Title: Jane EyreAuthor: Charlotte BronteGenre: fictional novelSetting: 19th century England, Yorkshire MoorsPoint of View: first personNarrator: Jane Eyre telling it as an adult flashing back to her childhoodCHARACTERS:Jane Eyre:Jane is the orphaned daughter of a poor parson and his disinherited wife. She livesat Gateshead Hall in the care of her aunt, Sarah Gibson Reed. She is lonely and depressedhere because she is abused emotionally and physically. She later enrolls at Lowood, aboarding school for poor, orphaned girls. There, Jane distinguishes herself in her classesand finds love and compassion through the kindness of Ms. Temple and Helen.
Sheeventually takes a position as a governess to a little French girl, Adele Varens, the ward ofEdward Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall. Jane and Rochester develop a mutualadmiration and love for each other. Their marriage plans are interrupted, however, andJane flees to Thornfield Hall. In the intervening years separation before their eventualmarriage, she establishes her independence. The two finally find happiness together andproduce a son. John Reed:The 14 year old who bullies Jane and is spoiled by his mother.
He is violent andabusive and is condescending in his treatment in his treatment to Jane. Later in life, hereduces his mother to poverty and dispair by leading a dissipated life. At the age of 23, hedies and is rumored to have killed himselfEliza ReedThe older daughter of the Reed family. She is frugal to the point of being greedy. She keeps chickens, hoards her eggs and chicken money, and lends it to he mother at ahigh interest rate. When her mother lies on her deathbed, she cold-heartedly ignores herand devotes herself to religion.
After Mrs. Reeds death she becomes a nun at a conventin Lisle, France, and eventually rises to a position of Mother Superior, leaving her fortuneto the nunnery. Georgiana:The vain, self-indulgent beauty of the Reed family. She is acrid and selfish (wontlet Jane play with her toys). She accuses Eliza for ruining her plans to marry Lord ErwinVere. She later goes to London and marries a wealthy man.
Aunt Sarah Reed:The mean-spirited widow of Jane Eyres uncle who torments Jane at everyopportunity. She is hypocritical and feigns to Janes benefactress. Despite Janes attemptto make up for the past, Mrs. Reed rejects Janes reconciliation and dies alone, andunloved.
Bessie Lee:The servant at Gateshead Hall who consoles Jane with treats from the kitchen,Gullivers Travels, and sang her songs when she was excluded from the family festivities,and visits Jane at Lowood. Bessie later marries Robert Leaven, the coachman, has 3children, and continues working for the Reed family. Miss Abbot:The servant at Gateshead Hall who treated Jane condescendingly and referred toher as a toad. Mr.
Lloyd:The apothecary who treats Jane at Gateshead. He perceives Janes unhappinessand thinks of solutions to her problem: live with her fathers poor relatives or go toboarding school. Mr. Brocklehurst:The head of Lowood School who interviews Jane.
His grim, hypocriticalevaluation of Janes shortcomings follows her to Lowood where he publicly labels her aliar. He is austere and preaches fire and brimstone; however, his wife and daughters areluxuriously dressed. Helen Burns:The 14 year old motherless child from Northumberland. She befriends Jane atLowood and offers encouragement by word and example as the two friends endure thehardships of school life. She is punished by Ms. Scatcherd to wear dirty clothes andslattern across her forehead.
On her deathbed, she anticipates contentment with God anda reunion with Jane in heaven. Maria Temple:The superintendent and music teacher at Lowood. She positively influences Janeby showing her kindness and sympathy, and how to nurse her animosity. She later marriesRev. Mr.
Nasmyth. Edward Fairfax Rochester:After Rowland, Edwards brother, receives the entire Rochester family inheritance,Edward is tricked into marrying an insane woman whom he barely knows. His love forJane rekindles love, although his wife is secretly locked up in a third story room ofThornfield. Following the death of his wife, the loss of his home to a terrible fire,blindness, and the amputation of his left hand, he is reunited with Jane at Ferndean,marries her, and recovers enough vision in one eye to see their son.
Blanche Ingram:The shallow daughter of Lady Ingram who uses her glamour to lure Rochestertoward a marriage proposal. However, her enthusiasm for Edward fades when hediscloses that his fortune is not as large as he had thought. Celine Varens:The French mistress of Mr. Rochester.
Edward, however, broke of their affairafter overhearing her ridicule him to another man. Adele Varens:The child of Celine whom Edward refuses to claim as his own daughter, but raisesher as his ward at Thornfield anyway. Her association with Jane Eyre, her governessesand friend, brings happiness to both of them. Bertha Antoinette Mason Rochester:The daughter of a West Indies planter who conceal her retardation and madnesscharacteristic of her mothers side of the family and marries Edward, a son of her fathersbusiness partner. After 4 years, Edward takes her to Thornfield and locks her in a roomunder the care of Grace Poole. She cleverly escapes from her keeper at intervals andcauses mischief.
Aware that Rochester plans to marry Jane, Bertha ignites Janes bed,then leaps from the roof to her death. Richard Mason:A merchant and Bertha Masons brother. He visits Thornfield and suffers bitingsand stabbing from his sister. After learning of Janes engagement, he makes a second visitto Thornfield and halts the wedding by announcing Edwards intention to commit bigamy.
Grace Poole:A trustworthy employee at Thornfield Hall whose position remains a mystery untilRochester reveals the existence of his wife. Graces fondness of gin gives Berthaoccasional opportunities to wander around Thornfield and harm its residents. St. John Rivers:The overly zealous minister of the parish at Morton He serves as the head of hisfamily after his fathers death and saves Jane from starvation. He attempts to repress hispassion for Rosamond Oliver, prepare himself for the mission fields of India, and forceJane to marry him, and serve as his missionary assistant.
Jane refuses and St. John remains unmarried. John Eyre:Janes uncle; her fathers brother. He is a self-made man who attempts to locatehis niece, Jane, in order to leave her his fortune after his quarrel with St. Johns fathermakes it impossible foe him to leave his money to the Rivers children. THEMESPreternatural Motif: Things cant be explained according to nature or natural event.
* the story that Bessie told of Gytrassh* The ghost of Mr. Reed in the red room* The recurring dream that Jane has of an infant wailing, laughing. This is supposed to bea bad omen as Jane recalls Bessies dream which results in the death of Bessies sister. After Janes dream, she hears of John Reeds death.
* Jane has a dream of her mother who tells her to flee temptation She leaves beforedawn with 20 shillings. She then takes a coach to Whitcross. That was the farthest hermoney could take her. Realism: In literature it is a manner of presentation that stresses an accurate even perhapsfactual presentation Of subjetal manner.
The emphasis is on the rational. It depictsaccurately the human condition. It also presents ills of society. Ex: treatment in schools-Brontes sister died because of thisIlls of Society:* prejudice against different classesThis is revealed in the servants and the Reeds condescending treatment of Jane. She is considered inferior since she is poor. This is revealed also when the apothecary iscalled in instead of a doctor when Jane is sickThe upper and lower class do not speak to each other.
Mr. Rochester tells Jane tosit quietly and speak only when spoken to. * child abuse and neglect (seen by Mr. B and Mrs.
Scatcherd)Jane-punished to stand on a stool, called a liarHelen- wear dirty clothes, slattern* Mr. B orders Julie Saverns curls to be cut privation fosters the spirit* poverty* deprivation – depriving people of the basic necessities ( food, clothing )* burnt porridge, chilblains, lack of medical attentionhypocrisy
