爱华网When tensions escalate, Jane is sent to Lowood, a boarding schoolrun by the inhumane Mr. Brocklehurst. She is soon branded a liar,which hurts her even more than malnutrition and cold, but MissTemple, the teacher Jane admires, later clears her of thesecharges. She also finds her only friend in Helen Burns, who is verylearned and intelligent, has a patient and philosophical mind, andbelieves firmly in God. Helen is often singled out for punishmentby a teacher, Miss Scatcherd, who claims she is a bad child becauseshe is disorganized, incompetent, and often late. Helen acceptsthese faults, and teaches Jane to accept discipline in order toimprove her fiery temper and character. While Jane responds to theinjustices of the world with a barely contained burning temper,Helen accepts earthly sufferings, including her own premature deathfrom consumption (now known as tuberculosis), with calmness and amartyr-like attitude.
After a serious typhoid fever epidemic occurs simultaneously withHelen's death, the conditions in Lowood improve and Jane slowlyfinds her place in the institution, eventually becoming a teacher.When Miss Temple marries and moves away, Jane decides to changecareers. She is desperate to see the world beyond Lowood and putsout an advertisement in the local paper, soon securing a positionas governess in Thornfield Hall.
At first, life is very quiet with Jane teaching a young Frenchgirl, Adèle, and spending time with the old housekeeper, Mrs.Fairfax. But everything changes when the owner of themanor—brooding, Byronic, fiery Edward Rochester—arrives. Though onrough footing at first, he and Jane slowly become acquainted withand grow to respect each other. Mr. Rochester creates an elaborateset-up by seemingly courting a proud local beauty named MissBlanche Ingram until Jane cannot bear it any longer. Mr. Rochesterthen admits that his courtship of Miss Ingram was a ruse to arouseJane's jealousy and that it is she whom he truly loves. Hisfeelings are returned, and they become engaged despite theirdifferences in social status, age, and experience. Jane is youngand innocent at nineteen years old, while Rochester is nearlyforty—worldly, and thoroughly disillusioned with life and religion.Jane is determined to stay modest, plain, and virtuous, andRochester is almost equally determined to offer her expensivepresents and finery. The former has the moral high ground, though,and the weeks before the wedding are spent mostly as shewishes.
The wedding ceremony is interrupted by a lawyer, who declares thatMr. Rochester is already married. His mad wife Bertha Mason, aCreole from Jamaica whom his family forced him to marry, resides inthe attic of Thornfield Hall, and her presence explains all sortsof mysterious events that have taken place during Jane's stay inThornfield. Mr. Rochester offers to take her abroad to live withhim, but Jane is not willing to sacrifice her morals orself-respect for earthly pleasures, let alone accept the status ofmistress, even though Rochester insists Jane will break his heartif she refuses him. Torn between her love for Rochester and her ownintegrity and religion, Jane flees Thornfield in the middle of thenight, with very little money and nowhere to go.
She wanders for a few days and finally finds safe haven, under analias, with a vicar, St. John Rivers, and his two sisters. Theybond, and in due course Jane is given a position as villageschoolteacher. Later, St. John learns Jane's true identity, and, byan incredible coincidence, it transpires that he and his sistersare actually her cousins. Additionally, Jane conveniently inheritsa large sum of money from an uncle who lived abroad. The cousinsare left without inheritance because of an old family feud, but shepromptly splits the money so that all four of them are nowfinancially secure. This gives St. John the means to pursue histrue calling, to go to India as a missionary, but not withoutproposing marriage to Jane in order for her to accompany him.Though this is her opportunity to choose a husband of high morals,she knows St. John does not truly love her. Contrary to herprotest, he insists they must be married if they are to go toIndia. Jane nearly succumbs to his proposal, but at the lastminute, in another supernatural episode, she hears Rochester'svoice calling her in the wind, and feels the need to respond toit.
Jane immediately travels to Thornfield Hall, only to find itdestroyed by a fire and abandoned. She learns that Mr. Rochesterlost a hand, an eye, and sight in the other eye as a result of anunsuccessful attempt to save Bertha from the flames, of which shewas the cause. Upon acquiring the knowledge of his location, at acountry manor called Ferndean, she sets off for it. She and Mr.Rochester reconcile and marry, for he has adopted love andreligion. She writes from the perspective of ten years after theirmarriage, during which she gave birth to a son and Mr. Rochestergained part of his sight back. Jane's long quest to find love and asense of belonging is finally fulfilled. The book ends with a lookat the noble missionary death of St. John Rivers far away in India,most likely representing the righteousness of the path Jane did nottake.
