Plot Analysis on Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre'

 Plot Analysis on Charlotte Brontë's 'Jane Eyre'

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My feet they are sore, and my limbs they are weary;
Long is the way, and the mountains are wild;
Soon will the twilight close moonless and dreary
Over the path of the poor orphan child.
Why did they send me so far and so lonely,
Up where the moors spread and grey rocks are piled?
Men are hard-hearted, and kind angels only
Watch o’er the steps of a poor orphan child.
Yet distant and soft the night breeze is blowing,
Clouds there are none, and clear stars beam mild,
God, in His mercy, protection is showing,
Comfort and hope to the poor orphan child.
Ev’n should I fall o’er the broken bridge passing,
Or stray in the marshes, by false lights beguiled,
Still will my Father, with promise and blessing,
Take to His bosom the poor orphan child.
There is a thought that for strength should avail me,
Though both of shelter and kindred despoiled;
Heaven is a home, and a rest will not fail me;
God is a friend to the poor orphan child.’ (Chapter 3, Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë)

So, the novel Jane Eyre (1847) was written by Charlotte Brontë (1816-55) who along with her sisters Emily (1818-48) and Anne (1820-49) were referred to as The Brontës. Her father Patrick was an Irish clergyman and held a living in Yorkshire. Due to financial difficulties, she was forced to become a school-teacher and then a governess. She was married in the year 1854, but died in the next year. Her two younger sisters predeceased her. Her novel Jane Eyre is actually a love story of the plain, but very vital heroine is unfolded with frank truthfulness and a depth of understanding. The plot is weak, full of improbability and often melodramatic and also it rises to moment of sheer terror. The truth and intensity of Charlotte’s work are unquestioned; she can see and judge with an eye of a genius. But she is largely restricted to her own experiences, her high seriousness is unrelieved by any humour; and her passion is at times overcharged to the point of frenzy. She bought in her novel an energy and passion that gave to commonplace people the wonder and beauty of the romantic world.

Jane Eyre is categorised under the novel of formation which deals with the development of the protagonist’s mind from childhood to adulthood especially through a spiritual crisis and varied experiences and also deals with one’s recognition of identity and role in the world.

So, whenever we analyse the plot of a novel, we categorise it into,

Exposition – which deals with the introduction of the protagonist, setting, mood and time. 

The opening scene of the novel starts with Jane Eyre’s childhood at the Gateshead Hall and introduces to us Mrs. Reed and her children. We can see that Jane Eyre is always seen as someone who does not fit into the Reed’s family and she is constantly being punished and put under terrible circumstances. Here, her aunt Mrs. Reed and John Reed, her cousin are the ones who constantly tortures Jane both physically and mentally. There is one incident in the novel where Jane is put into a red room where her dead uncle’s coffin lies. She is punished because she was caught for attacking John Reed. But in real she was the one who was attacked by John Reed and was bleeding. Then she was traumatised inside the room and a physician came to meet her. At that point of time the things that interested Jane no longer pleased her.

Jane is dislike at this house because of her attitude of questioning and reading books were disliked by the Reeds. She is also being described as a plain in physique with no beauty. Then after this incident and Mrs. Reeds constant description and complaining about Jane to be naughty they send her to Lowood, which is a charity institution. Before going there Mrs. Reeds attitude towards Jane agitates her and in the heat of the moment she shouts to Mrs. Reed that she won’t call her aunt anymore and would tell everyone at Lowood that how terribly she treated her. This somewhat terrified her aunt and she became soft towards Jane but Jane didn’t accept it. Since, this incident gave Jane a boost to her spirit and she along with Bessie who is the maid in the house packed her trunks. Bessie is the only person who treated Jane as a human and asked her whether she won’t miss her aunt and herself. Jane says that she would only miss Bessie.

        Then at the Lowood institution Jane was taught French, Drawing and Sewing. She got a good teacher here Miss Temple who cared for her and her best friend Helen Burns. Helen Burns is older than Jane and doesn’t have her mother alive and her father had married another woman so she is here. Miss Scatcherd is one of the teachers in Lowood who has an abusive behaviour over Helen Burns and she silently tolerates it. But Jane couldn’t bear to see Helen Burns being punished because on her eyes Helen Burns is a good girl who is not to be treated in that manner. Then there comes a wave of typhus fever at the Lowood institution where many girls died but Jane and some other girls didn’t fall ill and they had good time at the Lowood institution because the stringent rules were relaxed for quite some time. But her friend Helen Burns even though not infected with typhus fever was nearing her death bed due to consumption and Jane went to meet and spend her last moments with Helen before Helen passed away.

        Then there were many changes that came about at the Lowood institution because of the poor conditions of the pupil of the school and Mr. Brocklehurst was made the treasurer of the institution and eight years have passed in Jane’s life, six years as a student and two years as a teacher. Then, when Miss Temple got married and left Lowood Jane also wanted to leave. Jane didn’t know how to leave the institution and her inner mind told her to advertise and so she did and received a letter from Mrs. Fairfax of Thornfield Hall who mentioned the need for a governess for Adele Varens. Then, Jane after getting to Thornfield Hall is welcomed heartily and she also got along pretty well with her pupil Adele who converses with her in French and broken phrases of English.

Rising action – which occurs that draws the attention of the readers to know the upcoming details of the particular story.

Then after quite sometime in her stay at Thornfield Hall Jane is one day asked to post a letter so while she is on her way, she is caught by a sight of a man whom she describes as not so handsome had fallen down along with his horse and this happened because there was ice on the road which made the horse slip down. There was also a dog named ‘Pilot’ with him. Jane offers help to this man but he refuses it at first. Then after sometime he accepts her will to help and then asked her where does she live, then he comes to know her place and that she is a governess. Then we can see that Jane is quite surprised to know that she has seen Mr. Rochester to whom the house belonged to and as days goes by we can see that there are certain feelings developed between Jane and Mr. Edward Rochester and soon it turns to a good friendship.

Conflict – is a struggle between opposing forces and the characters try to confront them and this drives the plot forward.

We can see that Jane is now quite accustomed with the Thornfield Hall because of its beauty and the people with whom she lives. Then we can see that there are scenes in which men and women of the elite classes are being invited to stay at Thornfield Hall and among them Miss Blanche Ingram is one who is known by everyone to be a perfect match for Mr. Rochester but they didn’t marry and there is something disturbing Jane apart from the weird laughing sounds that comes during the night time from the third storey of the building.

        Then, we can see that Mr. Rochester at one point plays the role of a gypsy woman to find out Jane’s feeling towards him. But he is found out at last. Then there are two instances that always disturbed Jane, one is the incident in which Mr. Rochester’s bed was on fire and the other incident is the one that happens to be the scene of Mr. Mason bleeding at the room in the third storey. After her visit to Gateshead to be with her dying aunt Mrs. Sarah Reed whose last wish to see Jane to inform her about the letter from Madeira which her uncle sent to adopt Jane and her aunt tells her that she didn’t wanted that to happen because she tells her how her husband’s love towards Jane from her childhood had raged her. Then, after this she returns to Thornfield Hall and Mr. Rochester proposes to her and they start the preparations for the marriage.

        Then on the day of their marriage at the church it is said by a man that Mr. Rochester was married fifteen years back and he is committing an act of bigamy as his wife is still alive. Then the marriage is shattered and Jane comes to know about Bertha Mason who was the wife of Mr. Rochester who is a mad woman and mentally insane and their marriage has taken place at Jamaica in the west indies. It is seen that Mr. Rochester has been forced to marry her because of her fortune and she belongs to the creole race. Then we can see that the mental illness might be cognitive because it is mentioned to be acquired from her mother who is mad and drunkard. Then Jane refuses to marry or to stay at Thornfield Hall as she did not want to fall into temptation. Then she leaves Thornfield Hall and boards a carriage which took her miles away. Then as time went by and days went by she couldn’t find any job and finally under the full hold of hunger she at last finds one moor house and is finally accepted in there.

Climax – It is the highest point of tension and in which there is a confrontation between the protagonist and the antagonist. It is also a moment in which the main character fails to reach the goal.

In the moor house it can be seen that she is living with Diana, Mary and St John Rivers and after this she moves to Morton to serve as a school-teacher to the children of the village. Then as time passes it comes to the light that these three people are her cousins who are her father’s sister’s children. But even though it is her brother and sisters then there is a demand from St John to marry him and accompany him to India for missionary which she says will do as a sister but nit as a wife. Then after this she again runs away.

Falling Action – It is something that happens just after the climax and the action shifts towards resolution rather than escalation.

Then she comes back to know that Mr. Rochester has moved from the Thornfield Hall and comes to know that the place has been on fire and Bertha Mason has fallen down from the top storey of the building and had died. It is seen that Mr. Rochester is blind because of the fire but Jane accepts to marry him even though he is blind.

Resolution – It is the conclusion of the story or the final plot point that occurs after a story’s climax and falling action.

Then after Jane Eyre has married Mr. Rochester ten years passed by and now they have a boy child and Mr. Rochester started to regain his vision in one of his eyes and is now at last with a wife who truly loves him. Then, we can see that the novel concludes with St John being unmarried but has went to India for missionary work.