Jane Eyre: Chapters 16-19 Analysis

Chapters 16-19 Summary and Analysis

• Blanch Ingram and Mr. Mason are introduced.
• Jane Eyre and Blanch Ingram’s differences are highlighted.
• Jane's curiosity leads to the exploration of Grace Poole's mystery.
• The growing attraction between Jane and Rochester is highlighted.

Jane's Feelings Towards Blanche Ingram

• Jane views herself as inferior to Blanche both physically and socially.
• Jane recognizes Blanche as a phony, doubting Rochester's genuine love for her.
• Jane believes Rochester is marrying Blanche for political gain.
• Jane confesses unrequited love for Rochester, admitting she cannot stop loving him

Rochester's Growing Love for Jane

• Rochester is increasingly fascinated by Jane, with indications of growing affection.
• He is seeking Jane's company amidst entertaining his house guests.
• Rochester notices Jane's emotional state and acknowledges her depression.
• When playing the gypsy, Rochester tries to get Jane to reveal her feelings.
• Rochester insightfully describes Jane, noting her self-respect and independence.
• Rochester leans on Jane for physical support after hearing Richard Mason's name, signifying his growing emotional dependency.
• Rochester expresses his desire to be isolated with Jane on an island, revealing romantic feelings.

Introduction of Richard Mason

• Richard Mason, a mysterious character, is introduced as a friend from the West Indies.
• Jane takes an immediate dislike to Richard Mason.
• The chapter concludes with Rochester's distress upon hearing Richard Mason's name, seeking support from Jane.

Chapters 20-22 Summary and Analysis

• A piercing cry during the night awakens everyone.
• Rochester summons is calmed, but then brings Jane to the attic. to help him.
• Jane finds Richard Mason, who appears to have been stabbed, covered in blood.
• Rochester instructs Jane to nurse and stay with Richard without conversation.
• Jane fears the ranting person, assuming it's Grace Poole.
• Richard describes a raging animal attack, intensifying the mystery.
• The dynamic between Richard Mason and Rochester remains unclear to Jane.
• Rochester tells Jane a parable about a "wild boy" seeking solace abroad who meets a worthy stranger upon returning home.
• Rochester asks Jane if she's willing to overcome social customs for a worthy existence.
• He describes Blanche Ingram's assets and asks Jane to sit with him the night before the wedding.
• Jane agrees but expresses her love for Mr Rochester.

Dreams and Omens

• Jane’s dreams feature an infant, reminding her of Bessie's omen, who says children are a sign of trouble.
• Robert Leaven calls Jane to visit the dying Mrs. Reed at Thornfield.
• John Reed is dead, purportedly by suicide.
• Jane gets Rochester's permission to travel 100 miles to Gateshead, surprising him as he thought she was alone.
• Jane requests schooling for Adele and a future position, but Rochester assures support without advertising.

Mrs. Reed's Confession

• Jane returns to find Mrs. Reed unchanged but Jane is healed and her resentment is gone.
• Mrs. Reed, delirious, confesses hatred for Jane and jealousy of Reed’s affection.
• Mrs. Reed admits to breaking promise to her husband about raising Jane.
• Mrs. Reed confesses to a letter from John Eyre, Jane's uncle, and to keeping the letter secret.
• Mr. Eyre sought adoption and inheritance for Jane.
• Mrs. Reed explains her dislike for Jane and revenge by writing to John Eyre.
• Mrs. Reed reported Jane died of typhus at Lowood avoiding Jane a fixed comfortable position.
• Jane offers Mrs. Reed forgiveness and asks for peace.
• Mrs. Reed dies alone.

Reunion Foreshadowing

• Jane is eagerly anticipating her reunion with Rochester despite the fact that Thornfield is not her real home.
• Jane admits to Rochester that she's glad to be back in his presence and that "wherever you are is my home".
• Jane is grieving over Rochester's impending marriage to Blanche Ingram, but is encouraged by the fact preparations have not started.

Chapters 23-25 Summary and Analysis

• Jane presumes Rochester will wed Blanche Ingram.
• Jane expresses the necessity of her leaving after Rochester tells her he doesn't have a bride.
• Jane questions if Rochester thinks she can stay and become nothing to him.
• Jane also asks if Rochester thinks she is an emotionless machine.
• Jane questions if Rochester thinks she is soulless and heartless because she is poor, obscure, plain and little.
• Rochester proposes asking for her hand, heart, and a share of all his possessions.
• Jane still thinks it is joke.
• Rochester affirms that the proposal is not a joke, telling her that it is her that he wants to marry.
• Jane is still in shock and wonders if it might have been a dream.
• Jane insists that Rochester inform Mrs. Fairfax of their engagement before she sees her.
• Jane worries Mrs. Fairfax might misjudge her.
• Mrs. Fairfax appears shocked when told but then shares her acceptance of the news but advises that, “all is not gold that glitters”.

Premonitions

• Jane witnesses Rochester riding a horse and retreating in the distance and the mansion has been reduced to ruins in a dream.
• Jane also dreams that she is carrying a baby .
• Jane observes a dark-haired, red-eyed woman in her room trying on her wedding veil when she awakens.
• Jane is unsure if it is a dream or reality.

Love and Fear

• The love affair reaches a climax.
• Both Jane and Rochester profess passionate love.
• Though the marriage proposal seems to end all troubles, Jane can't accept without fear.
• She envisions Thornfield Hall in ruins and is holding a baby in a nightmare.

Dream Interpretation

• The dream intensifies as she sees a madwoman in her room trying on their wedding-veil, indication something unknown or frightening is connected to the wedding.
• Jane cannot bring herself to affix tags with the name Mrs. Rochester, implying not real.
• Jane uses the word dream often, struggling to discern the difference between reality and dream.
• Jane's dreams foreshadow events.
• Jane was last summoned to Gateshead while Mrs. Reed was dying.

Chapters 26-27 Summary and Analysis

• The mystery is exposed.
• Jane is confronted with information already suspected.
• Jane’s dreams confirm her anxieties.
• Jane leaves the only adult love she's ever known to a mistress.
• Jane proves her integrity again.
• Brontë continues to portray Jane trying to keep her sense of self and fears becoming someone Rochester couldn’t respect.
• Jane sneaks out so she doesn’t have to face Rochester and spends the night in emotional agony
• She runs in the opposite direction of Millcote.
• She slept outdoors alone for two nights before a coachman picked her up.

Faith and Perseverance

• Jane relies on God for support during tough times.
• She states that God gives her the energy to keep traveling and says she felt the might and strength of God.

Chapters 28-29 Summary and Analysis

• Jane travels for two days and arrives in a little town called Morton.
• She discovers that she has left her money behind in the coach and is now penniless,
• She continues to search for help, stopping at the parish church, but a woman tells her that the minister is away.
• Jane also keeps keeps her misfortune secret.
• Jane sees a light at night in the distance.
• She follows the light to a house, where she sees a housekeeper and two young ladies through the window.
• Jane knocks on the door and is met by a housekeeper called Hannah.
• Jane asks to speak to the mistresses of the house, but Hannah is hesitant.
• Jane is unable to speak to the ladies, and near death.

Arrival at Moor House

• St. John hears Jane state ‘Let me try to wait His will in silence’.
• Jane is comforted by Diana and Mary's warmth.
• On the fouth day, she speaks to Hannah again and asserts that she is not a beggar.
• St. John is a minister, Hannah informs Jane that Diana and Mary are his sisters and their father died three weeks prior.
• The house is named ‘Marsh End’ or ‘Moor House’, as Jane learns from Hannah.

Stamina and Compassion

• Jane is tested and relies on God.
• Jane says, "I thanked God," before sleeping in a bed.
• The issues of poverty and homelessness are addressed.
• The Rivers family saves Jane's life.
• Jane has wandered enough and this represents the haven she was seeking.
• Diana and Mary are portrayed as "domestic bliss and contentment, sitting by the fire in the kitchen is one of the first things that Jane sees.
• Light symbolizes the light of God in the window and leads to comfort.
• Jane's need to be independent is important.
• St. John is informed that she will become a dressmaker, plain work-woman, servant, or nurse-girl immediately.
• Jane asks to stay until she finds work to avoid homelessness.
• St. John promises to help and the Rivers are a generous people.