Title & Cover… I think the cover looks quite mysterious, there’s not much to say about it. It shows Jane Eyre as a child faintly in the shadows…It’s not a very clear picture. The title is very direct and plain; expressing the name of the main character and nothing more. Still, it attracts people to read the book, because they want to know who Jane Eyre is. The Main Characters… Jane Eyre: At an early age, Jane learns how to take care of herself and stand up for herself. She is a reasonable person, a little shy, but she definitely knows what she wants. Eduard Rochester: A rich man, nice house, good friends, looks like a happy man? But no, inside he is very unhappy. Fifteen years ago he made the biggest mistake of his life by marrying a mad-woman! His life falls into peaces… Don’t be mistaken though, in his heart, he is a very good man… Summary. Jane Eyre’s parents die when she is still a young child and so she is left to her aunt, Mrs. Reed, her only family. But Jane is treated cruelly by Mrs. Reed and her children. At the age of 10, Jane is sent to Lowood institution, a boarding school for orphans. As the school is very poor, her life conditions are only worse there but she would never want to go back to her aunt. She stays there for 8 years, but after being a teacher there for two years, Jane Eyre decides she would like another job. She becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall where she teaches Adele, a little French girl. Jane really likes her new life, except for the few weird things going on in the house once in a while. Jane Eyre falls madly in love with Mr. Rochester, the owner of Thornfield Hall. But one night, Mr. Rochester’s room is deliberately set on fire by someone and he nearly gets killed. Mr. Rochester seems to have a dark secret somewhere, but he won’t talk about it. Mr. Rochester also loves Jane, so one day he asks her to be his bride. Immediately, Jane agrees. But things finally don’t turn out as expected. The day of the wedding, in the church, a certain Mr. Mason stops the marriage. He says that Mr. Rochester already has a wife, still alive and living with him now. Mr. Rochester reveals his secret: he does indeed already have a wife; but she is a mad-woman (when he married her, she was still pretty and normal). She lives in the attic of Thornfield Hall and she is looked after by another lady. Sometimes, she manages to escape, like the night when she put Mr. Rochester’s room on fire. Jane is appalled and heart-broken, she has no idea what to do now. The next day she escapes at dawn and takes a carriage as far as her money would allow her to go. In the village she arrives she meets very friendly people who look after her. A new school has just been built in that village and she becomes the teacher. Jane likes it a lot but still misses Mr. Rochester a great deal.
The Ending… New secrets are to be discovered: Jane finds out the people who she lived with are her cousins!!! Jane is awfully glad to have some family, especially when she finds out she has an uncle John that recently died in Madeira, leaving her a small fortune. But Jane Eyre can’t stand it anymore. One day she sets off heading Thornfield Hall a year after she left. Arriving at her old home, she finds out Mr. Rochester lives in Ferndean now, his son has taken over Thornfield Hall. Mr. Rochester is now a blind man… A few months before, the mad-woman set a fire to the house. Nobody got hurt, except Mr. Rochester and the mad-woman, who died. Jane couldn’t care less, she has found Mr. Rochester again…and he has found her back! They married three days later!!! My Overall Opinion There is a film made about this book, although I haven’t seen it, I would really like to. The book I read was a simplified edition so it wasn’t too complicated. I liked this book a lot, because it was a realistic and interesting story. The ending was a good one because years later, Mr. Rochester regains some sight so actually it was a very happy ending.