plot Flashcards
(9 cards)
All setting in Jane Eyre chronological order?
Gateshead (Reeds house) –> Lowood (school) –> Thornfield (Mr Rochester/ governess) –> Moor house (St John) – > Ferndean (Jane and Rochester)
🟥 1. Gateshead – Jane’s Childhood and Abuse
Jane Eyre is a 10-year-old orphan living with her cruel aunt, Mrs. Reed, and bullying cousins at Gateshead Hall.
She is treated as inferior and physically punished, especially after standing up to John Reed.
After being locked in the terrifying Red Room, Jane is traumatized.
Mrs. Reed sends her away to Lowood Institution, a harsh charity school for girls.
🟧 2. Lowood Institution – Endurance and Loss
Lowood is cold, strict, and poorly managed; students suffer under the tyrannical Mr. Brocklehurst.
Jane befriends Helen Burns, a gentle and forgiving girl who teaches Jane about Christian endurance.
An outbreak of typhus kills many students, including Helen.
Conditions improve after public criticism, and Jane excels academically.
She stays on as a teacher after graduating.
🟩 4. The Wedding – Love Interrupted
At the altar, their wedding is interrupted: Rochester is already married.
His wife, Bertha Mason, is mentally ill and lives in the attic under the care of Grace Poole.
Rochester admits he was deceived into marriage and still loves Jane, begging her to stay as his mistress.
Jane, though heartbroken, refuses to compromise her morality and leaves Thornfield.
🟨 3. Thornfield Hall – New Life and Hidden Secrets
At 18, Jane becomes a governess at Thornfield, teaching a French girl, Adèle, the ward of Mr. Rochester.
She gradually falls in love with Rochester, who is moody, mysterious, and intelligent.
Blanche Ingram, a beautiful and aristocratic woman, visits Thornfield and is rumoured to be Rochester’s future bride. Jane feels insecure and inferior but quietly endures.
Strange events occur: eerie laughter, a fire in Rochester’s bedroom, and a stabbing — all linked to an unknown presence in the house.
Rochester proposes to Jane, and she joyfully accepts.
🟦 5. Wandering and Rescue – The Depths of Poverty
Jane travels alone with no money, facing hunger and exposure.
She is taken in by Diana, Mary, and St. John Rivers, kind strangers who turn out to be her cousins.
Jane recovers and gains a teaching position at a rural school.
She inherits £20,000 from her uncle and generously shares it with her cousins.
🟪 6. St. John’s Proposal – Duty vs. Desire
St. John, a serious clergyman, asks Jane to marry him and accompany him to India as a missionary wife.
Jane respects him but feels no romantic love for him.
She nearly accepts out of duty but realizes it would mean losing her true self.
She hears Rochester’s voice calling to her as if across space — a mysterious, spiritual connection.
⬛ 7. Return to Thornfield – Devastation and Reunion
Jane returns to Thornfield and finds it burned down.
Bertha started the fire and died in the flames. Rochester tried to save her and was left blind and maimed.
Jane finds him living at Ferndean, a secluded estate, and declares her love.
They reunite and marry — now on equal terms.
✅ 8. Conclusion – Peace and Fulfilment
Jane finds true happiness: love that is rooted in equality, respect, and mutual understanding.
She narrates the story from a place of contentment, having found family, love, and independence.
Rochester gradually regains sight in one eye and sees their firstborn son.
