Jane Eyre

Looking back over her life as an adult woman, Jane Eyre begins her story when she was a 10-year-old orphan living in Gateshead manor with her wealthy aunt, Mrs. Reed, and her aunt’s three children: Eliza, Georgiana, and surly teenager John.

On a dreary, cold day that prohibits outdoor activities, Mrs. Reed accuses Jane of being sullen and willful compared to her cousins. She forbids Jane from playing with Eliza and Georgiana, fearing that Jane’s bad temperament will rub off on them. Jane challenges Mrs. Reed’s judgment, but her self-defense only serves to affirm her guardian’s negative opinion.

Jane comforts herself by reading Bewick’s History of British Birds, losing herself in the details of its geographic descriptions. 14-year-old John interrupts her. Spoiled and entitled, he often bullies and terrifies her: “not two or three times in the week, nor once or twice in the day, but continually: every nerve I had feared him, and every morsel of flesh in my bones shrank when he came near” (18).

John berates Jane for reading the Reeds’ books, saying she has no right to use his family’s belongings: “you are a dependent, mama says; you have no money; your father left you none; you ought to beg, and not to live here with gentlemen’s children like us” (20). When he grabs the book and tries to hit her and pull her hair, Jane retaliates, yelling at him and fighting back.

John lies to his mother that Jane hurt him without provocation. Mrs. Reed orders her maid Bessie to take Jane to the “red-room” (22) and lock her inside.

Jane’s fear of the red-room drives her to act out in a panic, eliciting only condemnation from the servants.

The still, cold atmosphere of the red-room frightens Jane. She recalls that her Uncle Reed died in the room nine years ago, and it has seemed haunted ever since. Wide-eyed in horror, Jane gazes at her own reflection in the looking glass. She is consumed with a sense of injustice, unable to explain to herself, “why I thus suffered”, though she notes that “now”—at the time of her backward-looking adult narration—she “see[s] it clearly” (32).

Jane then reflects on the events that led her to Mrs. Reed’s household. Her kind Uncle Reed brought her to live with his family after her parents died. On his deathbed, Uncle Reed made Aunt Reed promise to “maintain [Jane] as one of her own children” (34). Jane is then shaken by the sensation that her Uncle Reed might rise from the dead to express his rage at her mistreatment. Terrified by this idea, she begins to shake the door by its knob, crying out for the servants to let her go.

Mrs. Reed refuses to let Jane out of the red-room, believing that she is simply trying to evade her punishment. Jane undergoes another panic attack, during which she faints from emotional exhaustion. 

When Jane’s consciousness returns, she is in bed in the nursery, tended to by the family’s kind-mannered doctor, Mr. Lloyd. Bessie now also treats Jane with kindness, asking another servant to sleep next to Jane, who might die from Mrs. Reed’s harsh actions. Adult Jane notes that she has since forgiven her Aunt, who “knew not what [she] did” (43).

The next day, Mr. Lloyd speaks to Jane, wondering what caused her such distress. Jane tells him she was afraid of Mr. Reed’s ghost and that she is unhappy living at Gateshead. Mr. Lloyd hints that he finds Jane ungrateful and emotionally disturbed, though his outward affect remains gentle. He suggests that perhaps Jane might prefer living with her poor relatives, but the idea of living in poverty frightens Jane. Mr. Lloyd recommends that Mrs. Reed enroll Jane in a local girls’ boarding school.

Bessie and another servant, Mrs. Abbot, discuss Jane’s parents. Jane’s mother was a member of the wealthy Reed family, and her father was a poor clergyman. The Reeds were greatly distressed that she married beneath her class, and Jane’s disapproving grandfather wrote his daughter out of the will.

Mrs. Abbot expresses her disapproval of Jane’s maternal family, but Bessie is sympathetic to Jane’s plight. Mrs. Abbot would pity Jane if she were “a nice, pretty child” (59) like Georgiana, instead of “a little toad” (59).

After the red-room incident, Mrs. Reed’s children are even more unkind toward Jane. Angered by her mistreatment, Jane proclaims to them that they “are not fit to associate with [her]” (62). Mrs. Reed overhears Jane and responds with physical violence, enraged by the idea that a poor child would condescend to her family.

After the holidays, the stern headmaster of Lowood School, Mr. Brocklehurst, comes to Gateshead to arrange Jane’s enrollment. He asks Jane a number of challenging questions about her character, behavior, and religious beliefs, including, “Do you know where the wicked go after death?” (74). When Jane responds that they go to Hell, he asks what she must do to avoid going to Hell. Jane boldly replies, “I must keep in good health, and not die” (75).

Mrs. Reed warns Mr. Brocklehurst that Jane’s instructors must keep a close eye on her, as she has “a tendency to deceit” (78). Mr. Brocklehurst promises to spread the word about Jane’s character among all her teachers. He also tells Mrs. Reed that Jane’s education will emphasize the importance of humbleness and plainness.

When Mr. Brocklehurst leaves, Jane expresses her frustration with Mrs. Reed’s accusation that she is deceitful, saying, “I am not deceitful: if I were, I should say I loved you; but I declare I do not love you: I dislike you the worst of anybody in the world except John Reed” (84). Jane further explains that she will never forget her aunt’s mistreatment of her: “you are bad, hard-hearted. You are deceitful!” (85).

Shortly after Jane’s tirade, Bessie confesses to Jane that she prefers her over Mrs. Reed’s children, and that she will miss her when she goes to Lowood.

Four days later, a coach arrives very early in the morning to take Jane to Lowood. Jane refuses to say good-bye to Mrs. Reed, claiming that her benefactress was never her friend. Bessie, however, bids an emotional farewell to Jane, begging the guard to take good care of her.

When Jane arrives at Lowood, the weather is harsh, gray, and forbidding. Lowood is a grim building, filled with many young women in plain brown dresses. The girls must work hard with little reward or pleasure: They eat disgusting burnt porridge and are disciplined harshly for the slightest infraction. One beautiful young teacher named Miss Temple, however, is kind to the girls.

Jane befriends a gentle and angelic student named Helen Burns, who explains that Lowood is a charity school for girls who have “lost either one or both parents” (119). The school’s yearly fee is not enough to cover the girls’ expenses, so the difference is donated by philanthropic benefactors. Mr. Brocklehurst is in charge of everything related to the school, and that Miss Temple answers to his authority.

Later that afternoon, a cruel teacher named Miss Scatcherd harshly punishes Helen, forcing her to stand in the middle of the large schoolroom. Jane admires Helen’s calm demeanor throughout her punishment.

Jane and the other Lowood girls suffer through a long cold night. The girls are unable to wash themselves because the water in their pitchers has frozen. The rest of the morning follows the patterns of the day before, including a meager porridge breakfast, sternly led prayers, and Bible readings.

Miss Scatcherd continues to cruelly target Helen. Helen always responds to Miss Scatherd’s harsh rebukes with silence, acceptance, and calm obedience.

Confused by Helen’s attitude, Jane later asks her why she does not stand up for herself. As a devout Christian, Helen practices a doctrine of peacefully enduring, loving, and forgiving one’s enemies. Helen truly believes her worst critics, feeling that she is deeply flawed and deserves to have her flaws pointed out. Helen’s proof is that even the much kinder and gentler teachings of Miss Temple “have not [cured Helen’s] faults” (136). Jane is skeptical of this argument, though she greatly admires Helen’s grace and tolerance.

Jane’s first quarter at Lowood is physically and emotionally difficult, between the cold weather, the lack of food, and the collectively low morale of students and teachers alike. Miss Temple provides some solace, however, encouraging her pupils.

Mr. Brocklehurst is away for much of the winter. When he returns, he chastises Miss Temple for spoiling the girls when, in reality, she is simply trying to provide for their basic needs. He reprimands her for serving bread and cheese instead of porridge, quotes scripture to justify his belief in limiting the girls’ comforts, and tells Miss Temple, “when you put bread and cheese, instead of burnt porridge, into these children’s mouths, you may indeed feed their vile bodies, but you little think how you starve their immortal souls!” (154).

After noticing the naturally curly hair of a young student, Mr. Brocklehurst tyrannically orders the cutting of all the Lowood girls’ hair to teach them a lesson about vanity. Mr. Brocklehurst’s wife and daughter, meanwhile, both dress in fine, extravagant clothes. Mr. Brocklehurst is a hypocrite and does not practice in his own life what he preaches to his students.

Nervous that Mr. Brocklehurst will turn his attention toward her, Jane accidentally drops her slate. Mr. Brocklehurst forces Jane to stand on a stool in front of the whole school as he goes on a tirade about her bad character, demanding that the others “avoid her company, exclude her from your sports, and shut her out from your converse [because] this girl is—a liar!” (162).

For the rest of the day, Jane must stand on the stool while other girls are forbidden to speak to her. Helen comforts Jane by silently smiling at her every time she passes by.

At five in the evening, Jane can finally get off the stool. She collapses in grief, weeping over her damaged reputation, believing she will now be unable to make friends at Lowood. Helen comes by with an offering of coffee and bread.

Helen explains that most of the girls at Lowood probably do not believe Mr. Brocklehurst’s words and pity Jane for being singled out. When Jane continues to worry about her reputation, Helen tells her that she should be less concerned with the opinions of her peers on earth and more concerned with God’s judgment.

Helen takes Jane to see Miss Temple, who does not believe Jane is a liar and promises to judge Jane solely on the merit of her own behavior, not on the pronouncements of others. Jane then tells the story of her childhood at Gateshead, including her recent interactions with Mr. Lloyd and Mrs. Reed’s negative opinion of her. Miss Temple offers to write to Mr. Lloyd—if he corroborates her story, Jane “shall be publicly cleared from every imputation” (175).

Miss Temple orders tea and worriedly asks about Helen’s health, asking if she has coughed much lately, and if the pain in her chest has improved. Helen politely replies that she is feeling better, but Miss Temple’s concern suggests that her health problems are long-term and degenerative.

A week later, Miss Temple assembles the student body and publicly announces that she has inquired into the charges made against Jane Eyre and found them to be false. Jane feels a deep sense of relief and begins to focus more intently on her studies, especially drawing and French, eager to prove herself to Miss Temple.

Spring arrives, bringing warmer weather and raising the Lowood girls’ spirits. Many of the girls, however, become sick with typhus, predisposed to illness by Mr. Brocklehurst’s harsh regulations.

Helen becomes very sick and needs to be quarantined. In Helen’s absence, Jane befriends a girl named Mary Ann Wilson (though she notes that Mary Ann is no substitute for Helen’s company). One afternoon, while Jane is playing with Mary Ann, she sees the doctor and a nurse emerge from the building. Jane asks the nurse how Helen is doing. The nurse responds that Helen is doing very poorly and will likely die soon.

Distraught, Jane hurries to Miss Temple’s room, where Helen is on her deathbed. Helen calmly smiles at Jane and asks if she has come to bid her good-bye. Jane asks if Helen is going home, and she replies, “Yes; to my long home—my last home” (198).

Helen explains that she is happy to die young—she is eager to meet God. Jane lies next to Helen in bed, wondering if there truly is a God and a Heaven.

During the night, Helen passes away, and Miss Temple quietly removes Jane from her bed. Helen is buried in a grave that will stay unmarked for a many years. Adult Jane notes that when she is writing 15 years later, the grave now has a stone with Helen’s name and the word Resurgam: Latin for “I shall rise again.”