Reaccurring Theme in Jane Eyre

There are a couple of themes for Jane Eyre, but the main one is Love.

Throughout the novel, Jane is looking to be loved. After her parents die, she looks for it in her remaining (known) family members but doesn’t find it. “Who could want me?”-pg 19 When Jane moves to Lowood School, she seeks it in Helen Burns, another girl at the school, and speaks very plainly about what she wants, and that is “to gain some real affection from you, or Miss Temple, or any other whom I truly love, I would willingly submit to have the bone of my arm broken, or to let a bull toss me, or to stand behind a kicking horse, and let it dash its hoof at my chest” -Chapter 8. After she escapes the school, she begins to look for romantic love, and she finds it in Mr. Rochester. Up to the time that she finds out he’s married, she finds the sense of belonging and love; meaning she’s happy. Then she moves in with the Rivers siblings and finds familial love, which Mr. Rochester can’t give her, and again is happy, to a point. When St. John proposes, Jane realizes love needs to be mutual, and returns back to Mr. Rochester, and is happy. All of this shows that love needs to be a mutual feeling, and that with it, one can be happy.

Plot Summary for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Jane’s Childhood at Gateshead

• Begins with ten year old Jane Eyre, an orphan living with her deceased uncle’s family, The Reeds, at Gateshead Hall
• Introduction of Jane’s aunt and cousins (abuse her physically and emotionally)
• Aunt Sara Reed treats Jane as a lowly servant
• One day Jane is locked in the Red Room as punishment

v     The Red Room is the room in which her uncle died

• While locked away, she sees and apparition she believes to be her uncle
• Jane’s aunt no longer wants to handle Jane’s ‘outlandish behavior’(seeing the apparition) and allows Jane to attend Lowood School for Girls (a charity school)

Jane’s Education at Lowood School

·        There are 80 pupils at Lowood

·        The rooms are cold, the food is poor, and the provided clothing threadbare

·        Upon her arrival at the school, she is accused of being deceitful by Mrs. Reed(see Red Room)

·        During an inspection, Jane accidentally breaks her slate

·        She is labeled as a liar by Mr. Brocklehurst (very self-righteous clergyman who runs the school) and publicly shamed in front

·        Jane’s new friend, Helen Burns, comforts her after this ordeal (Helen is the first person Jane has really bonded with since her parent’s death, so she’s pretty important)

·        Jane catches the eye of Miss Temple, a kind teacher, who helps facilitate Jane’s self defense (from Mrs. Reed’s accusations)

·        With the help of Miss Temple, Jane writes to Mr. Loyd (Mr. Lloyd is the Reeds’ apothecary) who agrees with Jane. Mr. Lloyd writes a letter to Miss Temple confirming Jane’s story about her childhood and clearing Jane of the above accusations.

·        A typhus epidemic sweeps through the school, and Jane’s friend Helen dies in her arms

·        Mr. Brocklehurst’s neglect and dishonesty are discovered

·        Serveral benefactors rebuild the school and conditions are dramatically improved

·        At 18, Jane decides to leave the school

Governess of Thornfield Hall

·        She advertises herself as a governess (recieves one reply)

·        The keeper of Thornfield Hall, Alice Fairfax, hires Jane to teach Adele Varens a young French girl (also Edward Rochester’s ward/potential daughter. See Rochester below.)

·        One night Jane was walking to town, and a man on horseback passes her. The horse slips on ice, and throws the rider

·        Jane helps the rider

·        Back at Thornfield Hall,  Jane learns that the fallen rider is Edward Rochester, master of the house

·        Rochester is suspicious of Jane, and wonders if she bewitched his horse to make him fall

·        Adele’s mother was caught with a rival of Mr. Rochester, making him disown Adele as his potential daughter

·        Jane and Mr. Rochester spend many hours together

·        Jane develops strong feelings for him

·        Jane takes note of strange occurrences in the house, such as strange laugh, a mysterious fire in Mr. Rochester's room, and an attack on Rochester's house guest, Mr. Mason

·        Through the grapevine, Jane hears that her aunt has been requesting her presence

·        Jane goes back to Gateshead to find her cousin has died and her aunt is in the process

·        Jane spends a month caring for Mrs. Reed

·        Mrs. Reed gives a letter to Jane from one of her other uncles, requesting that Jane lives with him

·        Jane’s aunt admits to telling this other uncle that Jane had died of fever

·        Mrs. Reed dies, and Jane returns to Thornfield

·        She returns to find that Mr. Rochester is in an impending marriage to Blanche Ingram

·        One midsummer’s evening, Mr. Rochester proclaims his love for Jane and proposes

·        Jane prepares for her wedding

·         Jane’s foreboding feelings arise when a ‘savage looking woman’ arrives in her rrom and tears her wedding veil in half

·        Mr. Rochester blames the incident on Grace Poole, an alcoholic servant of his

·        During the wedding ceremony, a lawyer and Mr. mason declare that Mr. Rochester can’t marry Jane because he is still married

·        Mr. Mason’s sister is Mr. Rochester’s wife

·        Mr. Rochester is quick to explain that he was tricked into marriage (by his father) to obtain Ms. Mason’s vast fortune

·        Once married, he discovered she was extremely mentally ill and descending into madness

·        He eventually locked her away in Thornfield, and hired Grace Poole to keep her (when Grace got drunk, Mrs. Rochester escapes and causes the strange happenings that Jane has witnessed

·        Rochester proposes that the two move to France and live as husband and wife without actually being married

·        Jane upholds her moral code, and refuses his offer, despite her strong love for him

·        Jane leave Thornfield in the middle of the night

Jane’s Time with the Rivers Family

·        Jane travels England using her meager savings

·        She leaves her stuff on a coach

·        She now has to sleep on the moor, and desperation has led her to trade her scarf and gloves for food

·        She makes her way to the home of Diana and Mary Rivers

·        Jane is turned away by the housekeeper

·        She faints on the doorstep, and feels her will to live desert her

·        St. John Rivers (brother to Diana and Mary) saves her

·        Once she regains her health, St. John finds her a teaching position at a nearby charity school (like Lowood, only better)

·        Jane bonds with the sisters but not with John

·        St. John and Jane get closer after the sisters leave for governess jobs

·        He realizes who she really is and surprises her with a letter stating that her uncle has left her a large inheritance (this is the uncle that requested she live with him)

·        Jane questions how St. John has the letter, and he reveals that they are cousins, but got nothing of the inheritance

·        Jane splits the inheritance with the Rivers siblings

·        Diana and Mary return, having no more need to work

·        St. John thinks that Jane would be a good missionary’s wife, and proposes to her, and that they go to India (proposal was out of duty, not love)

·        Jane accepts the trip to India, but not the marriage proposal because she still harbors feelings for Mr. Rochester

·        Jane questions her decision when she mysteriously hears Mr. Rochester’s voice calling her name

Jane Returns to Thornfield

• Jane returns to Thornfield to find blackened ruins
• She learns that Mrs. Rochester set fire to the house and committed suicide, and that in attempt to rescue her, Mr. Rochester lost a hand and his eyesight
• Jane meets up with him
• He fears she will no longer love him due to his physical deformities
• Jane reassures him of her love for him
• He proposes again, and they are married
• Mr. Rochester recovers enough eyesight to see their firstborn son