalredemption. Yet Rochester errs in giving more rein to his eel-ings than his judgment and in expecting the world to submit tohis will, as when he tries to marry Jane while still concealing
Bertha
and his secrets. In his distress ater losing his eyesight,Rochester comes to accept his need o guidance and respector God. His nal strength comes rom his newound humility.
Adèle Varens
—
 Jane’s
young pupil at Thorneld, whois
Mr. Rochester’s
ward. As Jane reorms Adèle’s “French”characteristics with an English education, she symbolicallyrestores Mr. Rochester’s morality rom his previous liestyle.
Céline Varens
—
Adèle’s
mother, Céline Varens is a firtyFrench singer who was also
Mr. Rochester’s
mistress. AsRochester’s mistress, Céline was essentially a hired woman,submitting to the shallow status o a dependent. She repre-sents the opposite o what Jane wants in her relationship.
www.LitCharts.com
LIT CHART S
GET LIT 
 TM TM
 Jane Eyre
 
Blanche Ingram
— A beautiul socialite who wants tomarry
Mr. Rochester
. Blanche embodies the shallow andclass-prejudiced woman o the old aristocracy.
St. John Rivers
— A parson with two sisters at Moor House,and
 Jane’s
cousin. Much like Jane, St. John is a restless char-acter, searching or a place and purpose in lie. Like Mr. Roch-ester, St. John has a commanding personality, but the two mencontrast in their range o eelings. St. John relinquishes worldlyhappiness or a commitment to his religious principles. Hisstern religious aith makes him sel-denying and cold.
Rosamond Oliver
— A rich and beautiul woman who sup-ports
 Jane’s
school at Morton. She loves
St. John
, but marriesa wealthy man when it becomes clear that St. John’s ocus ison his missionary work.
Diana and Mary Rivers
—
 Jane’s
cousins and
St. John’s
sisters. Similar to Jane in intellect and personality, they showJane heartelt compassion that contrasts with St. John’s moredutiul sense o charity.
Mrs. Fairax
— The housekeeper at Thorneld Hall.
Grace Poole
— The mysterious servant at Thorneld whowatches over
Bertha Mason
. Her name suggests religiousgrace, which
Rochester
cannot nd until Bertha’s suicide.
Bertha Mason
—
Rochester’s
insane Creole wie romJamaica who is locked away on the third foor o Thorneld.Bertha is portrayed less as a human being than as a Gothicmonster or a vampire. Because o her Creole or mixed raceparentage, Bertha reveals Victorian prejudices about otherethnicities. She represents Rochester’s monstrous secrets.
Richard Mason
— The timid brother o 
Bertha Mason
,and
Rochester’s
ormer business partner in Jamaica.
 John Eyre
—
 Jane
and the
Rivers’
uncle. A successul winemerchant who leaves Jane an inheritance o 20,000 pounds.
Uncle Reed
— As
 Jane’s
maternal uncle, he adopts theorphaned Jane and makes his wie promise to care or her astheir own child.
Mrs. Reed
—
 Jane’s
aunt by marriage, and the matron o Gateshead Hall. Mrs. Reed eels threatened by Jane, who hassuperior qualities to her own children. Mrs. Reed represents theanxiety o a wealthy and conservative social class, which actsdeensively to protect itsel rom independent minds like Jane’s.
 John Reed
—
Mrs. Reed’s
son, and a bully.
Georgiana Reed
— A spoiled daughter o 
Mrs. Reed
, andlater a supercial socialite.
Eliza Reed
—
Mrs. Reed’s
third child, who is more reservedand stern than her siblings.
Bessie Lee
— A house servant o 
Mrs. Reed
, Bessie is theonly person at Gateshead to treat Jane with any kindness.
Mr. Lloyd
— An apothecary.
Mr. Brocklehurst
— The parson and hypocritical overseero Lowood Institution. Mr. Brocklehurst advocates a severereligious program o sel-improvement—denying the body tosave the soul. But unlike
St. John Rivers
, the pampered Mr.Brocklehurst does not practice what he preaches.
Maria Temple
— The headmistress o Lowood school. Ms.Temple serves as a mother gure and a model o intellectualrenement, gentle authority, and emotional sensibility or
 Jane
 and
Helen
. Both girls eel a deep connection to Ms. Temple.
Helen Burns
—
 Jane’s
best riend at Lowood, and a modelo personal strength and even temperament or Jane. Helenis a withdrawn intellectual with an optimistic religious view o universal salvation that contrasts with
St. John’s
belies.
Miss Scatcherd
— A cruel teacher at Lowood school.
Miss Abbot
— A servant at Gateshead.
Love, Family, and Independence
As an orphan at Gateshead, Jane is oppressed and dependent.For Jane to discover hersel, she must break out o these restric-tive conditions and nd love and independence. Jane must havethe reedom to think and eel, and she seeks out other indepen-dent-minded people as the loving amily she craves. Jane,
HelenBurns
, and
Ms. Temple
enjoy a deep mutual respect, and ormemotional bonds that anticipate the actual amily Jane nds in
Mary
and
Diana Rivers
. Yet Jane also has a natural instincttoward submission. When she leaves Lowood to nd new expe-riences, she describes hersel as seeking a “new servitude.” Inher relationship with men, she has the inclination toward makingrst
Rochester
and then
St. John
her “master.”Over the course o the novel, Jane strives to nd a balancebetween service and mastery. Jane blends her reedom withher commitments to love, virtue, and sel-respect. At the end,Jane is both guide and servant to Rochester. She nds andcreates her own amily, and their love grows out o the mutualrespect o ree minds.
Social Class and Social Rules
Lie in 19th-century Britain was governed by social class,and people typically stayed in the class into which they wereborn. Both as an orphan at Gateshead and as a governess atThorneld,
 Jane
holds a position that is
between
classes, andinteracts with people o every level, rom working-class servantsto aristocrats. Jane’s social mobility lets Brontë create a vastsocial landscape in her novel in which she examines the sourcesand consequences o class boundaries. For instance, class di-erences cause many problems in the love between Jane and
Rochester
. Jane must break through class prejudices about herstanding, and make people recognize and respect her personalqualities. Brontë tries to illustrate how personal virtues are bet-ter indicators o character than class.Yet the novel doesn’t entirely endorse breaking everysocial rule. Jane reuses, or instance, to become Rochester’smistress despite the act that he was tricked into a lovelessmarriage. Jane recognizes that how she sees hersel arisesat least partly out o how society sees her, and is unwilling tomake hersel a powerless outcast or love.
Gender Roles
In 19th-century England, gender roles strongly infuencedpeople’s behavior and identities, and women endured con-descending attitudes about a woman’s place, intelligence,and voice. Jane has an uphill battle to become independentand recognized or her personal qualities. She aces o witha series o men who do not respect women as their equals.
Mr. Brocklehurst
,
Rochester
, and
St. John
all attempt tocommand or master women. Brontë uses marriage in the novelto portray the struggle or power between the sexes. Eventhough
Bertha Mason
is insane, she is a provocative symbolo how married women can be repressed and controlled. Janeends o marriage proposals that would squash her identity,and strives or equality in her relationships. For its depiction o Jane’s struggle or gender equality,
 Jane Eyre
was considereda radical book in its day.
Religion
Religion and spirituality are key actors in how charactersdevelop in the novel.
 Jane
matures partly because she learnsto ollow Christian lessons and resist temptation. Helen Burnsintroduces Jane to the New Testament, which becomes amoral guidepost or Jane throughout her lie. As Jane developsher relationship with God,
Mr. Rochester
must also reormhis pride, learn to pray, and become humble. Brontë depictsdierent orms o religion:
Helen
trusts in salvation;
ElizaReed
becomes a French Catholic nun; and
St. John
preachesa gloomy Calvinist aith. The novel attempts to steer a middlecourse. In Jane, Brontë sketches a virtuous aith that does notconsume her individual personality. Jane is sel-respecting andreligious, but also exercises her reedom to love and eel.
Feeling vs. Judgment
Just as
 Jane Eyre
can be described as Jane’s quest to balanceher contradictory natural instincts toward independence andsubmission, it can also be described as her quest to nd abalance between passionate eeling on the one had and judg-ment, or repression o those eelings, on the other. Throughthe examples o other characters in the novel, such as Elizaand Georgiana, Rochester and St. John—or Bertha, who hasno control over her emotions at all—
 Jane Eyre
shows that it’sbest to avoid either extreme. Passion makes a person silly,rivolous or even dangerous, while repression makes a personcold. Over the course o the novel, Jane learns how to create abalance between her eelings and her judgment, and to createa lie o love that is also a lie o serious purpose.
The Spiritual and the Supernatural
Brontë uses many themes o Gothic novels to add drama andsuspense to
 Jane Eyre
. But the novel isn’t just a ghost storybecause Brontë also reveals the
reasons
behind supernaturalevents. For instance,
Mr. Reed’s
ghost in the red-room isa gment o Jane’s stressed-out mind, while
Bertha
is the“demon” in Thorneld. In
 Jane Eyre
, the eects o the super-natural matter more than the causes. The supernatural allowsBrontë to explore her characters’ psyches, especially Jane’sinner ears. The climactic supernatural moment in the noveloccurs when
 Jane
and
Rochester
have a telepathic connec-tion. In the text, Jane makes it clear that the connection wasnot supernatural to her. Instead, she considers that moment amysterious spiritual connection. Brontë makes their telepathypart o her conceptions o love and religion.
 Themes
In LitCharts, each theme gets its own corresponding color,which you can use to track where the themes occur in thework. There are two ways to track themes:Reer to the color-coded bars next to each plot point
•
throughout the
 Summary and Analysis
sections.Use the
•
ThemeTracker 
section to get a quick overview o where the themes appear throughout the entire work.
The Red-Room
The red-room symbolizes how society traps
 Jane
by limit-ing her reedom due to her class, gender, and independentstreak.
Symbols
Symbols are shown in
red
text whenever they appear in the
Plot  Summary 
and
 Summary and Analysis
sections o this LitChart.eelings, is a pyromaniac. The inerno at Thorneld illustratesthe danger o letting the passions run wild.
Eyes
The eyes are the windows to the soul in
 Jane Eyre
.
 Jane
is es-pecially attracted to
Mr. Rochester’s
black and brilliant eyes,which symbolize his temper and power. Ater Mr. Rochester
Fire and Ice
Fire is a symbol o emotion in the novel.
Mr. Rochester
hasa ery personality, while
St. John
is associated with ice andsnow, symbolizing his dispassionate character.
 Jane
drawsarctic scenes in her portolio that symbolize death. She wantsthe vitality that re brings, but also to keep it under control. Onthe other hand,
Bertha Mason
, who has no control over her
2
www.LitCharts.com
Copyright © 2009 LitCharts. All rightsreserved.
GET LIT 
LIT CHART S
 TM TM
 
Summary and Analysis
Preface
Writing as her pseudonym “Currer Bell,” the authorthanks her public and her publishers, but attacksliterary critics who expect authors to stick to stylisticand moral conventions. Instead, she explains thatappearances and belies must be examined and theplain truth must be revealed.
Bell’s comments offer an early suggestion of Jane’s personality.Independent and inquiring, Janebreaks through conventions and  gets to deeper truths about society.
She dedicates her novel to someone who shethinks does this brilliantly—William Thackeray, theVictorian satirist and author o 
Vanity Fair 
. She praisesThackeray or being a “social regenerator” who writesbooks to correct the warped social system.
This dedication shows one of the main objectives of 
 JaneEyre
: to expose social problemsand then “regenerate” or reform them.
Chapter 1
On a dreary aternoon in Gateshead Hall, the ten-year-old
 Jane Eyre
, who has been orbidden byher Aunt rom playing with her three cousins, ndsa curtained window seat where she can read. Janepages through a copy o the
History o British Birds
.Its many
pictures
inspire her to imagine mysteriousstories and arctic scenes.
 Jane sitting and reading by herself, not allowed to play withher cousins, establishes her odd and lonely position at Gates-head Hall. Yet her willingness to
nd a book to read, rather than
 just moping, establishes her independence.
 Jane
’s bullying cousin
 John Reed
barges in andinsults her, calling her a penniless orphan and beggarand a servant in his house. When he knocks her downwith the book, Jane ghts back or the rst time in herlie. The two children scufe.
Because Jane is an orphan, thewealthy Reeds treat her as adependent—someone whorelies on their support. They treat her more like a servant than a family member.
Stunned,
 John
goes crying to
Mrs. Reed
: his motherand
 Jane
’s aunt. Mrs. Reed, despite Jane’s protests,accuses Jane o starting the ght. As punishment,Mrs. Reed orders Jane to be locked in the
red-room
.The red-room is a lavishly urnished and rarely usedbedroom where, nine years previous, Mrs. Reed’shusband (Jane’s uncle) had died.
 Jane’s punishment is ironic—at the moment Jane asserts her independence, her freedomis taken away. The Reeds aretyrants and hypocrites, refusing to recognize Jane’s virtues and their own vices.
Chapter 2
Two servants,
Bessie Lee
and
Miss Abbot
, haulthe wildly struggling
 Jane
upstairs. Shocked at herviolent outbreak, they scold her or disrespecting
Mrs. Reed
, her beneactress and master. They tellJane that she depends on Mrs. Reed’s generosity.Without it, she would have to go to the poor house.
Because of her uncertain statusin the family and in the social hierarchy, Jane is a prisoner of Mrs. Reed’s “generosity” aswell as the red-room. Adopted children like Jane had few, if any, options of their own.
They lock
 Jane
alone in the
red-room
. Jane catchessight o her gaunt refection in the mirror and broodson the injustice o Gateshead Hall, where she isalways being insulted and punished while the Reedbrats enjoy every privilege. She knows that the kindly
Mr. Reed
would never have treated her so badly.Mr. Reed brought her to Gateshead, and it was hisdying that
Mrs. Reed
raise Jane like one o her ownchildren.
 Alone with her reection and 
her thoughts, Jane starts torealize what she deserves as anindividual, and what was prom-ised to her by Mr. Reed—to betreated with love and respect.Though she is powerless, sheknows that she deserves better.
 Jane
thinks about the dead and how, when wronged,they can arise to seek revenge. Suddenly, Jane isoverwhelmed with a sense o 
Mr. Reed
’s presencein the room. Convinced she sees his ghost, Janescreams in terror. The servants open the door, but
Mrs. Reed
reuses to believe Jane or to let her out.Locked back into the red-room again, Jane aints.
Imagined or not, the ghost sets the tone for many of thesupernatural elements in thenovel. Jane wants revenge, but it takes a terrifying form in Mr.Reed’s spirit. Jane must learnanother, more controlled way toconfront injustice.
Chapter 3
 Jane
wakes up in the nursery, cared or by
Bessie
,and by the local apothecary,
Mr. Lloyd
. Bessie tellsJane that she thinks that Mrs. Reed mistreated her,nurses Jane, and even sings Jane a song, but Jane ismelancholy and unreachable. Jane only eels betterwhen she gets a book—
Gulliver’s Travels
, a anciulsatire by Jonathan Swit, which she believes is aactual story o distant places.
For her own children, Mrs.Reed would have hired a real doctor rather than an apoth-ecary. Jane takes refuge in her imagination which, as with Mr.Reed’s ghost, can sometimesbe too powerful and distort the truth.
As
 Jane
recovers,
Mr. Lloyd
asks her about her healthand her well-being. Jane conesses her unhappinessand her regrets about having no amily, but says shedoes not want to leave and become a beggar. Even i she had amily, Jane says she would not want to rejointhem i they were very poor.
Poverty has affected Janedeeply enough to challenge her desire for family. Dependentsand young women on their own had it rough—they could either work for someone or hit the streets.
Mr. Lloyd
asks
 Jane
i she’d like to attend school.Jane gladly says yes. He obtains permission rom
Mrs. Reed
, who is thrilled to get rid o her niece.
Education is necessary for anorphan girl like Jane to create aplace for herself in society.
Later,
 Jane
overhears
Bessie
telling
Miss Abbot
 the story o Jane’s amily. Jane’s ather was a poorclergyman. Jane’s mother, a Reed, married him againsther wealthy amily’s wishes, and they disowned her.Just ater Jane was born, Jane’s ather caught typhuswhile helping the poor, and both o Jane’s parentssoon died. Jane’s uncle
Mr. Reed
adopted her. Mr.Reed also died within a year, but made his wie,
Mrs.Reed
, promise to raise Jane like one o their ownchildren—
 John
,
Eliza
, and
Georgiana
.
 Jane’s parents are split betweenthe working class and theupper-class gentry (people whoowned property). Jane’s mother chose love and her own desiresover her family’s money. Janewill do the same eventually. Likeher mother, Jane is determined to earn respect for herself, and for women in general.
Chapter 4
For two months,
 Jane
anxiously waits or herschooling to start. She is nally interviewed by
Mr.Brocklehurst
—the aloo and stern headmaster o the Lowood school. He lectures Jane about religion,especially about the virtue o consistency.
Mrs. Reed
 warns him that Jane is a liar, and Mr. Brocklehurstpromises to inorm her uture teachers.
 Another painfully ironic moment—as will become clear,Brocklehurst is hardly pious or consistent, while it is Mrs. Reed who is the liar. Once again, Mrs.Reed does harm to her niece,whom she should protect.
 Jane
is so hurt by
Mrs. Reed
’s alse accusationthat she can’t stop hersel rom angrily exclaimingthat her aunt makes her sick and is hersel a crueland deceitul person. Mrs. Reed is dumbstruckand subdued by Jane’s bold criticism. Aterwards,Jane eels a thrilling mix o victory and ear at heruncontrolled passions.
 Jane’s passionate nature arises.By asserting herself, she stopsothers from misrepresenting and taking advantage of her.But she also knows that be-cause of her social position, her outburst is out of line. She must learn to control her passions.
The color-coded bars in
 Summary and Analysis
make it easy to track the themes through thework. Each color corresponds to one o the themes explained in the
Themes
section. For in-stance, a bar o indicates that all six themes apply to that part o the summary.loses his eyesight in the re, Jane
becomes
his eyes: meta-phorically, Jane now holds the position o mastery. Bertha hasbloodshot eyes that match her violent nature. The novel alsoemphasizes the mind’s eye—an active imagination.
Food
In
 Jane Eyre
, ood symbolizes generosity, nourishment, andbounty, and hunger symbolizes cruelty and a lack o nourish-ment. Brontë uses ood and hunger to reveal how people treateach other—who is charitable, and who isn’t. For instance,the lack o ood at Lowood reveals the school’s cruelty andreligious hypocrisy. Ms. Temple, on the other hand, providesood and is compassionate and generous. Food has religioussignicance in the novel as well—physical hunger representsa deeper spiritual craving.
Portraits and Pictures
Through dreams and drawings,
 Jane
visualizes her deepesteelings. Jane’s portolio contains pictures that symbolize herlie. Portraits can also stand in or people’s characters. Janecompares her portraits o hersel and
Blanche Ingram
, whichmirror the dierences in the two women’s personalities andsocial class. Jane’s portrait o 
Rosamond Oliver
is the closestthat
St. John
ever gets to happiness on earth. In each case,the visual picture takes on a new reality. Brontë, making herown picture o society in
 Jane Eyre
, likewise wanted to give hernovel real relevance.
3
www.LitCharts.com
Copyright © 2009 LitCharts. All rightsreserved.
GET LIT 
LIT CHART S
 TM TM
of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...