Short Answer Study Guide Questions for ‘Jane Eyre’ – Flashcards
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How does Bronte immediately reveal Jane's situation to the reader?
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Bronte shows the reader first that Jane is a young, orphaned girl who is being raised by her mean aunt and cousins.
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Why do you think Jane is treated so unfairly?
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Jane is an outcast of the family who was adopted and her relatives use that as an excuse to be mean and tear her down.
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What does Jane mean when she says she was 'rather out of (her) self'?
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Jane is saying that she was so mad that a side of her not typically seen came out of her.
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On looking back, how does Jane understand Mrs. Reed's treatment of her?
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Jane thinks that Mrs. Reeds treatment of her fell short of what her uncle asked of.
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Why does Mrs. Reed make Jane stay in the Red Room?
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Jane got in a fight with John Reed and Mrs. Reeds is punishing her with torturing her by making her stay in the room her uncle died in.
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Why does Jane keep crying?
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Jane thinks that Mr. Reed's ghost is in the room with her.
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What hope does Mr. Lockwood give Jane?
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Mr. Lockwood makes the recommendation to Mrs. Reed to send Jane to school to get Jane out of her hair and give Jane a better life.
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How did Jane's character change in her confrontation with both Mr. Brocklehurst and Mrs. Reed?
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After their meeting with Mr. Brocklehurst before Jane left she told Mrs. Reed that she was a cruel and terrible person and that she wished she be damned to hell.
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What is Lowood institution?
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A boarding school for girls.
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What is the lifestyle of the girls at Lowood?
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The girls are all well behaved and live very simple routine lives at Lowood.
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Why dies Jane speak to the girl reading in the garden?
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Jane thought that she looked lonely and needed someone to talk and be friends with.
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What advice does Helen give Jane?
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Helen tells Jane that Mr. Brocklehurst is the supreme ruler of the school and is in charge of everything and that the teachers are there to help make the lives of the girls better?
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How does Jane's temperament different from Helen's?
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Jane is more of a girl who will act on what she believes in and Helen is more laid back and would rather endure pain than fight it.
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Describe Mr. Brocklehurst.
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He is the master of Lowood school and is quite tall and stern of a man.
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How are Mr. Brocklehurst's wife and daughter dressed? What does that tell the reader?
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Mr. Brocklehurst's wife and daughter's are dressed very elegantly, which tells the reader that they have a lot of money.
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How does Jane feel while standing on the stool when she is labeled ass a liar?
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Jane is embarrassed and feels bad about herself, but in her heart she knows that it is only a small accident.
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How does Helen comfort Jane?
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Helen walks up to Jane slowly and moderately and hands her a piece of bread.
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Why does Miss Temple invite Jane into her room?
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Miss Temple wanted to let her know that she is cleared of all that Mr. Brocklehurst accused her of not only in her eyes but in the eyes of the other pupils.
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How does Jane's visit with Miss Temple alter her thinking of Lowood?
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It gives Jane a new outlook on Miss Temple and helps her to feel better of what happened. After her meeting Jane's eyes were opened to the terrible conditions of Lowood and of the way of life at the school.
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Who is Jane's new friend/ schoolmate?
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Mary Ann Wilson
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Where is Helen Burns?
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Helen is in Miss Temple's room because she is very sick and ill.
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Years after Helen's death, Jane has a stone marker with the word "Resurgam" carved upon it placed over Helen's grave. What is the significance of "Resurgam"?
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The word means "I will raise again".
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What news does Bessie bring Jane from Gateshead?
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Bessie told her that she had gotten married, John got kicked out of school and that her Dad came looking for her.
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hat steps has Jane taken toward her future?
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Jane becomes a school teacher at Lowood.
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How does Jane find her [position at Thornfield and her new acquaintances?
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Jane put out an advertisement to be a governess.
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What is Adele's relation to Mr. Rochester?
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Adele was a ward of Mr. Rochester and she was one of Jane's students.
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How does Jane first meet Mr. Rochester?
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He falls off his horse and sprains his ankle and Jane tries to help him out front of Thornfield.
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What is unusual about Jane's first meeting with Mr. Rochester?
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Jane helped Rochester up after he fell off of his horse and Rochester thought that she had plotted it.
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Describe Mr. Rochester's first appearance.
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He is a medium height, strong, and kind person. contrast of Mr. Brocklehurst.
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How does Mr. Rochester get a glimpse into Jane's nature and personality?
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Mr. Rochester looks through Jane's painting portfolio.
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In what way does Jane captivate Mr. Rochester?
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He was impressed with her paintings and her personality.
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Why does Mr. Rochester bring up Adele when she is not his child?
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Because her mom left her and he may have felt bad for the abandoned girl and took her in under his wing.
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After Jane saves Rochester from the fire, how do we know they are falling in love?
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He is very grateful and told her to keep everything on the down low.
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How does Jane respond to Grace Poole's composure when questioned about the fire?
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Jane believes grace is trying to hide it by blaming Jane or even she is trying to get revenge on her.
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How does Jane react to her feelings of love for Rochester?
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Jane reacts with denial, she tries to hide her feelings for Rochester.
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Contrast Blanche and Jane.
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Blanche is a beautiful, tall, and wealthy young woman. Jane is p[lain, small and poor. Blanche is well-versed in charming the gentlemen and playing the belle of the ball. Jane sits quietly and half-concealed in the window. Blanche is cruel and shallow, while Jane is kind and full of deep passion.
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What does Jane perceive in the relationship between Blanche and Mr. Rochester?
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It is obvious to Jane that Blanche's flirtatious arrows always miss their mark and that Mr. Rochester does not love her. The jealousy Jane had begun to feel toward Blanche is replaced by a little pity for a woman trying too hard and unsuccessfully to charm.
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Who is Mr. Mason?
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Mr. Mason is an old acquaintance of Mr. Rochester from the West Indies.
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How does Blanche react to her fortune?
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She is not pleased; in fact, she seems rather distressed.
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What does Rochester the gypsy tell Blanche that upsets her?
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He has hinted that Mr. Rochester is not as wealthy as she had thought he was.
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What does the fortune teller tell Jane?
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She has happiness within her reach but her strong moral courage will prevent her from attaining it.
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How does Mr. Rochester react to the news of Mason's arrival?
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He is extremely disturbed.
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What happens to Mason?
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He is stabbed and bitten during a midnight visit to the third story of Thornfield.
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What does Jane do after Mr. Rochester calms everyone and sends them back to bed?
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She dresses and waits, thinking that Mr. Rochester will need her. (She has heard pleas from above her room that others could not have heard.)
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What does Mr. Rochester ask of Jane on the night before he is to be married?
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He asks her to sit up with him.
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Why does Jane consent to return to Gateshead?
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Mrs. Reed is dying and has asked for her. Jane must go because it is the moral thing to do; her conscience would not let her do otherwise. Besides, her feelings towards Mrs. Reed have changed and softened a bit with time
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How does Jane find the Reeds?
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Eliza is self-righteous and selfish; she spends her time on church and her account books. Georgiana is plump and spoiled, concerned only with finding a rich husband. John has killed himself after drinking and gambling away most of the family fortune
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How do the Reeds treat Jane?
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They do not welcome her although Eliza does admit that Jane seems to have a good head on her shoulders. The girls soften towards Jane a little when she promises to sketch them. Mrs. Reed is unchanged; she still dislikes Jane, but she does give Jane a three-year-old letter from John Eyre, who wishes to adopt Jane
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What does Mr. Rochester call Jane when he meets her on the road to Thornfield?
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He calls her an elf and a fairy
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Jane is so happy to see Mr. Rochester that she lets down her guard; what does she tell him?
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". . . wherever you are is my home--my only home."
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9. When Jane and Mr. Rochester profess their love and agree to marry, then a sudden storm breaks, resulting in lightning splitting the tree. What does nature reflect or foreshadow?
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Nature is a symbol that Jane and Mr. Rochester have a future unknown and stormy. The tree's splitting could symbolize the coming separation of Jane and Mr. Rochester, their "roots," their common bond, their love, still remaining.
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Now that Jane is to become Mrs. Rochester, how does she act?
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She remains the plain and simple governess and refuses to let Mr. Rochester adorn her in jewels and bright, colorful silks. She also must be firm and strict with Mr. Rochester since he has become giddy with happiness.
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How does Mrs. Fairfax react to the announcement of Jane's marriage to Mr. Rochester?
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She half-heartedly congratulates Jane and warns her to beware and to proceed carefully
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What "vision" does Jane have the night before her wedding?
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A "ghost" dressed in white, with a disfigured face, came into her room and ripped her wedding veil in half
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Who is Bertha?
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Bertha is Mr. Rochester's wife. She is the one Grace Pool looks after in the third story of the house. She is the one who started the fire in Mr. Rochester's room. She is the one who appeared to Jane and ripped the veil. She is the one who attacked Mason
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Why were Jane and Mr. Rochester not married?
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Mr. Mason came to the church and accused Mr. Rochester of already being married. Mr. Rochester confessed and took everyone to the third floor to see Bertha.
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What does Mr. Rochester ask of Jane?
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He wants her to be his mistress.
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Why can Jane not do as he asks?
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Her religious beliefs and her virtue will not allow her to succumb to what she knows and feels to be wrong.
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What is Jane's answer to her dilemma?
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She decides she must leave Thornfield.
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What happens to Jane on her journey?
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She pays all of her money for a ride away from Thornfield, and she leaves her bag in the coach by mistake. She has no money, no job, and has to go begging for food.
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Who rescues Jane?
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St. John finds her on his doorstep and brings her into his house where he and his sisters care for her.
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What name does Jane give the Rivers?
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She calls herself Jane Elliott.
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How do Diana and Mary treat Jane?
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Both girls are very kind and friendly towards her.
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Describe Mary and Diana.
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The girls are both governesses and enjoy reading and the outdoors. Both are easygoing and friendly and find in Jane another sister.
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Describe St. John.
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He is a parson who spends all his time tending to the poor and sick, yet he appears to have found no joy or peace in life.
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What employment does St. John find for Jane?
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She will be the mistress of the new Morton school for girls.
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Why does this employment suit Jane so much?
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It allows her more independence and respect.
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Describe Jane's new home
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Her home is a small cottage which is adequately furnished. It suits Jane
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How does Jane feel about her choice to leave Mr. Rochester?
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She is depressed and lonely, yet she believes the brief happiness she could have found as his mistress would have been overshadowed by her shame.
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Identify Rosamond Oliver
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She is the benefactress of Jane's school and a beautiful young lady of wealth who is in love with St. John.
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What feelings does St. John have for Rosamond?
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He is attracted to her, but his resolute will refuses to allow him to swerve from his chosen path as a missionary.
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Why is St. John correct in his rejection of Rosamond?
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Although he loves her, he realizes that his life's dream and hers do not converge. He desires to be a missionary more than he desires Rosamond, and he is certain she could never live as a missionary's wife.
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St. John and Jane both have strong wills; how are they different?
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St. John is incapable of enjoying human feeling whereas Jane feels things very strongly. Jane is overjoyed more at finding a family than at receiving an inheritance, which puzzles St. John. His love for his sisters springs not from family and instinct but from respect and admiration. He calculates too much and cannot seem to allow himself to embrace human passions.
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What is St. John's offer to Jane, and why does she reject it?
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He wants her to come with him as his wife and companion missionary. She knows he does not love her as a spouse would, and she does not love him that way either. All he desires is a helper in his work, and he sees she has the qualities he seeks. Their marriage would, in his eyes, just be the convenience by which they could travel together.
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How is St. John, although wishing to do good in the world, a villain?
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He tries to manipulate Jane by using religious ideals as blackmail. He desires to save the world, yet in achieving his goal to become a missionary, he shows a real selfishness and lack of concern for Jane. He appears to be ruthless in achieving his goal.
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What does Jane learn from the host at the inn in Millcote?
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She learns that there was a fire at Thornfield. Bertha jumped from the roof to her death. She also learns that Mr. Rochester has lost his sight and a hand while attempting to save his insane wife from the fire.
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Contrast the manner in which St. John and Mr. Rochester seek to live.
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Both men are searching for a meaningful life. Mr. Rochester spent his youthful search enjoying the joys of the flesh and the entertainments of the wealthy; his search led him to excess. St. John searches in the opposite direction; he renounces human passion and pleasant social intercourse for the Spartan life of a missionary in a foreign country. He looks for meaning in a life of duty and self-denial.
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How does the end of the novel represent typical Victorian expectations?
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Those characters who did wrong must pay. Mrs. Reed suffered and died. Bertha dies violently. Rochester is maimed for his moral wrongs. Only due to his remorse and redemption is Mr. Rochester allowed happiness with Jane. Those characters who acted with goodness--Mrs. Fairfax, Diana, Mary and of course Jane--receive happiness and contentment for adhering to Christian virtues. St. John lived the life he wished for, one of hardship and self-sacrifice, and he finds his peace in his eternal reward.
