Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte

Chapters 36-37-38
 Chapter 36 - Summary
 Jane rises the next morning to read a note slid under the door by St. John and
she is reminded of the significance of resisting temptation.
 She wanders the house thinking about the previous night’s visitation, later
informs Diana and Mary that she will be away for several days and goes to
catch a coach at Whitcross, the same one she road from Thronfield a year
earlier.
 Being placed on Rochester’s lands again, she is anxious to see him again and
hurries the two miles from the coach stop to the house. She is appalled by the
sight that awaits her. Thronfield Hall is now a blackened ruin. Wondering what
the story behind the disaster could be, she enters the Rochesters Arms and
discovers that Bertha Mason had set the house on fire last autumn. Rochester,
before this happened, had locked himself up like a hermit as if he had gone
mad. When the accident happened, he saved the servants and tried to save
Bertha but she had jumped off the roof. Jane is informed that Rochester has
lost his sight and one of his hands in the fire.
 Jane gets to know Rochester's whereabouts- he now lives in Ferndean with two
old servants, John and Mary.
 Analysis
 Suspense builds in this chapter as Jane delays the revelation of
Thronfield’s tragic end.
 Upon entering the coach, Jane reflects on the changes in her situation. She
then was ‘desolate, and hopeless and objectless’; now she has friends,
hope and money.
 Following Jane’s departure from Thronfield, Rochester had become
‘savage’ and ‘dangerous’ but it seems that he tried to redeem himself by
saving the servants and even trying to rescue his hated wife.
 Jane’s depiction of Rochester and St John appears different: unlike her
portrayal of St. John, which uniformly emphasizes his coldness and
domination, she peppers her description of Rochester with examples of his
compassion and caring behavior during the disastrous situation.
 Chapter 37- Summary
 Jane rushes to Ferndean and sees Rochester coming out of the house: she
notices that his body hasn’t changed but his face looks ‘desperate and
brooding’. She later knocks on the door and surprises Mary.
 Carrying a tray Mary was supposed to take in, Jane enters the parlor and
Rochester’s dog Pilot recognizes her. Rochester realizes that she is in the
room and initially thinks that she is only a disembodied voice. She assures
him that she isn’t a dream and promises to stay with him forever.
 They wander through the woods the next morning and Jane narrates the
story of her experiences. Rochester is jealous of St. John but proposes to
her and she accepts. He reveals that he had called her name frantically and
thought he heard her answer. He further expresses his regret of trying to
make her his mistress and thanks god for his mercy, vowing to live a purer
life from then on.
Analysis
 Having reached her final destination, her description of Ferndean
emphasizes its isolation. The woods surrounding the building are
thick, dark and gloomy.
 The positions of the two lover have changed: Jane is free and
Rochester is fettered. In their conversation, Jane emphasizes her
independence, ‘I am independent, sir, as well as rich: I am my own
mistress’. Rochester accepts her independence subjectively; thus,
when he proposes marriage this time he says, ‘ never mind fine
clothes and jewels, now: all that is not worth a fillip’.
 It seems that like Jane, Rochester needed to pass ‘through the valley
of death’ to become the perfect mate; his fire and virility are tamed
and he becomes the ideally docile husband.
Chapter 38- Summary
 The readers are informed that Jane and Rochester are
married and that she visits Adele at school to have her
later moved to a more indulgent school. Adele grows
into being a docile, good natured young woman.
 At the writing of this story, Jane has been married for
ten years. Rochester has remained completely blind for
two years but slowly his sight has returned to him and
he was able to see his first born son. The readers are told
that Diana and Mary have both married and that St. John
is still a missionary in India, but is nearing death.
Analysis
 The novel has a typically happy ending: all of the characters who were
good to Jane are rewarded.
 Rochester and Jane have been reunited in a marriage that appears to be
perfect. While she feared loosing herself in a relationship with St John, she
seems perfectly content to become one with Rochester.
 Jane seems to maintain a sense of dependence over her husband and the
chapter in that sense, blends an odd mix of language designating their
‘perfect concord’ with language showing Rochester’s dependence; he sees
nature and books through her.
 Unlike St. John who is nearing death in India, love is Jane’s religion; in
relationship, she has found her heaven.
Bibliography
 www.http//sparknotes.com
 www.http//cliffnotes.com
 www.http//bookrags.com