Jane Eyre Characters

Jane Eyre

• Jane is the narrator and protagonist of the novel

• Orphaned as an infant; her parents were poor and her father was a clergyman

• Raised by a cruel aunt who treats her as unwanted and inferior

• At age 10, sent to Lowood Orphan Asylum (a charity school)

• Spends 6 years at Lowood as a student and 2 years as a teacher

• At age 18, becomes a governess at Thornfield Hall for Edward Rochester’s ward

• Jane’s key traits:

  • Strong-willed and independent

  • Plain in appearance

  • Intelligent and well-read

  • Industrious and compassionate

  • Loyal, religious, and morally upright

Edward Fairfax Rochester

• Mr. Rochester is Jane’s employer at Thornfield Hall

• He is gruff, arrogant, and moody at times

• Falls in love with Jane, despite their age difference (he’s about twice her age)

• Gains Jane's consent to marry him

• Secret: He already has a wife, an insane woman whom he keeps locked in the attic of Thornfield Hall

Mrs Sarah Reed

• Mrs. Reed is Jane’s maternal aunt by marriage

• She reluctantly adopted Jane based on her late husband's wishes

• Resents Jane because her late husband pitied Jane and showed her more care than his own children

• Mrs. Reed abuses and neglects Jane due to her resentment

• She lies to Mr. Brocklehurst, claiming Jane has a tendency to lie, which leads him to be severe with Jane when she arrives at Lowood School

Young John Reed

• John Reed is Jane’s 14-year-old cousin, the son of John and Sarah Reed

• He constantly torments Jane, reminding her that she is a lowly orphan who doesn’t deserve to live in the Reed home

• John is cruel and mischievous

• As an adult, he ruins himself through drinking and gambling

• He is rumored to have committed suicide

Eliza Reed

• Eliza Reed is Jane’s 13-year-old cousin

• Like her brother John and sister Georgiana, she is cruel to Jane

• Eliza is envious of her more attractive younger sister, Georgiana, and is a slave to rigid routine

• She devotes herself self-righteously to religion

• After her mother’s death, Eliza leaves for a nunnery near Lisle, determined to estrange herself from her sister

Georgiana Reed

• Georgiana Reed is Jane’s 11-year-old cousin

• Like her older siblings John and Eliza, she is cruel to Jane

• Georgiana is beautiful and indulged, but also insolent and spiteful

• Her elder sister, Eliza, foils Georgiana's marriage to the wealthy Lord Edwin Vere just before they are about to elope

• Georgiana eventually marries a wealthy, worn-out man of fashion

Bessie Reed

• Bessie Lee is the nursemaid at Gateshead

• She often treats Jane kindly, telling her stories and singing her songs, though she has a quick temper

• Later, Bessie marries Robert Leaven and they have three children

Mr Brocklehurst

• Mr. Brocklehurst is a clergyman, director, and treasurer of Lowood School

• His maltreatment of the pupils is eventually exposed

• A religious traditionalist, he advocates for a harsh, plain, and disciplined lifestyle for the students

• He is hypocritical, as he does not live by the same strict standards for himself and his own family

Miss Maria Temple

• Miss Temple is the kind superintendent of Lowood School

• She treats the pupils with respect and compassion

• She helps clear Jane of Mr. Brocklehurst's false accusation of deceit

• Miss Temple also cares for Helen in her final days

• Eventually, she marries Reverend Naysmith

Helen Burns

• Helen Burns is Jane's best friend at Lowood School

• She refuses to hate those who abuse her, trusts in God, and prays for peace in heaven

• Helen teaches Jane to trust in Christianity

• She dies of consumption in Jane's arms

• Helen’s death mirrors that of Charlotte Brontë’s older sister Maria, who also died of consumption at age 11

Adele Varens

• Adele Varens is an excitable French child to whom Jane is a governess at Thornfield

• Her mother, Celine, was a dancer and Mr. Rochester's former mistress

• Celine claimed Adele was Mr. Rochester’s daughter, though he doubts it due to her unfaithfulness and Adele’s lack of resemblance

• Adele believes her mother is dead, but Mr. Rochester reveals Celine abandoned her and ran off to Italy with a musician or singer

• Adele and Jane develop a strong bond and mutual affection

• Mr. Rochester places Adele in a strict school after Jane leaves Thornfield

• Upon her return, Jane visits Adele and finds a better, less severe school for her

• When Adele finishes school, Jane describes her as "a pleasing and obliging companion – docile, good-tempered and well-principled", feeling her kindness was well repaid

Blanche Ingram

• Blanche Ingram is a young socialite whom Mr. Rochester is planning to marry

• She is beautiful and talented, but treats social inferiors—especially Jane—with undisguised contempt

• Mr. Rochester exposes the mercenary motivations of Blanche and her mother by spreading a rumour that he is not as wealthy as they believe

Richard Mason

• Richard Mason arrives at Thornfield Hall from the West Indies

• His presence unsettles Mr. Rochester

• He is the brother of Bertha Mason, Rochester's first wife (the woman in the attic)

• He still cares for his sister’s well-being

• During Jane and Rochester's wedding ceremony, he reveals that Rochester is already married

• This exposes the bigamous nature of the intended marriage

Bertha Mason

• Bertha Mason is the first wife of Edward Rochester

• After their marriage, her mental health deteriorates and she becomes violent and deranged

• She is unable to speak coherently or participate in society

• Rochester claims he was tricked into marrying her by her family, who knew of her condition

• Bertha is locked in the attic at Thornfield Hall for years

• She is cared for by Grace Poole, whose drinking sometimes allows Bertha to escape

• Richard Mason interrupts Jane and Rochester’s wedding, revealing Rochester’s existing marriage

• Rochester then introduces Jane to Bertha

• Bertha eventually sets fire to Thornfield Hall and dies by jumping from the roof

• She is seen as Jane’s "double": wild and animalistic, in contrast to Jane’s morality and restraint

Diana and Mary Rivers

• Diana and Mary Rivers are sisters who take Jane in when she is homeless and starving

• They find her after she leaves Thornfield Hall with no plan or resources

• Though financially poor, the sisters are intellectually curious and love reading

• They are later revealed to be Jane’s cousins

• They support the idea of Jane marrying their brother, St. John Rivers

• They hope this marriage will persuade St. John to remain in England rather than go to India as a missionary

St. John Eyre Rivers

• St. John Rivers is a handsome but severe and pious clergyman

• He befriends Jane and is revealed to be her cousin

• St. John is practical and suppresses his emotions and passions

• He notably represses his love for Rosamond Oliver, a beautiful and cheerful heiress, in favor of his missionary work

• He wants Jane to marry him and accompany him as his assistant on a missionary journey to India