J ANE E YRE C HARLOTTE B RONTE Katie Herbel

C HARACTERS Jane Eyre Protagonist and narrator Determined, intelligent, and honest Rich with experience of hardship Maintains her principles of dignity, independence, and morality

Edward Rochester Master of Thornfield Wealthy and passionate man Obtains dark secrets from his past Rash and impulsive disposition Still coping with past events made

St. John Rivers Provides Jane a shelter after Thornfield Minister at Morton Cold, reserved, and controlling disposition Devoted to his own beliefs and ambitions

Mrs. Reed Jane’s cruel aunt Resentful that her deceased husband favored Jane Treats Jane as the family nuisance John Reed Jane’s cousin Extremely cruel to Jane in their childhood Falls into a depressed state later in the novel

Mr. Brocklehurst Cruel, hypocritical master of Lowood School Steals from school to support luxurious lifestyle Dishonest practices later discovered

Bertha Mason Rochester’s hidden wife Became insane, violent, and inhuman Locked and guarded in Thornfield Sets Thornfield on fire on multiple occasions

P LOT Young orphan Jane Eyre being raised by cruel Mrs. Reed Experiences years of abuse and hardship Jane gets sent away to boarding school Discovers unsatisfactory conditions at Lowood school Spends total of eight years at Lowood

Becomes governess at Thornfield manor Intrigued by passionate and secretive owner, Rochester Rochester proposes to Jane who disbelievingly accepts Jane discovers Rochester is already married Jane discovers the psychotic Bertha Mason and flees

Finds shelter and starts new life Discovers her caregivers are her family Jane shares her newfound fortune with this family Realizes she cannot ignore her love for Rochester Discovers Rochester’s blindness injuries from Thornfield fire Jane and Rochester rebuild relationship and marry

S ETTING setting (time) Early decades of the nineteenth century. setting (place) The novel is structured around five locations

C ONFLICTS AND R ESOLUTIONS Jane’s conflict between choosing passion or responsibility Test path with God and her independent morals Once her autonomy is found, she can be committed Conflicts strengthened Jane and allowed true happiness

T HEME Love Versus Autonomy Jane Eyre is the story of a quest to be loved. Jane searches for belonging and value among others Gaining this affection tests her morals of independence Becomes self-sufficient and learns economic autonomy Can then choose love and have equality

A UTHOR ’ S S TYLE