Jane Eyre Character Quotations edexcel 3-19th-Century-Novel

Key word or phrase to memorise: “master” and “servant”

What the quotation means: When Jane is restrained and taken to the red room, she tells the maid that John Reed is not her master and she is not his servant

Theme: Social class

• Jane’s fury at being treated unfairly by the Reed family conveys ideas about social class:

  • The maid’s suggestion that John is Jane’s “master” presents a social hierarchy 

  • Brontë depicts how Jane, a young orphaned girl, has little status 

• However, Jane’s challenge to the status quo gets her in trouble:

  • Her character raises ideas about compliance in an unjust society

Key word or phrase to memorise: “strike back” and “teach”

What the quotation means: Jane challenges Helen Burns’ advice on injustice, explaining that it is best to teach a lesson to someone who wrongs you in order to stop them doing it again

Theme: Justice and injustice

• Jane’s passionate nature is illustrated by her certainty about fairness and justice, such as in “very hard”, “so hard” and “never”

• Brontë creates a foil for Jane in Helen Burns:

  • Helen tries to teach Jane to “endure” injustice and be more forgiving

  • Jane’s philosophy to “strike back” to prevent being “struck” contrasts Helen’s sense of “Christian” tolerance

Key word or phrase to memorise: “full and free forgiveness”

What the quotation means: At Mrs Reed’s death-bed, Jane tells her that she forgives her entirely, and that she will find peace if she asks for God’s forgiveness

Theme: Personal growth

• Jane’s acceptance of Mrs Reed’s free will here presents her as more self-aware

• Her development is illustrated by her compassion to Mrs Reed, her enemy:

  • The alliterative “full and free forgiveness” stresses her open-heartedness 

Key word or phrase to memorise: “tenacious of life” and “such a place”

What the quotation means: Mr Rochester expresses surprise that Jane has survived Lowood for so long, and suggests that she must be determined to live as being at Lowood for even half the time that she had would damage anyone’s wellbeing

Theme: Justice and injustice

• Rochester’s dramatic reply to Jane conveys his surprise that she survived Lowood:

  • His remark, “such a place”, highlights the terrible conditions in the school

  • It also indicates that the upper classes are aware of these injustices

• Rochester praises Jane’s strong disposition:

  • The phrase “tenacious of life” implies she has had to fight to survive 

  • He suggests she seems otherworldly, perhaps shaped by hardship

ey word or phrase to memorise: “as stainless” and “unpolluted memory”

What the quotation means: Edward tells Jane that he envies her innocence, and that she has so little regrets

Theme: Personal growth

• Brontë creates a mystery surrounding Mr Rochester by hinting at a secret in his past:

  • This builds suspense and foreshadows the story of Bertha

• Rochester’s vague hints to a previous, evil act are associated with dirt:

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