Jane Eyre

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre (1847) was a radical and controversial text for its time because it put forward the idea that men and women are equal. The novel divided opinions as it suggested that ‘women feel just as men feel’ and because of this, they shouldn’t be confined to the domestic sphere. Victorian society was shocked by Jane Eyre, and it developed a reputation as a ‘naughty book’ for going against the patriarchal constructs of the 1800s.

As a gothic romance, Jane Eyre has an unconventional blend of genres. It uses dark and mysterious imagery to elevate the romantic tale. The narrative is intricate and complex as Brontë presents a strong, faithful, and moral protagonist.

Let’s examine the message behind the novel, explore each character’s role, and analyse key quotes to strengthen your understanding of this powerful novel.

Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre

Here’s an overview of the novel.

Fig. 1 - Title page of the original publication of Jane Eyre. You can see Brontë’s pseudonym Currer Bell.

Jane Eyre: the book's message

We can analyse the message of this novel through two perspectives, namely the feminist perspective and the religious perspective.

Feminist perspective

One of the main messages of the text is that men and women are equal. Women shouldn’t be expected to be angelic beings who sideline their emotions and live to serve men. They have independent will and agency and a God-given right to exert them.

Brontë presents female characters (like Diana and Mary) who find value and happiness outside of marriage and men. Through her novels, Charlotte Brontë asserts that women are capable of living fulfilled lives on their own.

Religious perspective

Behaving calmly and rationally and trusting that God will look after you is one of the central messages of the text. Jane is the ideal example of a selfless, kind, Christian woman who acts with her head, not her heart. She has control over her emotions and thinks carefully about every decision.

Helen Burns, Jane’s childhood friend who dies early on in the text, influences Jane to trust God’s plan and use faith to guide her through troublesome times. We see unfaithful and selfish characters, such as John and Aunt Reed, get punished for their foolish and ungodly behaviour. Brontë aims to show us how well it serves individuals to be kind and faithful to God.

Jane Eyre: summary

Jane Eyre, an orphaned child, lives with her abusive and cruel Aunt Reed and cousins John, Eliza, and Georgiana Reed. All of them dislike Jane and treat her poorly, particularly John.

The novel explores her early education at Lowood school and the cruelties the girls experience.

Jane eventually leaves to become a governess at Thornfield Hall, where most of the novel takes place. Here she meets the brooding Mr Rochester, a notable Byronic hero. Jane’s task is to teach Rochester’s ward, Adèle Varens. Adèle is the daughter of Rochester’s past lover, opera singer Celine Varens.

Despite her happiness at Thornfield, the manor has an ominous and mysterious atmosphere mirroring Rochester’s changeable mood, which concerns Jane.

On the day of their marriage, she discovers that Rochester has already been married for 15 years to Bertha Mason. Bertha has been living in the attic at Thornfield the entire time Jane was there.

Jane then leaves Thornfield and gets on the bus to the nearest village. She almost dies of starvation in the woods, but she is found by two sisters, Mary and Diana Rivers, and their brother St. John Rivers. They kindly offer her shelter, food, and friendship.

After receiving an inheritance from Jane’s late uncle, the four discover that they are long-lost cousins. The news delights Jane. She finally has a sense of belonging with her blood relatives, which stands in contrast to her difficult upbringing with the Reeds.

Her newfound wealth and family allow her to stand on equal footing with Rochester.

Shortly after this discovery, she hears a distant cry and decides to follow the voice, convinced that it’s Rochester calling out to her. Upon her arrival back at Thornfield, she finds the manor burnt to the ground.

Rochester has suffered serious injuries trying to save the people in his household. As a result, he has lost his sight and left hand.

Jane then learns that Bertha, who caused the fire, committed suicide by jumping off the roof as Rochester tried to save her. Now that Rochester’s previous wife has died in the fire, he is an eligible widower, and the novel ends with the pair happily married with a baby boy. Rochester eventually regains his sight to see his son.

Is Jane Eyre an autobiography?

Although the novel has autobiographic elements, it is not an autobiography. Jane is very similar to Charlotte Brontë, so much so that George Elliot (a famous author writing under a male pen name) described Charlotte almost exactly the same as Jane: 'a little plain, provincial, sickly-looking old maid. Yet what passion, what fire in her.’¹

Fig. 2 - Photograph for the 1943 film Jane Eyre.

The characters in Jane Eyre

We have organised the lists of characters in order of significant locations in the novel.

Characters of Thornfield Hall

These are the main characters that we meet at Thornfield Hall.

Jane Eyre

Jane is the protagonist and narrator of the novel. Charlotte Brontë’s life and experiences heavily inspire Jane’s voice. Described as plain, intelligent, and sensible, Jane battles through her emotional turmoil and uses her moral compass to get through her life experiences and overcome abuse and deceit. She sees herself as equal to men and refuses to be viewed as a second-class citizen for no reason other than her gender.

Rochester

Rochester (full name Edward Fairfax Rochester) is Jane’s employer and future husband. He is a rich and mysterious man who sees beyond social class in his union with Jane. A well-travelled man with reckless tendencies, Rochester is an interesting and alluring figure whom Jane quickly falls in love with.

Mrs Fairfax

Mrs Fairfax (full name Alice Fairfax) is the housekeeper at Thornfield Hall. She is an old-fashioned woman with a traditional perspective on life. She disapproves of the union between Rochester and Jane because of their age and class differences. Despite this, she is kind and treats Jane with respect. Jane initially thought Mrs Fairfax was the owner of Thornfield. This shows us Jane’s perception of women as capable of doing anything men can do.

Adèle

Adèle is Rochester’s daughter – a boisterous and bold child whom Jane doesn’t particularly like at first. She is a symbol of Rochester’s international lifestyle (she speaks French). This could explain why Jane doesn’t particularly like her: she represents Rochester’s past, which Jane may slightly resent.

Bertha Mason

Bertha Mason is Rochester’s first wife. She is a creole woman whose origins are not entirely clear in the text, but it is believed she is of Caribbean descent. Rochester’s family forced him to marry her to gain property. Their marriage broke down, and Bertha started behaving erratically after Rochester locked her in the attic.

Feminist scholars believe her strange behaviour results from Rochester repressing her by imprisoning her upstairs. She eventually burns down Thornfield Hall and has been viewed as a symbol of Jane’s repressed emotions as a victim of the patriarchy.

Grace Poole

Grace is the woman who ‘looks after’ Bertha and stops her from escaping from the attic on the third floor. Her reliance on alcohol causes her to slip up and let Bertha escape. She is blamed for the mysterious sounds of laughter Jane hears coming from the attic.

Richard Mason

Richard is Bertha’s brother, and he gets bitten and stabbed by Bertha when he visits Thornfield Hall. After seeing the state his sister has been driven to, he decides to try and stop Jane and Rochester’s wedding, fearing for anyone who gets involved with Rochester.

Blanche Ingram

Blanche is a socialite who dislikes Jane due to her low ranking in society. She hopes to marry Rochester purely for his money. She is there on the night when Rochester dresses up as a psychic to find out how Jane really feels about him.

Here is a table describing each character’s traits.

Fig. 3 - A painting of Rochester, Jane, and Adèle by Frederick Walker.

Characters of Lowood School

These are some of the most important characters we meet while Jane is attending school.

Helen Burns

Helen is Jane’s best friend at school. Although she dies early on in the novel, she has a lasting impact on Jane’s life. Jane remembers Helen’s ability to maintain her composure and remain at peace in times of distress. Helen dies in Jane’s arms, and they look forward to being reunited in heaven.

Mr Brocklehurst

Mr Brocklehurst is the headteacher of Lowood school. He is mean and hypocritical. He offers his students rations while he and his family feast on plenty of food nightly. He symbolises Christian hypocrisy as he has no compassion or empathy.

Miss Temple

Maria Temple is a teacher at Lowood. She is one of Jane’s first female role models. Alongside Bessie, Miss Temple is responsible for one of Jane’s first experiences with a compassionate and kind woman. They form a bond, and Miss Temple makes Jane’s awful experience at Lowood slightly more bearable.

Miss Scatcherd

The opposite of Miss Temple, Miss Scatcherd is a rude and cruel teacher. She is particularly horrible to Helen Burns, ridiculing and humiliating her for no particular reason.

Here is a table describing each character’s traits.

Characters of Moor House

Mary, her sister Diana, and her brother St. John are Jane’s long-lost cousins. We meet them at Moor House.

Mary Rivers

Mary is a role model for Jane as an independent and intelligent woman with a purpose in her life outside of marriage. Mary and Jane become close friends and wish the best for each other.

Diana Rivers

Diana is a kind, intelligent, and independent woman. She urges Jane not to go to India with St. John, being truthful and honest with her cousin. They have a close friendship and support each other.

St. John Rivers

St. John offers Jane food and shelter as her benefactor when she is lost in the woods. He is a callous and restrained character, dissatisfied with his position in life as the minister at Morton. He wants to obtain more power by becoming a missionary in India. In search of power in other areas of his life, he tries to bully Jane into marrying him.

Here is a table describing each character’s traits.

Characters of Gateshead

Finally, let’s talk about the characters of Jane’s childhood.

Mrs Reed

Mrs Reed, also known as Aunt Sarah, is Jane’s cold aunt who neither loves her nor cares for her. She raises Jane until she is ten years old. Later in the novel, Mrs Reed loses all affection from her family, and Jane comes to visit her on her death bed. As the moral and kind-hearted person Jane is, she tries to reconcile with her aunt before she dies. True to her character, Mrs Reed refuses to come to an agreement with Jane.

Uncle Reed

Uncle Reed is Jane’s uncle who dies prior to the events of the novel. He was the only member of the family who loved Jane and was kind to her. Uncle Reed asked Aunt Reed to take care of Jane like one of his own children.

John Reed

John, Eliza, and Georgiana are all Jane’s cousins. Despite the fact they are related, they are spiteful and cruel towards Jane.

John commits suicide halfway through the novel. He was addicted to drinking and gambling, and his mother could no longer pay off his debts. His character has often been read as a commentary on the importance of abiding by Christian values to serve you well in life.

Eliza Reed

Eliza is jealous of her sister’s beauty. Eliza is a Christian for personal gain, and her character stands in contrast to Jane and Helen, who are good and honest Christians. Eliza ruins her sister’s elopement with Lord Edwin Vere and feels no sympathy for her mother on her death bed. Her resentment towards her sister continues into adulthood when she vows to her dying mother that she will cut herself off from Georgiana. She ends the novel in a religious convent in France.

Georgiana Reed

Georgiana is the beauty of the family. Unlike her siblings, Georgiana apologises to Jane for her previous actions, and the pair become closer. She treats Jane as a confidant later on in the novel.

Bessie Lee

Bessie is the housekeeper at Gateshead. She is the first character who treats Jane with respect and kindness, telling her stories and singing her songs to keep her spirits up. Bessie eventually marries the coachman at Gateshead, gives birth to three children, and lives a happy and fulfilled life. She is another example of a well-natured character rewarded for her Christian attitude.

Here is a table describing each character’s traits.

Fig. 4 - An illustration by F.H. Townsend of a young Jane and Mrs Reed.

Key quotes from Jane Eyre

In this section, we will discuss and analyse some of the most important and famous quotes from the novel.

Jane’s key quotes

Jane uses the imagery of an encaged bird to represent how women were treated in the nineteenth century: as objects and men’s possessions. She disagrees with the notion that women exist for male pleasure, claiming she will not allow herself to be trapped by the patriarchy. With this quote, she declares that she is free to exert her independent will in the same way a man would.

This is the most well-known line from the text. It marks the moment when Jane exerts her individual will and decides to marry Rochester after all the difficulties they have been through. The phrasing ‘I married him’ shows Jane’s expression of her independent will. Unlike what women were expected to do in the 1800s, she is not a passive subject who waits for a man who decides to marry her. Instead, she is the active person in the interaction of marriage, and she chooses to marry him.

The way Jane is immovable in her values yet remains cordial in asserting her wishes is admirable. Through this quote, Brontë comments on the unrealistic expectations placed on women to be angelic, perfect beings at men’s disposal. Jane unapologetically states she is ‘not an angel’ and she is herself, which is more than enough. Brontë believed women were complete and brilliant beings on their own, without male companions, and no woman should change for male acceptance.

Once again, Jane’s morals and composure are admirable. Despite finding out her fiancé is already married to a woman he has trapped in the attic, she refers to the woman respectfully and sees the mistakes her lover has made. She doesn’t let love or anger cloud her judgment, and she thinks rationally in all situations.

In this quote, Brontë comments on how the mistreatment of women by men and society drove them to hysteria. The notion that men were often responsible for women’s mental instability was a radical suggestion that gave voice to many women who suffered at the hands of their husbands. Brontë spoke for many women who had never voiced their feelings before.

This is a sad moment in the text when Jane has to drag herself away from Rochester, despite being completely in love with him. Her honesty with herself and her commitment to her needs is commendable, as she knows that she must do what’s right in the long term, however painful it may seem in the moment. This quote exemplifies Jane’s self-control and discipline over her emotions.

Jane relies on God throughout the text, but here we see how she uses Him as a guide and truly feels His presence in her life. Brontë’s Christian upbringing is traceable through Jane’s character, showing the degree to which she (Jane) trusts Him to look after her, especially in times of need (for instance, when she is alone in the woods after leaving Rochester).

Rochester’s key quotes

After being abused by her own family and having a negative experience at school, this simple compliment from Rochester is significant to Jane. He explicitly says that he only feels the ‘benefits’ of her presence, no ‘burden’. To be told this after feeling like an outsider her whole life makes Jane feel appreciated and that she can be an asset in someone’s life. Rochester says this early on in their relationship. We could argue this marks the start of their love affair.

Rochester’s complete submission to Jane was atypical for a man of this time. He positions himself as a subordinate, stating, ‘I am conquered.’ His willingness to let her master him is a positive for Jane because she is attracted to the fact he sees them as equals despite their difference in age and class.

However, in the latter part of this quote, Rochester reasserts himself as the dominant party, claiming Jane is a ‘triumph’ he can ‘win’. This shows Jane as a prize or a trophy to be won, rather than a human being with thoughts and feelings.

One of the main differences between Rochester and Jane is their class. Rochester is exceptionally wealthy, and after their marriage, it seems he is eager to elevate Jane to his social ranking by offering her fine jewellery and bracelets. Jane isn’t keen on accepting his offer as she is proud of who she is as a simple and practical individual.

Rochester’s excitement at the thought of clasping bracelets around her wrist and loading her fingers with rings arguably reveals that he sees Jane like a doll he can dress up, like an object that he can control. However, Jane soon informs him of her wishes not to be decorated in lavish jewels, and eventually, he is happy to accept her wishes as they remain equals.

Upon further analysis, the imagery surrounding ‘clasped bracelets’ connotates confinement and restriction. Arguably, Brontë represents the control men exert over women through the imagery of the bracelet, as according to Jane, the bracelet represents the shackles of the patriarchy.

Rochester speaks these words at the end of the novel when he is disabled and blind. He no longer sees himself as worthy of Jane’s hand in marriage, likening himself to the ‘lightning-struck chestnut-tree’, a key symbol throughout the text representing their marriage.

Rochester’s losses in the fire allow him to become Jane’s equal, and they get married at the end of the novel. Some feminist critics believe it is a negative thing that they could only get married once they were deemed as equals in class simply because he was an old and ragged man.

General key quotes

Here are some general, notable quotes from the text.

Helen Burns speaks these words before she dies. Her trust and faith in God have a remarkable influence on Jane. Throughout the many difficult situations she experiences, Jane has faith and hope in God. Once again, Brontë’s religious upbringing is traceable in the novel.

To Jane’s dismay, Mrs Fairfax disapproves of their union, believing her position and fortune to be too different for the marriage to be successful. It is easy for readers to forget the differences between the pair because we hear their romance from Jane’s perspective. Mrs Fairfax is an important character as she reminds readers of how radical Jane and Rochester’s union really was.

This quote is the moment when St. John asks Jane to marry him. His forceful and belittling tone is revealed by his use of the phrase, ‘You shall be mine: I claim you.’ St John represents male entitlement and stands for the many men who believed they deserved any woman they wanted to possess.