| Character List
Jane Eyre: The protagonist and narrator of Jane Eyre, Jane develops from an angry, rebellious, 10-year-old orphan into a sensitive, artistic, maternal, and fiercely independent young woman. While Jane's social classcontinually poor in an atmosphere of wealthis one of her biggest barriers, it best serves to underscore Jane's need for independence, both financial and emotional. She rejects marriages to Rochester and St. John because she understands she will have to forfeit her independence in the unions, and marries Rochester only when she has attained the financial independence and self-esteem to maintain a marriage of equality. This self-esteem is gained through Jane's making her mark in various worldsLowood, Thornfield, and particularly Moor Housein which she is valued for her humanity and values. Paralleling Jane's desire for independence is her search for a proper set of religious values. She rejects the extremist models of Brocklehurst, Helen Burns, and St. John, eventually settling on a spirituality of love and connection.
Edward Rochester: The owner of Thornfield, Rochester's passionate affair with Jane constitutes the middle section of the novel and comments on Victorian gender and class relations. However, the romance is scuttled on two accounts. First, his higher social standing convinces Jane that their marriage could never be on equitable grounds. More pressing is Rochester's previous marriage to the insane, and still living, Bertha Mason. Rochester is an interesting twist on the tragic hero; though not handsome, he is a brooding, aloof, wealthy man with a dark past from which he cannot escape. Jane rejects his marriage proposal after she learns of Bertha, not only because she feels it would flout the law, but perhaps because Bertha's marriage is a cautionary symbol of Victorian marriage: despite Rochester's best intentions and Jane's equal intellectual standing, he may still end up imprisoning Jane in his own way through matrimony, just as he has imprisoned Bertha (his last recourse in the matter, though). Ironically, when Jane finally does agree to marry Rochester after having gained her independence, the fire Bertha set to Thornfield has blinded him. Thus, he grows dependent on Jane, tipping the balance in her favor. On a kinder note, Brontë closes the novel with Rochester's sight regained in one eyethe marriage is restored to equality.
St. John Rivers: The evangelist who takes Jane in at Moor House, brother to Diana and Mary and, it turns out, cousin to Jane, St. John is the last of the three major Christian models Jane observes. Stoical, cold, devoted to Christianity and nothing else, St. John's religion is far too detached for Jane; she observes that he still knows little about God's love. Jane shoots down his request for her to marry him to accompany him on missionary work in India. While she would gladly accompany him as his cousin (or adopted sister), marrying him under such circumstances would mean forfeiting her rights to a life of passion and love. Losing her autonomy in such a way is unacceptable to her, while accompanying him without marriage violates St. John's sense of propriety. Jane's rejection of St. John's advances seems to spur her return to Rochester, her one chance for more spiritual passion. Indeed, she has a mystical experience concerning Rochester while St. John talks to her.
Helen Burns: Though she dies early on in Jane's time at Lowood, Helen is perhaps the fourth-most important character in the novel for her symbolic value. Upholding the extreme Christian doctrine of tolerance and forgiveness at all costs, Helen turns the other cheek when accepting all the cruel punishments handed down at Lowood. When she dies of consumption, Jane seems to absorb the lesson that the meek shall not inherit the earth. While Jane rejects Helen's brand of religion, she does incorporate it later on, especially when she relies on the spiritual kindness of strangers after leaving Thornfield.
Mr. Brocklehurst: The head of Lowood, Brocklehurst's evangelic hypocrisy is the first Christian model rejected outright. Depriving the pupils at the school of necessities and justifying it with self-righteous speeches, Brocklehurst uses the money from contributors to line his own pockets. He is eventually replaced as head of the school.
Miss Temple: The beautiful, kindly superintendent of Lowood, Miss Temple serves as one of the novel's surrogate maternal figures for Jane.
Mrs. Reed: Jane's cruel aunt, Mrs. Reed favors her own spoiled children and harshly punishes Jane for her impudence, even locking her up in the "red-room." On her deathbed, Mrs. Reed reveals that she hated Jane ever since her husband took her in as an orphan and loved Jane more than the Reed children.
Bessie Lee: Jane's only saving grace at Gateshead, the servant Bessie is Jane's first maternal surrogate figure, bonding with Jane through songs and stories.
John Reed: Jane's bullying cousin, brother to Eliza and Georgiana, John eventually commits suicide to escape from his massive gambling debts.
Georgiana Reed: The prettier of the two Reed girls, Georgiana's beauty makes her a spoiled, selfish child, though she befriends Jane as Mrs. Reed dies. Georgiana has few ambitions outside of socializing, and she ends up marrying a wealthy man.
Eliza Reed: Described by Jane as headstrong and selfish, Eliza is less pretty than her sister Georgiana, and later becomes a nun in France.
Mr. Lloyd: The kindly apothecary who suggests Jane attend school at Lowood.
Miss Scatcherd: A nasty teacher at Lowood who is cruel to Helen.
Mrs. Fairfax: The elderly housekeeper at Thornfield who warns Jane against marrying Rochester.
Adèle Varens: The French-speaking, scampish ward of Mr. Rochester that Jane tutors.
Céline Varens: Adèle's mother, Céline was a French opera dancer Rochester had an affair with in his youth in Paris. Though Céline cheated on and humiliated Rochester, and though it is doubtful that Adèle is his biological daughter, Rochester nonetheless took care of Adèle when Céline abandoned her.
Bertha Mason: Rochester's insane wife, Bertha was formerly a beautiful Creole woman from a prominent West Indies family (which had, unbeknownst to Rochester, a history of madness). After growing insane over the course of their union, Rochester imprisoned Bertha in the attic at Thornfield under the watch of Grace Poole, but Bertha occasionally escapes and wreaks havoc. Her last outburstsetting fire to Thornfieldleads to her own death.
Grace Poole: The seamstress at Thornfield who guards the third story prison of Bertha Mason; Grace's fondness for drink occasionally allows Bertha to escape.
Miss Ingram: The young, beautiful, and wealthy society lady who tries to woo Rochester and nearly succeeds in marrying him for his money.
Richard Mason: The handsome acquaintance of Rochester's from West Indies, Mason is the brother of Bertha Mason. With Briggs, he successfully stops Rochester's remarriage to Jane.
Mr. Briggs: The solicitor from London who publicly reveals Rochester's marriage to Bertha Mason. Briggs is also instrumental in giving Jane her proper inheritance after her uncle dies.
Diana Rivers: Jane's cousin at Moor House, Jane feels a special bond to the charismatic, independent Diana. Diana supports Jane's decision not to marry St. John.
Mary Rivers: Jane's cousin at Moor House, Mary is, like her sister Diana, a strong, independent woman.
Hannah Rivers: The old servant at Moor House.
Rosamond Oliver: The benefactress of Jane's school, the beautiful, angelic Rosamond loves St. John, but he cannot return her affections.
Mr. Oliver: Rosamond's father.
John Eyre: Jane's uncle (as well as the uncle of the Rivers siblings), John made his fortune in Madeira and leaves his vast fortune to Jane.
Mr. Reed: Jane's other uncle, Mr. Reed lovingly took Jane in when her parents died, and when he was dying made Mrs. Reed promise to look after her as if Jane were one of her own; Mrs. Reed breaks the promise.
ClassicNote on Jane Eyre
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