A. Setting: England, Early 1800s B. Point of View: First person C. Jane Eyre,
the main character, is sent out of the drawing room by her Aunt, Mrs. Reed
(Jane’s parents had died while she was very young and her Uncle took her in.
After he died Mrs. Reed kept Jane although she despised her.). Jane then retires
to the library, where she hid by the window-sill, behind the curtain. A few
minutes later her cousins John, Eliza, and Geneva come in. While Eliza and
Geneva watch, John orders Jane to show herself. As she does, he taunts and
insults her before taking the book away saying that since his father died
everything in the house belonged to him. John threw the book at her causing her
to fall back striking her head. When Jane tried to defend herself, John was hurt
and called for his mother and the servants. Jane was locked in the room in which
her Uncle died, for the whole night, as punishment for misbehavior. D. Jane is a
girl who is used to unjust treatment. Most of her life she had to live in a
house with no one who cared for her and no one she cared about. When she leaves
Lowood ( the school she attended as a child and teenager ), I believe she is
looking for happiness. Jane is extremely independent, for instance when she
walked all the way to town to mail her letter. She is also very cynical like
when Mr. Rochester asks if she expects a present from him and she replies that
she has done nothing to deserve a present. Mr. Rochester is the other main
character of this story. He also is wanting happiness, but mostly he just wants
peace. He is brash and blunt, not really caring about people’s feelings. E.
After Jane attends school at Lowood 6 years then teaches 2 additional years she
becomes tired of it and places an ad for a governess position in the local
newspaper. The ad is answered and Jane packs her things and heads off. Jane
doesn’t meet the man she works for until one night when she is taking a letter
into town to mail. Mr. Rochester’s horse gets spooked and they take a fall on
the ice. Mr. Rochester sprained his ankle but his horse is fine. when he is
talking to Jane he learns that she is the new governess at Thornfield, his
house, while she learns nothing of him. They do not get introduced until later
when Mr. Rochester has Jane and Adele in for tea. There he asks her if she
thinks that he is handsome and when she answers no he doesn’t take offense but
just laughs and goes on about the conversation. Mrs. Reed becomes ill and will
soon die so Jane goes back to Gateshead to be with her.. They resolve their
differences and Mrs. Reed dies. When Jane returns to Thornfield, Mr. Rochester
asks her to marry him. Although she is skeptical at first, she consents and they
make the plans. At the wedding Mr. Rochester’s’ brother-in-law stands up and
declares to everyone that Mr. Rochester already has a wife. Mr. Rochester admits
it and invites everyone to come and see his wife. His wife is clearly insane and
he kept her locked in an attic room for everyone’s safety. Jane tells Mr.
Rochester that she must leave since he already has a wife and she goes and lives
with a ministers two sisters. The minister is in love with another woman but
asks Jane to marry him since she is the type for a ministers wife. Mr. Rochester
hears of these plans and is heartbroken. After a while Jane returns to
Thornfield and tells him that she was never going to marry the minister that it
was all a mistake, and that she loved only him. They get married and live in
London. F. I think the theme of this book is integrity. Jane shows she has
integrity when she doesn’t treat everyone the way she had been treated most of
her life. G. I think the title fits the book because there isn’t really
anything else you could call it. Its the story of Jane Eyre, its only right to
call it Jane Eyre.