Jane Eyre Summary (page 2)

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These questions plague poor Jane, until she finds herself falling in love with the dark and brooding Mr. Rochester. Their relationship begins with discussions over Adele, but deepens in intensity as their conversations move beyond a professional relationship.

Useful vocabulary in describing Mr. Rochester:

Reticent- Holding back
Rash- Hasty
Austere- Stern
Somber- Dark and gloomy
Brooding- Depressed

Jane believes that Mr. Rochester was going to propose to another woman, but he confesses that he wanted her to think that in order to make her jealous. Then he asks her to marry him! Jane accepts, but as the house begins to prepare for the wedding, strange events continue to happen: most symbolically, Jane’s new veil is found ripped in half. Again, no explanation is given. Rochester (Don’t you think she would call him by his first name, now?) tells Jane he will explain more when they have been married for a year and a day.

The day of the wedding arrives. The guests have assembled; the bride has walked down the aisle…it’s the time for “speak now or forever hold your peace,” and someone speaks! A man yells out that Rochester already has a wife, Mrs. Bertha Rochester!

The truth is out, but just where has Mr. Rochester’s bride been all these years? Imprisoned on the third floor of Thornfield, kept alive by none other than Grace Poole. Yes, Rochester lied about his wife and kept her prisoner, but it is because she is barking mad! No seriously, barking mad. When Rochester brings his guests to meet his better half, she is down on all fours on the floor making strange animal noises. She immediately springs for Rochester and tries to strangle him with her bare hands.

All of the pieces- mysterious noises, wild laughter, drunken servants, perilous fires- finally fall into place. Jane realizes she cannot be with the man she loves because he is already married and leaves Thornfield.

Jane may be down, but she's not out! She wanders aimlessly, until starving and penniless she finds a family of adult siblings who take her in, and turn out to be her long lost cousins! One of the cousins, St. John, gets her a job teaching at a school. And when her uncle dies and leaves her more money than she could possibly ever dream of, she splits it with her newfound family. She has more reasons for happiness than ever before, but she longs for Rochester…

So much so that on the night that her cousin St. John proposes to her, (I know, I know- but for cousins, they weren’t that close.) she believes she hears Rochester voice calling to her, and she leaves for Thornfield at once. When she arrives, she finds that Thornfield has been destroyed by another fire that Bertha started. She has died in the process, but Rochester managed to save the servants- losing his eyesight and one hand in the process. He has gone to Ferndean to recover, and Jane hurries to join him.

In a moment made for tears, she comes to him and because he cannot see her, he believes that he is hearing ghosts or angels. They immediately rekindle their relationship, and Jane finishes her story by saying that she and Edward (finally!) have been happily married for the last 10 years. And as time went on he regained some of his sight, enough so that he was able to see their son when he was born.

Useful vocabulary in describing the ending of Jane Eyre: