Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte Essays (1316 words) - Literature

Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte Title: Jane Eyre Author: Charlotte Bronte Genre: fictional novel Setting: 19th century England, Yorkshire Moors Point of View: first person Narrator: Jane Eyre telling it as an adult flashing back to her childhood CHARACTERS: Jane Eyre: Jane is the orphaned daughter of a poor parson and his disinherited wife. She lives at Gateshead Hall in the care of her aunt, Sarah Gibson Reed. She is lonely and depressed here because she is abused emotionally and physically. She later enrolls at Lowood, a boarding school for poor, orphaned girls. There, Jane distinguishes herself in her classes and finds love and compassion through the kindness of Ms. Temple and Helen. She eventually takes a position as a governess to a little French girl, Adele Varens, the ward of Edward Rochester, the master of Thornfield Hall. Jane and Rochester develop a mutual admiration and love for each other. Their marriage plans are interrupted, however, and Jane flees to Thornfield Hall. In the intervening year's separation before their eventual marriage, she establishes her independence. The two finally find happiness together and produce a son. John Reed: The 14 year old who bullies Jane and is spoiled by his mother. He is violent and abusive and is condescending in his treatment in his treatment to Jane. Later in life, he reduces his mother to poverty and dispair by leading a dissipated life. At the age of 23, he dies and is rumored to have killed himself Eliza Reed The older daughter of the Reed family. She is frugal to the point of being greedy. She keeps chickens, hoards her eggs and chicken money, and lends it to he mother at a high interest rate. When her mother lies on her deathbed, she cold-heartedly ignores her and devotes herself to religion. After Mrs. Reed's death she becomes a nun at a convent in Lisle, France, and eventually rises to a position of Mother Superior, leaving her fortune to the nunnery. Georgiana: The vain, self-indulgent beauty of the Reed family. She is acrid and selfish (won't let Jane play with her toys). She accuses Eliza for ruining her plans to marry Lord Erwin Vere. She later goes to London and marries a wealthy man. Aunt Sarah Reed: The mean-spirited widow of Jane Eyre's uncle who torments Jane at every opportunity. She is hypocritical and feigns to Jane's benefactress. Despite Jane's attempt to make up for the past, Mrs. Reed rejects Jane's reconciliation and dies alone, and unloved. Bessie Lee: The servant at Gateshead Hall who consoles Jane with treats from the kitchen, Gulliver's Travels, and sang her songs when she was excluded from the family festivities, and visits Jane at Lowood. Bessie later marries Robert Leaven, the coachman, has 3 children, and continues working for the Reed family. Miss Abbot: The servant at Gateshead Hall who treated Jane condescendingly and referred to her as a toad. Mr. Lloyd: The apothecary who treats Jane at Gateshead. He perceives Jane's unhappiness and thinks of solutions to her problem: live with her father's poor relatives or go to boarding school. Mr. Brocklehurst: The head of Lowood School who interviews Jane. His grim, hypocritical evaluation of Jane's shortcomings follows her to Lowood where he publicly labels her a liar. He is austere and preaches fire and brimstone; however, his wife and daughters are luxuriously dressed. Helen Burns: The 14 year old motherless child from Northumberland. She befriends Jane at Lowood and offers encouragement by word and example as the two friends endure the hardships of school life. She is punished by Ms. Scatcherd to wear dirty clothes and slattern across her forehead. On her deathbed, she anticipates contentment with God and a reunion with Jane in heaven. Maria Temple: The superintendent and music teacher at Lowood. She positively influences Jane by showing her kindness and sympathy, and how to nurse her animosity. She later marries Rev. Mr. Nasmyth. Edward Fairfax Rochester: After Rowland, Edward's brother, receives the entire Rochester family inheritance, Edward is tricked into marrying an insane woman whom he barely knows. His love for Jane rekindles love, although his wife is secretly locked up in a third story room of Thornfield. Following the death of his wife, the loss of his home to a terrible fire, blindness, and the amputation of his left hand, he is reunited with Jane at Ferndean, marries her, and recovers enough vision in one eye to see their son. Blanche Ingram: The shallow daughter of Lady Ingram who uses her glamour to lure Rochester toward a marriage proposal. However,