Plot Summary (AQA A-Level English Literature A): Revision Notes
Plot Summary
Jane's childhood at Gateshead
The novel begins with Jane Eyre as a young orphan living at Gateshead Hall, the home of her wealthy and unkind aunt, Mrs Reed. Jane's aunt treats her with cruelty and contempt. However, a servant named Bessie shows Jane occasional kindness by telling her stories and singing songs to comfort her.
One day, after Jane defends herself against her bullying cousin John Reed, Mrs Reed punishes Jane by locking her in the red-room. This is the chamber where Jane's Uncle Reed died. Whilst imprisoned in the red-room, Jane becomes terrified, believing she sees her uncle's ghost. She screams and faints from fear.
The red-room incident represents Jane's first major trauma and acts as a catalyst for change in her life. This terrifying experience of being locked in the death chamber marks a crucial turning point, as it leads directly to Mr Lloyd's recommendation that Jane be sent away to school, effectively freeing her from Mrs Reed's cruelty.
When she regains consciousness, she finds herself being cared for by Bessie and the sympathetic apothecary Mr Lloyd, who recommends to Mrs Reed that Jane should be sent away to school. Mrs Reed readily agrees to this suggestion.
Life at Lowood School
Jane arrives at Lowood School, where she discovers that life is far from comfortable. The school's headmaster, Mr Brocklehurst, is a cruel and hypocritical man who preaches a doctrine of poverty and self-denial to the pupils whilst living a luxurious and wealthy lifestyle with his own family. At Lowood, conditions are harsh and the pupils suffer greatly.
During her time at the school, Jane befriends a young girl named Helen Burns. Helen possesses a strong, martyr-like attitude towards the school's harsh treatment, which both helps and frustrates Jane. Tragically, a massive typhus epidemic sweeps through Lowood, and Helen dies from consumption (tuberculosis).
The epidemic also serves an important purpose by drawing public attention to the terrible conditions at the school. Following this exposure, Mr Brocklehurst's position weakens, and a group of more sympathetic gentlemen takes over the management of Lowood. These reforms mark a significant improvement in Jane's circumstances.
After the reforms, Jane's circumstances improve considerably. She remains at Lowood for a total of eight years: six years as a student and two years working as a teacher.
Thornfield and meeting Rochester
After teaching for two years, Jane yearns for new experiences and independence. She accepts a position as a governess at a manor called Thornfield. At Thornfield, Jane teaches a lively French girl named Adèle, who is under the guardianship of the estate's owner. Jane is welcomed by Mrs Fairfax, the kindly housekeeper who presides over the estate.
The master of Thornfield is a dark and passionate man named Rochester. Jane finds herself gradually falling in love with him, though she keeps her feelings hidden. One night, Jane saves Rochester's life when she discovers a fire in his bedroom, which he claims was started by a drunken servant named Grace Poole.
Jane suspects there may be more to the story, as Grace Poole continues to work at Thornfield despite this supposed incident. This mysterious fire and Grace Poole's continued presence at Thornfield foreshadow the shocking revelation that will later interrupt Jane's wedding.
Rochester brings home a beautiful but cruel woman named Blanche Ingram, and Jane becomes convinced that Rochester intends to marry Blanche. Despite her heartbreak, Jane maintains her composure. To her astonishment, Rochester eventually proposes marriage not to Blanche, but to Jane herself. Jane accepts, almost unable to believe her good fortune.
The interrupted wedding and Jane's flight
On their wedding day, as Jane and Mr Rochester prepare to exchange their vows, a man named Mr Mason cries out, interrupting the ceremony. Mason introduces himself as the brother of Rochester's wife. He testifies that Rochester's wife, a woman named Bertha, is still alive.
The Revelation of Bertha Mason
Rochester does not deny Mason's claims but explains that Bertha has gone mad after he married her as a young man in Jamaica. Rochester takes the wedding party back to Thornfield, where they witness Bertha Mason living on the third floor of the house. She is kept hidden and under the control of Grace Poole. Rochester reveals that Bertha was the real cause of the mysterious fire that Jane had discovered earlier.
Recognising that it is impossible for her to be with Rochester whilst he remains married, Jane flees Thornfield that very night, choosing moral integrity over personal happiness.
Jane and the Rivers family
Destitute and starving, Jane is forced to sleep outdoors and beg for food. Eventually, three siblings who live in a manor alternately called Marsh End and Moor House take her in. Their names are Mary, Diana, and St John Rivers. Jane quickly becomes friends with them.
St John is a clergyman who finds Jane employment as a charity schoolteacher at Morton. One day, St John brings Jane surprising news: her uncle, John Eyre, has died and left her a substantial fortune of £20,000. When Jane enquires how St John received this information, he reveals even more startling news - John Eyre was also his uncle. This means that Jane and the Rivers siblings are cousins.
Jane immediately decides to share her inheritance equally amongst her three newfound relatives, giving each of them an equal portion. This generous act demonstrates Jane's growing sense of independence and self-worth, as she now has the financial means to make her own choices.
St John's proposal and Rochester's call
St John decides to travel to India to work as a missionary. He urges Jane to accompany him as his wife. Jane agrees to go to India but refuses to marry St John because she does not truly love him. St John continues to pressure her to reconsider his proposal.
Rochester's Supernatural Call
However, one night Jane hears Rochester's voice calling her name across the moors. This mysterious, almost supernatural moment represents a spiritual connection between Jane and Rochester that transcends physical distance. She immediately hurries back to Thornfield and discovers that the manor has been burned to the ground.
Jane learns that Bertha Mason set the fire and lost her life in the blaze. During the fire, Rochester managed to save the servants but tragically lost his eyesight and one of his hands in the process.
Reunion and marriage
Jane travels on to Rochester's new residence at Ferndean, where he now lives with two servants named John and Mary. At Ferndean, Rochester and Jane rebuild their relationship and are soon married.
In the conclusion of her narrative, Jane writes that she has been married to Rochester for ten blissful years. She states that she and Rochester enjoy perfect equality in their marriage. She also reveals that after two years of blindness, Rochester regained sight in one eye and was able to see their first son at his birth.
Key Points to Remember:
- Jane's journey takes her from childhood oppression at Gateshead through education at Lowood, love and heartbreak at Thornfield, independence with the Rivers family, and finally to equality and happiness with Rochester at Ferndean.
- Key turning points include the red-room incident, Helen Burns' death, the interrupted wedding, the discovery of Jane's inheritance, and the fire at Thornfield.
- The novel traces Jane's development from a powerless orphan to an independent woman who achieves both financial independence and an equal partnership in marriage.
- Rochester's disability and Bertha's death remove the obstacles preventing Jane and Rochester's union, allowing them to marry as equals.
- The ending emphasises themes of equality, as Jane explicitly states that she and Rochester enjoy perfect equality in their ten-year marriage.