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