I read Jane Eyre! (Inc. Plot Summary)

---

18.12.21 / Saturday

Three days ago, I finished reading Jane Eyre. I’ve been reading a lot these days and guess I didn’t even predict in my wildest dreams that I would be reading classics on this day, but on Thursday,

I came across these books and I never ever thought I would find them there as I’m the only member in the whole damn school who has her name mentioned in the library register throughout the whole year, so you can understand how madly are people in love with their problems, but in my case I have divorced them for a while.

Whatever, but now it’s like I have took in-charge of those neglected tales, or let’s say unseen. I felt ashamed or if that’s an appropriate word, guilty for not having these books read before. Last summer, I learn about these classics and ever since I was longing to read this but finally, I read them.

JANE EYRE (Plotted by Charlotte Bronte)

(Genres : Fictional Autobio / Social Criticism / Gothic Fiction / Romance Novel / Bildungsroman)

You may know it, or may not but Charlotte Bronte and Emily Bronte (Author of Wuthering Heights) were sisters following Anne, the youngest of all. But this never meant that Jane Eyre lived in Wuthering heights!

Jane Eyre is an orphan whose parents die of an illness, as a result she has to stay with Mr. Reed, her maternal uncle, for whom she is “An apple of his eye” But tables turn when he dies as his wife and three children starts abusing and mistreating her, along with Bessie, the nurse but this nurse becomes a well-wisher to her, later in the story.

Her aunt, Mrs. Reed, then admits her in a charity school, name Lowood School and there she goes on making friend with Helen Burns who die due to weak health and another illness. She spends eight years in that school; Six as a student and two as a teacher.

By the way, Jane Eyre is not a tall, woman with hazel eyes, rosy cheeks, cheery mouth, a straight nose and, her appearance is described as, ‘little, pale and had features so irregular and marked’ but despite, she was beautiful. But this never becomes a source of problem for her, ever.

She is almost nineteen and she sends an advertisement to work in order to get rid of the current life and wanting to live a new one, and before 48 hours, she gets hired by a woman named, Mrs. Fairfax who turns out to be a manager at Thornfield Hall owned by a 35 years old gentleman, Mr. Rochester.

She serves there as a governess to his seven or eight year old daughter, Adele and throughout the whole story both shares a very beautiful bond of love and care (Adele and Jane, of course). She teaches her piano and looks after her as a governess. She, one day, meets Mr. Rochester (aka Edward Rochester) not knowing it’s him and there they first meet.

The story goes on, Rochester has some beautiful and wealthy women at this place for a party one day where he promises them to join later but disguises himself in a gypsy woman just to share a conversation with Jane, and end up proposing her, to wed him. However she doesn’t reply.

The reason he chooses her because he is assured that other women, who appeared wealthy, beautiful and prosperous won’t stand by him in the harder times but she would.

Then, she learns about her aunt’s (Mrs. Reed) illness, through Bessie’s husband, Robert. (Not sure, if his name or Robert but may it was) and goes back to Gateshead as she becomes sick for almost a month despite Rochester wanted her to get back in two weeks as he was going to marry Miss. Ingram, however this decision doesn’t really bother her.

She returns but there are no preparations of the wedding going on. One night when she’s back and she learns that she’ll have to leave this place once Rochester is married, in spite he had arranged a job for her in Ireland, she begins sobbing as she loves Adele a lot and so the place. He then admits it was a joke and she falls in love with him and both talk.

Life becomes as beautiful and pleasant as paradise for her, but proportionally melancholic and troublesome as hell, in another chapter when their wedding is interrupted by the brother of Mr. Rochester’s first wife,

Mr. Richard Mason. Everyone is left jaw-dropped. Jane is indeed heartbroken but Rochester had a tale to tell.

His first wife, named Bertha Mason, was mentally ill. His father and brother were going to receive 30,000 pounds from her family for the marriage which made them force him to marry her but he never knew the deal.

They first met in a party, but their conversation was once in a blue moon thing. After the marriage, things became difficult, she went on becoming mad. His brother and father die later and he inherited all their property.

Adele, however, was the daughter of the woman he was in love with, before Bertha, who happened to abandon her daughter and runaway with another man thus he adopted her.

Jane shows empathy but leaves the mansion she is in bums but finds a place to live at St. Johns, who lives there with his other three sisters, who were there to spend their vacations.

She uses an alias, for few days, his sisters, Diana and Mary, dislike her initially but all end up sharing a good company. She starts teaching in a charity school again, where St. John’s to-be wife (As he dreamt of her, being his wife) marries another man, he proposes Jane if he’ll marry him moreover joining him to India. Jane refuses and she learns about her uncle’s death (John Eyre) but posses his wealth to Jane.

She becomes an owner of 20,000 pounds!

She starts worrying about Rochester, She feels him calling her, you know true love traits, as they say. She goes to him, and learns about his current tragic life, that is, Bertha Mason set the house ablaze several months earlier. Rochester saved his servants and tried to save his wife, but she flung herself from the roof as the fire raged around her.

In the fire, Rochester lost a hand and added to that, his eye sight too. He resides in a house called Ferndean, located deep in the forest, with John and Mary, two elderly servants. She, therefore, promises him to stand by his side, forever, they get married and he sees the world through her eyes.

After two years, Rochester begins to regain his vision in one eye, and when their first child—a boy—is born, Rochester is able to see the baby. Diana and Mary find husbands and St. John flees to India as he had planned.

There were other characters as

John, Georgiana and Eliza Reed (Children of Mrs. Reed)

Grace Poole is Bertha Mason's keeper at Thornfield, whose drunken carelessness frequently allows Bertha to escape.

John Reed commits suicide midway through the novel who would abuse Jane, a lot.

It was a good book to go through, felt normal and good, I have mixed emotions about this so I don’t know but I didn’t regret reading this. As Rochester predicts, no other women accompanies him when he needed them except Jane. Jane is just “near nineteen” when she marries him, and he’s 35. There’s a 15 year old age gap between them which doesn’t stop Jane from marrying him, even when he turns handicap. Wow, I was shocked but that’s what these novels do.

The 2011 Film “Jane Eyre” has been an Oscar Nominee.

It has been believed that, The Lowood section of the novel was widely believed to be inspired by Charlotte Brontë's own life. one thing that i noticed was that, Jane is a realistic woman, she clings to reality often and she is modest, in the sense she is self aware, she always stays true to herself. She's brave and doesn't get frightened by any circumstances. so i enjoyed this, anyway

hope you have a good day!

---

@eightin18 / @only.mental_health_