Jane Eyre

Over the next four days, Diana and Mary devote themselves to nursing Jane back to health. St. John, by contrast, remains cold and forbids his sisters from taking her in on a more permanent basis.

On the fourth day, Jane is much stronger. She speaks with Hannah about her life, explaining that she is not a beggar and that she is well educated. Hannah softens towards Jane and tells her the history of the home and the siblings. Diana, Mary, and St. John’s father squandered the family fortune many years ago; thus, they had to earn a living. St. John is a parson in a distant village, and Diana and Mary work as governesses. The family is in the house because their father passed away three weeks ago.

When Mary and Diana see that Jane is up, they warmly invite her to sit with them in the parlor. The young and handsome St. John sits stoically. St. John asks Jane many questions about her former work and living circumstances, but Jane keeps identifying details a secret. She does reveal, however, that she studied and taught at Lowood, an institution St. John respects. He promises to help Jane find a job. His demeanor makes it clear that he is helping her for practical reasons rather than any sentimental attachment.

Jane grows close to Diana and Mary. She often accompanies them for long walks and joins them in their studies of literature and German language. Jane remains distant from St. John, however, in large part because he is seldom in the area. When Jane does speak with St. John, she notes that his words often reference a strict, Calvinist version of Christianity.

St. John offers Jane a position as the mistress of a local school recently founded by Rosamond Oliver, a wealthy local woman, to cater to poor girls. He speaks disparagingly of the job, explaining that Jane will teach menial skills—“Knitting, sewing, reading, writing, ciphering” (886)—that are below her qualifications. When Jane accepts the job offer, St. John shakes his head; he senses that she longs for more and suggests that he does, too. His sisters later explain that he wishes to become a missionary overseas.

St. John tells his sisters that their Uncle John has died and left them nothing. All of his money has gone to another unknown relative. St. John reveals that this same uncle led their father to squander his money years ago. 

Despite Jane’s attempts to adjust her perspective and adapt to her post at the local school, she feels humiliated and “weakly dismayed at the ignorance, the poverty, the coarseness” (897). She asks herself and the reader whether resisting Mr. Rochester’s offer was the right choice:

is it better […] to be a slave in a fool’s paradise at Marseilles—fevered with delusive bliss one hour—suffocating with the bitterest tears of remorse and shame the next—or to be a village-schoolmistress, free and honest, in a breezy mountain nook in the healthy heart of England? (898)

St. John checks on Jane, who tells him she is content with her situation, but he can sense she is lying. St. John describes his own career disappointment, explaining that God has called him to become a missionary. To go, he needs to conquer one last weakness. Soon after, Rosamond Oliver stops by—a young, very attractive woman whom St. John appears to be in love with.

Jane sympathizes with St. John as she watches him resist his desire for Rosamond, remembering her own resistance to Mr. Rochester.

Jane adjusts to her new school. She becomes familiar with her students, endears herself to the community, and receives welcoming smiles whenever she goes out. Though thoughts of Mr. Rochester still trouble Jane’s dreams, she arrives clear-headed and calm at her post each morning.

One day, Rosamund asks Jane to draw her. St. John stops by while Jane is drawing and gives her a copy of Walter Scott’s Marmion, a historical romance about doomed love. Noticing his admiration of the portrait, Jane kindly offers to create a replica for him. St. John would like to keep a copy of this portrait, but he does not feel it would be “judicious or wise” (929) of him to do so. Having observed the shared fondness between Rosamund and St. John, Jane boldly tells him that he should propose to her.

While St. John admires Rosamund’s beauty, he feels marrying her would preclude his missionary work: “Rosamond a sufferer, a labourer, a female apostle? Rosamond a missionary’s wife? No!” (933-934). Instead, the hard-working, steadfast Jane might be a better partner for his ambitions.

Before St. John departs, he notices something on her drawing. He tears it off and slips the torn paper into his glove. 

One snowy winter night, as Jane attempts to read Marmion, St. John suddenly turns up. He tells her the story of a woman named Jane Eyre, beginning with her childhood at Gateshead, up to her desertion of Mr. Rochester at the altar. Thus intimating that he knows Jane’s true identity, St. John coldly remarks that Mr. Rochester must have been “a bad man” (952).

St. John explains that a solicitor named Mr. Briggs is urgently seeking Jane Eyre. Her Uncle John Eyre has died and left her an inheritance of 20,000 pounds. Jane confirms her identity to St. John, who pieced together the truth from the scrap of paper he tore from Jane’s drawing of Rosamund—she had accidentally signed it with her real name.

When Jane asks St. John how Mr. Briggs learned of her whereabouts, St. John reveals that Jane’s Uncle John is also his Uncle John. Jane is tremendously happy to discover that she has cousins, and she offers to divide the inheritance equally between them, so she, Diana, Mary, and St. John receive 5,000 pounds each.

As Jane closes school for Christmas, St. John asks her if she feels pleased with the work she has done. She is, but she is also eager for her winter break, as she looks forward to preparing a Christmas feast with Diana and Mary. St. John cautions her against becoming lazy or gluttonous during her two-month break. Irritated by his gloomy attitude, Jane retorts, “I feel I have adequate cause to be happy, and I will be happy. Goodbye!” (978).

St. John is in a dark mood because Rosamond is going to marry a rich local man named Mr. Granby. Though he declares that he is happy she will no longer feel like a romantic prospect, Jane suspects that he is quite sad.

St. John approaches Jane while she is studying German and tells her he wants her to learn Hindi instead so she can travel to India with him as a missionary. When she agrees, he kisses her, but the kiss is far from romantic. From Jane’s perspective, the kiss confirms that they are not, nor ever will be, in love.

St. John asks Jane to marry him, praising her usefulness and willingness to work hard—ideal qualities for a missionary’s wife. He confirms that he doesn’t love her and that the relationship would be “not for my pleasure, but for my Sovereign’s service” (1,006). Jane agrees to go to India, but not as his wife. She refuses to marry a man who does not love her. St. John coldly replies that she cannot come with him unless they are married, accusing her of denying God’s wishes. He departs with a calm good-bye and a cold handshake. Jane “would much rather he had knocked me down” (1,026). 

Over the next few weeks, St. John repeatedly asks Jane to marry him, becoming more desperate each time she responds in the negative. When he asks her why she won’t give in to his will, she tells him: “Formerly, […] because you did not love me; now, I reply, because you almost hate me. If I were to marry you, you would kill me. You are killing me now” (1,032).

Jane confesses that she is thinking of returning to Mr. Rochester, if only to see what has happened to him. Later that evening, Diana approvingly agrees with Jane’s decision to refuse St. John. That night, Jane listens to St. John’s eloquent, deep voice as he prays. The music, beauty, and power of his words overwhelms her so completely that she almost changes her mind. At that precise moment, however, Jane hears Mr. Rochester’s spirit calling to her from a great distance, crying “Jane! Jane! Jane!” (1,050). Concerned for his well-being, Jane cries, “I am coming!” (1,051).