Lang Lang. Reading 03: Jane Eyre

Author: Hai Qing
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: Jane Eyre is the masterpiece of the renowned British female writer Charlotte Bront?. It is widely believed that Jane Eyre reflects Charlotte Bront?'s "poetic life" and is a work with autobiographical elements. Charlotte Bront?, Emily Bront?, Anne Bront?, and Mrs. Browning formed the perfect triumvirate of the highest honor for women in British society at that time. Jane Eyre's father was a poor clergyman. When she was still a child, her parents fell ill and passed away together. Jane was sent to Gateshead Hall to be raised by her aunt, Mrs. Reed. Before his death, Mr. Reed had instructed his wife to take good care of Jane. Jane's status at Mrs. Reed's house was even lower than that of a servant, and she endured constant bullying from her cousins. One day, her cousin struck her again, and Jane fought back. As a result, her aunt locked her in the red room, where her uncle, Mr. Reed, had died. She was frightened into unconsciousness by the ghosts she imagined. She fell seriously ill and took a long time to recover. She no longer wanted to stay at Mrs. Reed's house, so Mrs. Reed sent her to Lowood Institution, an orphanage. The headmaster of the orphanage was a cold hypocrite who tortured the orphans both mentally and physically. Jane formed a friendship with another orphan, Helen, and the teacher, Miss Temple, showed great concern for her. A contagious typhoid fever broke out in the orphanage, claiming the lives of many children, and Helen died from it. This deeply affected Jane. After graduating, Jane stayed at the institution as a teacher for two years but couldn't endure the loneliness and indifference there. She placed an advertisement for a position as a governess and thus came to Thornfield Hall. At Thornfield Hall, only the master, Rochester, and his adopted daughter, Adele Varens, lived there. Rochester often traveled abroad, so when Jane arrived at Thornfield, she had not yet met him. One evening, Jane went for a walk and startled Rochester's horse, causing him to fall off. Jane rushed to help him, and later at home, she learned that he was the master of Thornfield. Rochester was a moody and unpredictable man, and he often debated with Jane over various ideas. Strange things kept happening at Thornfield Hall. One night, Jane was awakened by a strange laugh and found Rochester's door open and a fire on his bed. She woke Rochester and extinguished the fire. Rochester told Jane that a seamstress named Grace Poole lived on the third floor, who was mentally unstable and often laughed in a horrifying manner. He asked her to keep this a secret. Rochester frequently attended parties, and one day, he invited guests to his house. Everyone assumed that at this party, Rochester would propose to Miss Blanche. At the banquet, Rochester insisted that Jane join the guests in the drawing room. The guests treated Jane with great disrespect, but Rochester invited her to dance, and Jane felt herself developing feelings for him. One day, Rochester was away, and a Gypsy woman covered in a veil came to the house. When it was Jane's turn to be fortune-told, she discovered that the mysterious Gypsy was actually Rochester, who wanted to test her feelings for him. Meanwhile, a stranger named Mason arrived at the estate. That night, he was bitten by the mysterious woman on the third floor, and Jane secretly helped Rochester take him away. Soon after, Mrs. Reed sent someone to find Jane, saying that she was critically ill and wanted to see her. Upon returning to her aunt's house, Mrs. Reed gave Jane a letter from her uncle, who had written three years earlier to inquire about Jane's well-being and had left his inheritance to her. Mrs. Reed lied, saying that Jane had died of illness at the orphanage, but before her death, she confessed the truth to Jane. Jane returned to Thornfield Hall and felt as if she were coming home. After her return, Rochester proposed to her, and Jane accepted, happily preparing for the wedding. The night before the wedding, Jane was awakened from a dream and saw a tall, ugly woman wearing her wedding dress, tearing it to pieces. Rochester told her it was just a dream, but the next morning, Jane found that the dress had indeed been torn into shreds. The wedding was held as scheduled, but an unexpected guest burst into the church, claiming that the wedding could not proceed. He asserted that Rochester had married Bertha Mason, the sister of Mr. Mason, fifteen years ago. Rochester admitted this fact and led the guests to see the madwoman locked on the third floor—his legal wife. She had a hereditary mental illness, and it was she who had set fire to Rochester's room and torn Jane's wedding dress. Heartbroken, Jane left Thornfield Hall. Her savings were exhausted, and she begged for food along the way before collapsing at the doorstep of the Rev. St. John. He and his two sisters rescued her. Jane stayed there, and St. John helped her find a job as a country teacher. Jane left Thornfield Hall, her savings exhausted, and begged for food along the way before collapsing at the doorstep of the Rev. St. John. He and his two sisters rescued her. Jane stayed there, and St. John helped her find a job as a country teacher. Soon after, St. John received a notice from his family lawyer, informing him that his uncle, John Eyre, had died and left Jane ￡20,000, asking St. John to help find her. St. John discovered that Jane was his cousin, and Jane insisted on sharing the inheritance with them. St. John was preparing to go to India as a missionary and, before leaving, proposed to Jane. However, he frankly told her that he wanted to marry her not out of love but because he needed a well-educated assistant. Jane felt she should repay his kindness but hesitated to accept. That night, St. John waited for Jane's answer on the moor, and as Jane was about to make a decision, she seemed to hear Rochester calling her name from afar, "Jane, come back! Jane, come back!" She decided to return to Rochester's side. When Jane returned to Thornfield Hall, the entire estate had been reduced to ruins. It turned out that several months earlier, on a night of fierce storm, the madwoman, Bertha, had set fire to the entire hall. Rochester had been blinded in the fire while trying to save her and lived alone in a farm several miles away. Jane rushed to his side and confessed her love, and they finally married. Two years later, one of Rochester's eyes was cured, and he saw their child, the first one they had together.