Patacsil, Mardie Freniel D.

STEM 11 G

Book Review

A. Tittle of the Book: Jane Eyre

B. Author: Charlotte Brontë

C. Genre: Classic Romance, Victorian Literature, Gothic Fiction, Coming-of-Age

D. Main Characters
a. Jane Eyre
b. Edward Rochester
c. Bertha Mason
d. Helen Burns
e. Mrs. Reed and her children (John, Georgiana, and Eliza)
f. Mr. Brocklehurst
g. Maria Temple
h. Mrs. Fairfax
i. Grace Pool
j. Adele Varens
k. Blanche Ingram
l. St. John Rivers and his sisters (Mary and Diana)

E. Setting: Time and Place

a. Time: Early nineteenth century
b. Place: Gateshead Hall, Lowood School, Thornfield Hall, Moor House

F. Theme: Author’s Message

Jane Eyre contains many themes that bring substance to the story. The novel talks about
finding love as well as the responsibilities within a marriage. It emphasizes the significance of education
and standing by one’s own morals even if it is against their yearnings. Charlotte Bronte explores the
battle of obtaining independence and equality in a social pyramid that determines one’s worth in a
Victorian civilization. Lastly, Jane Eyre also contains representative details about the hypocrisy of
religious figures.
The book is about a journey of finding a family where one is loved and respected as an
equal. Jane grew up in an antipathetic setting with her Aunt Reed, the one who took her in as per her
husband’s dying request, and her children. During the course of Jane’s stay at Gateshead, however, the
Reeds only saw her as a dependent, not a part of their family, and therefore someone of a lower rank.
Despite the hostility that Jane underwent with her aunt and cousins and the struggles she encountered
at Lowood, she found solace in Bessie, one of the Reeds’ servants, Miss Maria Temple, the
superintendent of the school, and Helen, her one true friend.
Jane also noticed Mr. Brocklehurst's double standards as he preaches about simplicity and
modesty when she sees his wife and children wearing fabrics of silk. He required that the students cut
off their hair because it is a sign of vanity, but his daughters’ hair was “elaborately curled,” and Jane also
notes that his wife wears fake French curls.
The book talks about independence when Jane took advantage of the education given to
her and came out as a cultivated woman, resulting in getting a job at Thornfield Hall and being self-
reliant. The novel also narrates the importance of controlling your emotions and sticking to your values
 no matter what. It was displayed when Jane falls in love with Mr. Rochester but leaves him in the aisle
on their wedding day when she found out he was married to Bertha Mason. Jane does not withdraw
from her decision, no matter how much she loves Mr. Rochester, because she is aware of the immorality
of being a mistress. After fleeing from Thornfield and being rescued by St. John, Jane also refuses his
proposal of marriage because it was one that is convenient for the both of them but also loveless. It
would compromise her passion because she believes in marrying for love.

G. Synopsis: Plot Diagram

a. Exposition:
Jane Eyre is a romance novel and also regarded as a gothic fiction set in the Victorian era at
five different places supposedly in northern England. The novel, narrated in the first person, starts
with a ten-year-old, orphaned girl named Jane. She lives with her Aunt Reed and her children,
namely, John, Georgiana, and Eliza at Gateshead Hall. The Reeds regarded Jane with hostility, and
she was not accepted as part of the family because no one has left her money, and therefore, was
considered to be in a lower rank.
One November morning, Jane is silently reading on the window-seat when her cousin, John
Reed, walks in and slams a book on her head causing it to bleed. Unable to contain her emotions,
Jane erupted and attacks John. Mrs. Reed, as usual, blames Jane and sends her to the red room
where her uncle Reed had died. Jane hallucinates and sees her deceased uncle, which causes her
to scream and ultimately pass out. Mr. Lloyd, the apothecary, tends to her and suggested that she
can go to school if she is not happy at Gateshead. When the suggestion reached Mrs. Reed, she
happily agreed since this would mean that Jane would not be under her care anymore.
Mrs. Reed finally sent Jane to Lowood Institution, and there she struggles to habituate
herself with the regular customs. She finds that life in Lowood is tough for the students since they
were underfed, their clothes were scarce, and their place did not do very well in protecting them from
the cold. Against all odds, Jane befriends Helen Burns, just a few years older than she is, and has
philosophies in life that contrast Jane’s.
During one of Mr. Brocklehurst’s visits, the man who runs the school, Jane drops her slate by
accident. Mr. Brocklehurst remembers his vow to Mrs. Reed to warn the teachers of her deceitful
attitude. He made Jane stand on a high stool in front of the entire school and broadcasts that she is
a liar. After the incident, Jane is crying and overthinking what people would think of her, but Helen
eases her worries. Both of them have tea with Miss Maria Temple, the school’s superintendent, and
Jane also finds with her a maternal figure. .

b. Conflict:
A disease called typhus passes through Lowood, killing almost half of the students, including
Helen Burns. The poor conditions and compromised supplies of the young girls also contributed to
the loss of the school. The event shunned Mr. Brocklehurst, and he was relieved of his duties other
than the position of post treasurer. A committee was entrusted to the school's finances, and a new
and better building was erected for the students.

c. Rising Action: 
With the Lowood Institution now in a better condition, Jane stays there for eight years, six as
a student and two as a teacher. She delighted and excelled in her studies, but when Miss Temple
marries and moves away, Jane felt like she needed a change. She puts an advertisement in the
newspaper, and she succeeded in getting a job at Thornfield Hall in Millcote as a governess for a girl
less than ten years old. Her student was called Adèle Varens, a vivacious French girl under the care
of Mr. Rochester, the owner of Thornfield.
 During Jane’s stay at Thornfield, she hears a fanatical laugh one night and finds Mr.
Rochester in his bed surrounded by fire. She saves him by splashing water from a basin nearby. Mr.
Rochester tells her that Grace Pool, one of the servants, is to blame. On the next day, Jane wonders
why Grace is still not fired and was also fascinated when she sees Grace totally calm and
composed, as if she had not just committed attempted murder. Jane also learns that Grace earns
five times more than the other servants’ salary.
Despite Mr. Rochester’s capricious moods and sometimes rude behavior, Jane finds herself
falling in love with him. However, when Mr. Rochester comes home one day from business, he
brings with him aristocratic ladies and gentlemen, along with the beautiful and accomplished Miss
Blanche Ingram. Miss Ingram is the woman Mr. Rochester claims he wishes to be wedded to, but it
was all just a plot to make Jane jealous. On one occasion throughout their gathering, a man called
Mr. Mason arrives and inexplicably gets his hand injured. Mr. Rochester asserts that it is Grace Pool
who was, once again, responsible.
One day, Jane acquires the news that her cousin, John Reed, had committed suicide and that
her Aunt Reed is dying of a stroke. She is requested to return to Gateshead at once. There, Mrs.
Reed told her that her father's brother, John Eyre, had sent a letter three years ago intended for her,
but Jane never received it. Her aunt kept it out of spite and jealousy over Jane being her husband’s
favorite. The letter contains John Eyre’s statement that he wishes to adopt Jane and leave her his
wealth.
When Jane comes back to Thornfield, Mr. Rochester confesses his love for her and proposes.
Jane blissfully accepts the marriage proposal. Mrs. Fairfax is upset over the news and warns Jane
about their age gap and social class differences. The wedding continues anyway, but her happiness
abruptly ends when she learns that Mr. Rochester is married to another woman, Mr. Mason’s sister,
named Bertha Mason. Bertha, who was under the care of Grace Pool, was disclosed to have
psychological incapacity and she was responsible for the strange incidents at Thornfield hall.
Mr. Rochester suggests to Jane that they could leave Thornfield, send Adele to school, and
go to France where they can live as husband and wife. Jane, however, does not want it because she
knows that she would acclaim the position as Mr. Rochester’s mistress, which is against her values.
Jane ultimately decides to leave Thornfield.
Jane had a long and tough journey since she ran out of money and food. One evening, she
was found and rescued by the Rivers siblings on their doorstep at Moor House, and Jane introduced
herself as Jane Elliott. Shortly after, the Rivers and Jane discovers that they are close relatives and
that John Eyre, Jane’s uncle has died and left all of his fortunes with her. Jane feels that she has
found a brother and two sisters to love, so she divides her inheritance equally among them. Jane
believes that it is justified, and now, she has a home and a family.
John proposes to Jane since he claims that the marriage would be convenient for them and
that Jane should go with him to India as his ‘missionary wife’. It was going to be a loveless marriage,
so Jane refuses his proposal. St. John did not take it positively and pressures Jane. In the end, she
considers the engagement to her cousin.

d. Climax:
When Jane is about to say yes to St. John’s wedding proposal, however, she encounters
something similar to an electric shock, and this led to a psychic event that makes her hear Mr.
Rochester’s voice calling her name. As Jane describes it, Mr. Rochester spoke in pain and woe. She
becomes determined to find out what had happened to him, and that would require her to go back to
Thornfield.
 e. Falling Action:
Jane departed to Thornfield and was horrified to find it in ashes with only bits of some walls
left standing. She learns that Bertha Mason burnt it down and that Mr. Rochester saved the servants
and had tried to save his wife, but she eventually fell to her death by jumping from Thornfield’s roof.
Jane also discovers that Mr. Rochester is now stone blind, and one of his hands needed to be
amputated. He currently resides in Ferndean, his other house isolated in the woods, relying only on
two of his servants. Jane goes to Ferndean and meets Mr. Rochester in his blind and crippled state.
She tells him about her experiences when she left Thornfield and offers to nurse him. Finally, Mr.
Rochester proposes to Jane, and she accepts.

f. Resolution
Mr. Rochester and Jane are happy together, living a married life for ten years. They have a
son, and Mr. Rochester begins to regain his sight. Back at Moor House, Diana and Mary Rivers
support their marriage, but Jane obtains nothing from St. John. The two sisters have both been
married, and their brother remains in India, where he is nearing his death. Jane’s former student,
Adele, grows into a meek and pleasant young woman.

H. Analysis
"I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you: I dislike
you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed; and this book about the liar, you may give to
your girl, Georgiana, for it is she who tells lies, and not I." It is perhaps the most gratifying and fulfilling
quote from the ten-year-old Jane where she boldly defends herself from the wrongful accusation of Mrs.
Reed. Jane Eyre is a coming-of-age novel written by Charlotte Bronte in the early nineteenth century set
in northern England. It ventures the story of a young orphan who strives for life despite her dismal
childhood until she matures into a young woman who slowly falls in love with Mr. Rochester. The
aforementioned quote uncovers a powerful heroine that took a fearless approach in revealing her
rebellious nature and her defiance in times of abuse. It tells plenty about how Charlotte’s Jane Eyre
exemplified a fresh and a different assessment of women as characters of bravery and confidence in an
age of a man-dominated society.

One of the most important themes of Jane Eyre is the concept of equality, especially since the
novel was written in the Victorian era. People during that time had the perception that they were just not
born in the same way. The ones who were on top of the social ladder will not humble down to the ones
below. Moreover, women were expected to be idle, whose main purpose was to marry and be
housewives with no place in the world of affairs. People were strict with the social hierarchy and class
differences and required everyone to stay in their proper place. The housekeeper of Thornfield, Mrs.
Fairfax said that even if she likes Leah, John and his wife, she cannot converse with them in terms of
equality since they are only servants. She said, “One must keep them at due distance, for fear of losing
one's authority.” Even Charlotte Bronte and her sisters had to have male pseudonyms because they
thought they would be taken more seriously and looked on without prejudice. Jane Eyre portrays a
refreshing character that consistently contradicted the patriarchal system and recognized its faults,
stating that “Women feel just as men feel; they need exercise for their faculties, and a field for their
efforts as much as their brothers do.” Furthermore, Jane addressed that confining an individual's
capabilities based on their positions as male and female is narrow-minded. She said, “It is thoughtless to
condemn them, or laugh at them if they seek to do more or learn more than custom has pronounced
necessary for their sex.” Perhaps the passage signifies Jane’s thirst for freedom since it criticizes the
oppressive notions of proper gender roles that limits people of their potential.
 Jane Eyre is an admirable protagonist who emphasizes her self-respect and resilience through
her pursuit of love, family, and education. Moreover, she possesses a determination to attain equality
and independence. Jane’s childhood is one of the novel’s most important stepping stones towards
creating her tough character. She stood up from the abuses and unjust treatment of Mrs. Reed and
defended herself by confronting her aunt for trying to make her out to be something that she is not.
Jane’s childhood can be associated with the story of Cinderella, but their similarities end with their
wicked custodians because Charlotte did not portray Jane as a victim. Jane was bold and dared to fight
back against undeserved punishments. In a conversation with Helen Burns, Jane said that if people
were always kind and obedient to those who are cruel and unjust, the wicked people would have it all
their own way, they would never feel afraid, and so they would never alter but would grow worse and
worse. Jane stated that when they are struck at without a reason, they should strike back again very
hard to teach the person who struck them never to do it again. Jane is a rebel, and she further displayed
it when she refused to be Mr. Rochester’s mistress and rejected the proposal of St. John to be his
missionary wife. Her rebellious nature, however, helped her maintain her integrity.

The main characters were easy to connect with because they have imperfections that may also
reflect one of the readers. The heroine, for instance, is a plain-looking, mediocre woman of low status
who used the means of education to take one step upward the social ladder. Although Jane’s stature is
small, she has a huge soul. Her intelligence has depth, and her personality is not shallow. Jane is frank
and candid with the words that she uses with no hint of pretense. This was captured when Mr.
Rochester asked her, “You examine me, Miss Eyre, do you think me handsome?" and Jane answered
with an abrupt “No, sir.” It shows the contrast between her personality and that of Mr. Rochester’s past
lover, Celine Varens. She showered him with flowery words but then insult him behind his back. Another
distinct character who showed dissimilarity with Jane is Blanche Ingram. She is the perfect
representative of an aristocratic Victorian woman whose life is solely based on marriage and finding a
decent husband, preferably with a title and good fortune. She is the ideal wife: beautiful, elegant,
accomplished, and wealthy. Everything that Jane was not. Unlike Jane, however, Ingram was empty and
vain. Jane noted that Ingram was very showy but not a genuine person. She had many brilliant
attainments, but her mind was poor and unoriginal, for she used to repeat sounding phrases from books
but never offered, nor had, an opinion of her own. Jane Eyre’s character was well ahead of its time that
focused on the beauty within and not the appearance or the background of the person.

Jane Eyre is a powerful heroine who embodies a renewed evaluation of women as characters of
bravery and confidence in a patriarchal society. She demonstrated strong individualism when she strived
for equality both in gender and class despite her low status. With her intelligence, she built strong
opinions not based on books or the words of her authoritive figures and she used education to attain
independence. Moreover, Jane’s character was not a prey of victimization because she knew how to
strike back if treated unfairly. She unfailingly displayed her rebellious nature, especially if the situation
requires her to lose her self-respect and dignity. She stuck to her principles until the end even when
faced with a marriage proposal she cannot refuse, but she did anyway, all for the sake of not losing her
sense of self. Overall, Jane Eyre is a novel of refreshing themes during the Victorian age and displays
“I am not an angel, and I will not be one till I die: I will be myself. Mr. Rochester, you must
neither expect nor exact anything celestial of me – for you will not get it, any more than I shall
get it of you: which I do not at all anticipate.”

“I can live alone, if self-respect and circumstances require me so to do. I need not sell my soul
to buy bliss. I have an inward treasure born with me, which can keep me alive if all extraneous
delights should be withheld, or offered only at a price I cannot afford to give.”
“It is a pity that doing one’s best does not always answer.”