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Discuss "Jane Eyre" on the Forums!
Jane
Eyre
 Chapter
18
- Sometimes Jane's naļveté
offers Brontė a chance to satirize the attitudes and actions of
aristocracy. In the first full paragraph on page 176, how does Brontė
satirize love as seen by the upper class?
- Comment on the sudden
appearance of both Mr. Mason and the old gypsy woman.
Chapter
19
- This chapter shows another
change in the relationship between Rochester and Jane. Analyze this new
stage.
- Re-read the section
beginning with "Here is to your health, ministrant spirit!" (192)
until the end of the chapter. What do you make of this passage?
Chapter
20
- On page 198, Brontė again
changes into the present tense. Why?
- At this point in the novel,
it is very clear that Rochester is deeply involved with some mystery
surrounding Grace Poole. At the end of the chapter, who does he initially
hint may help him find happiness? When Jane can not respond to Rochester1s
hinting, his tone and attitude change immediately. What does this say about
Rochester as a character?
Chapter
21
- On pages 2234, we are
treated to an example of what the Reed sisters have become. How does Jane
respond to their personalities. How does Jane compare and contrast to them?
- Describe the resolution of
the relationship between Jane and Mrs. Reed. Is it different from what you
expected? Would it have been different from what Brontė's audience would
have expected?
Chapter
22
- Chapter 22 is short and
ostensibly deals with Jane's return to Thornwood. What function might this
chapter serve in terms of the entire text?
- Note again the switch in
tense on page 231.
Chapter
23
- Pay attention to Brontė's
description of Thornfield in summer at the beginning of the chapter. Notice
how it contrasts the events of the rest of the chapter. Notice also the
change of weather and the destruction of the chestnut tree. As a reader,
what effect should these incidents of "pathetic fallacy" have on
you?
- In Jane's impassioned speech
beginning with "I tell you I must go!" (240) you should be able to
find pieces of both Bessie and Helen Burns. How do the philosophies of these
two influential characters color Jane's words?
Chapter
24
- This chapter is pure Jane
Eyre. How is Jane different than most brides of romance stories? What would
Brontė's audience have thought of her behavior?
Chapter
25
- When Jane regards her
wedding gown on page 261, what mood does Brontė establish?
- Why does Brontė narrate
with such a heavy hand when she writes "Stay till he comes, reader; and
when I disclose my secret to him, you shall share the confidence."
(262)?
Chapter
26
- What is the irony in Jane
wearing "the plain square of blond" veil for her wedding (272)?
- What do you think of the
fact that Jane's uncle and Mr. Mason were business associates?
- Re-read Jane's recollections
of the events leading up to the introduction of Bertha Mason (281). How are
these events different from similar events in traditional romantic novels?
Why does Brontė "play" the scene this way?
Chapter
27
- "Reader, I forgave him
at the moment on the spot" (284). What is your reaction to this?
- When Rochester explains the
circumstances of marriage to Bertha Mason, how do you respond as a reader?
Does Brontė succeed or fail to produce sympathy for this character? How?
- Compare the symbolism of
"(a) wind fresh from Europe" (293) and the "fiery West Indian
night" (292). What do these symbols represent? Are they ironic in any
sense?
- On page 302, Jane explains
her rationale for not complying with Rochester. Is this in character with
the Jane we have come to know? How?
Chapter
28
- The suffering that Jane
endures is compounded by her belief that she has "no claim to ask"
for help (312). How is this philosophy in keeping with her character?
- As the author of the text,
Brontė is the artist who chooses what events happen in the plot (much the
same way a painter can choose the composition of a painting, or a sculptor
can choose where and how to carve the elements of a sculpture). Why did she
choose to create a section where her main character goes through so much
pain? Is it appropriate?
Chapter
29
- Do a little research. Where
do the names Mary, Diana, St. John, and Hannah come from, and what is the
significance attached to those names? Compare the meanings of the names to
their respective characters in the previous chapter and this one?
Chapter
30
- Compare the Rivers family to
the Reed family. In what way are they similar? In what way are they foils?
Do the names signify anything?
Chapter
31
- Jane's feelings toward her
backwoods students and the "germs of native excellence, refinement,
intelligence (and) kind-feeling" that "are as likely to exist in
their hearts as in those of the best-born" (342) are likely to have
caused a stir among non-romantics of the period. Why?
- Why does Jane begin this
chapter in the present tense?
- Jane Eyre is running from an
unattainable love. Who else is running as well, and what are the details?
Chapter
32
- A good minister is an
example to his congregation; followers will learn "truth" by
simply observing the daily actions of their pastor. Does St. James Rivers
impart any "truths" to Jane?
Chapter
33
- In this chapter, the final
pieces of the puzzle slip into place. Is this resolution too coincidental or
is it satisfactory?
Chapter
34
- Characterize the
similarities and differences between St. John's offer of marriage and
Rochester's. Why does Jane refuse St. John when she is willing to accept a
life with him in India? Couldn1t she grow to love him? How does her response
fit in with what we know about Jane as a character?
- Hot climates seem to have a
special symbolic meaning in the text (note Rochester's discussion of the
West Indies). What do you make of it?
Chapter
35
- Jane's conversation with
Diana (3968), although acceptable and unexceptional to us, would have
bordered on the scandalous in Brontė's day. What is it about Jane's
viewpoint that would have drawn so much anger?
- Does Jane's near surrender
to St. John Rivers, stopped only by "the voiceof Edward Fairfax
Rochester" speaks to her "in pain and woe" (401) diminish her
strength of character? Why would Brontė have slipped again into the realm
of the supernatural if Jane had enough strength in her own convictions?
Chapter
36
- In this chapter we learn the
fate of Rochester, Bertha Mason, and Thornfield Hall. How do these
revelations sit with you, the reader? Did Brontė do a good job of tying up
loose ends?
Chapter
37
- Notice that Brontė makes a
direct jump from the inn at Millcote to Rochester's house at Ferndean. Why
does she do this? What effect might she wish to achieve?
- On page 419, Jane has her
own ideas of how to shake Rochester from his gloom. What are they?
- "To make a love story
workyou gotta have heart. More important: The audience must believe it's
real." This quote by Pat H. Broeske in his article "Save Yourself
From Trouble" from the January 1995 issue of Writer's Digest
was his thesis for why some Hollywood love stories work and some don't. Does
Jane Eyre work as a love story? Do Jane and Rochester have
"heart"? Are we glad to see them back together? What makes their
relationship ring true for the reader?
Chapter
38
- Brontė ends the novel on a
religious note. In fact, she has been building the religious closure since
Rochester's admission of prayer in chapter 37. What effect does this have on
you as a reader? What effect would it have had on Brontė's audience?
- If St. John Rivers was such
a frigid (and in some ways unpleasant character), why would Brontė chose to
end the novel with a reference to him?
- Note the parallel structure:
The novel begins with the antics of John Reed and closes with the antics of
St. John Rivers.
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