Chapters 16–19 Summary and Analysis

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Chapter 16

Jane is both fearful and excited to see Mr. Rochester the morning after the fire. To her surprise, the morning passes as usual. None of the servants seem suspicious of Mr. Rochester’s story that the fire was started when he fell asleep while reading by candlelight. Jane is especially surprised to see Grace Poole acting as if nothing happened.

Irritated by Grace’s lack of guilt, Jane questions her about the fire, but Grace acts completely nonchalant. Soon, Jane finds out that Mr. Rochester is not home, having journeyed to attend a party at the Leas. She is disappointed to hear that he will probably not return for a week and even more disheartened to hear that at the party he will be in the company of the beautiful Miss Blanche Ingram.

Feeling foolish for having ever thought Mr. Rochester could be interested in her, Jane sketches two portraits: one is a faithful portrayal of her own plain face, and the other is a drawing of what she imagines the beautiful Miss Ingram to look like. She tells herself that in the future, whenever she starts to believe that Mr. Rochester holds her in special regard, she will look at the two portraits and remember her insignificance to him.

Chapter 17

After Mr. Rochester has been gone ten days with no word, Jane is upset to hear Mrs. Fairfax speculate that he might go straight from the Leas’ house to London and perhaps not return to Thornfield for over a year. A few days later, however, Mrs. Fairfax receives word that Mr. Rochester will be returning in three days and expects to be accompanied by several of the people staying with the Leas.

Several temporary staff members are hired from the village to aid in the preparations of the house. During the flurry of activity, Jane overhears Leah and the charwoman mention that Grace Poole makes much more money than the other servants and that there are not many who would be able to do her job. Confused, Jane tries to hear more, but the conversation is cut off when Leah spots her.

When the glamorous guests arrive, Jane and Adèle stay out of the way. Soon, however, Mr. Rochester summons them downstairs to make an appearance. Jane sits quietly in the window seat, remaining at a distance as the group entertains themselves. When Mr. Rochester appears, she cannot help but steal a glance at him and struggles to suppress the surge of emotion she feels in his presence.

Jane observes that Blanche Ingram is indeed very beautiful, although she and her mother, Mrs. Ingram, treat Jane with great disdain. Uncomfortable, Jane takes the first opportunity to slip away but is stopped in the hallway by Mr. Rochester. Seeing that she is upset, he allows her to retire for the night—but not before demanding that she make a similar appearance every evening.

Chapter 18

The guests remain at Thornfield for several days. One evening, Jane watches Mr. Rochester and Miss Ingram play charades together and suspects that they will soon marry. This match is all the more painful for Jane when she realizes that Mr. Rochester does not truly care for Miss Ingram, nor does she for him. Jane admits that had Miss Ingram been kind and able to successfully charm Mr. Rochester, she would feel extremely jealous—as it is, Jane only feels sorrow that Mr. Rochester is marrying for connections rather than love.

One day, a stranger called Mr. Mason arrives while Mr. Rochester is away. Claiming that he is an old acquaintance of Mr. Rochester’s, he is put up for the night. Later that evening, an old “gypsy” woman appears and offers to read the ladies’ fortunes. When Blanche returns from having her fortune told, she is in a noticeably bad mood. A servant approaches Jane and says that the woman refuses to leave until she has read Jane’s fortune as well.

Chapter 19

Jane enters the library, where the woman is sitting. The woman’s face is covered by bandages and a large bonnet. Unlike the other ladies, Jane is very skeptical of the woman and suspects her to be a trickster. However, the woman does seem to understand Jane’s character uncannily well.

The woman tells Jane that she is close to happiness—if she will only reach out and take it. When the woman bids Jane to leave, Jane hesitates, sensing that the woman’s voice and gestures are somehow very familiar. Drawing closer, Jane realizes that the woman is actually Mr. Rochester in disguise. Announcing that she has discovered his deception, Jane is secretly relieved that she did not say anything too revealing during their conversation. She mentions the arrival of Mr. Mason and is shocked by Mr. Rochester’s fearful reaction to this news. He mysteriously tells Jane that the presence of Mr. Mason is a “blow.”

Analysis

The appearance of a rival for Mr. Rochester's affection leads Jane to finally acknowledge her feelings for him. A beautiful and well-connected lady, Miss Blanche Ingram is considered a socially suitable (and likely) match for Mr. Rochester. In many ways, Blanche is Jane’s perfect foil: Jane is plain, intelligent, and kind, while Blanche is beautiful, shallow, and cruel—demonstrating yet again that outer beauty often masks an inner ugliness.

Though Jane is generally a self-assured person, Blanche’s beauty intensifies her insecurities, particularly her longstanding anxiety over her plain appearance, and helps to convince her that Mr. Rochester could never return her love.

Jane’s self-doubts throughout these chapters complicate her idealistic assertion that she and Mr. Rochester are equals. Dwelling on Mr. Rochester and Miss Ingram’s apparently mercenary match, Jane thinks, “All their class held these principles; I supposed, then, they had reasons for holding them such as I could not fathom.” Her thoughts suggest that she herself does not subscribe to the idea that social connections and wealth are more important than love, yet Jane is not wholly unaffected by such superficial concerns.

Indeed, Jane’s internalized feelings of inferiority blind her to Mr. Rochester’s increasingly obvious feelings for her. Mr. Rochester continually seeks out her company, even while entertaining his guests. At one point, he has to stop himself from accidentally referring to Jane with a term of endearment: “ ‘Good-night, my—.’ He stopped, bit his lip and abruptly left me.”

His desire to gauge Jane’s affection for him is evident when he poses as a "gypsy" and spends much of their conversation trying to get her to reveal her feelings for him. When he is upset by Mr. Mason’s arrival, he even tellingly admits to Jane, “I wish I were in a quiet island with only you.” Despite these clues as to his feelings, Jane never dares to suspect that it is not Miss Ingram that Mr. Rochester plans to marry, suggesting that she is more bound by convention than she realizes.

Even as a romance plot develops, a Gothic mystery is also taking shape. The conversation Jane overhears about Grace Poole confirms that there is something taking place at Thornfield that is being deliberately kept secret from her. Though Grace shows no outward signs of guilt, Jane continues to be suspicious of her and cannot fathom why Mr. Rochester would refuse to dismiss someone who seemingly attempted to murder him.

Mr. Rochester’s panicked reaction to the arrival of the mysterious Mr. Mason, who claims to be an old acquaintance, suggests that the past mistakes and sins he has long alluded to have finally caught up to him; indeed, Mr. Rochester's fearful conversation with Jane suggests that Mr. Mason is in possession of a terrible secret.

Expert Q&A

In Jane Eyre, what insight does the charades scene provide about Rochester, Jane, and Blanche Ingram?

The charades scene in Jane Eyre reveals Mr. Rochester's complex relationships with Jane and Blanche Ingram. Jane interprets the charades as foreshadowing Rochester's marriage to Blanche, but they symbolically depict his entrapment in his current marriage. Jane sees Blanche's interest in Rochester as superficial, motivated by his wealth, while Rochester's disguised interaction with Jane as a gypsy shows his deep understanding of her.

What upsetting news does the gypsy reveal to Blanche in Jane Eyre?

The "gipsy" fortune-teller, Mother Bunches, tells Blanche Ingram that Mr. Rochester, the man she hopes to marry for his money and his estate, isn't as wealthy as she thinks he is.

What must Jane do to achieve happiness, according to the fortune-teller?

The fortune-teller, who is actually Mr. Rochester in disguise, tells Jane that her happiness is within reach if she chooses to accept it. The fortune suggests that Jane must actively "stretch out her hand" to seize the happiness offered to her, implying that she needs to embrace Mr. Rochester's love to achieve true happiness. Jane's independent nature might be an obstacle, but the choice ultimately lies with her.

In Chapter 19 of Jane Eyre, why does Rochester ask Jane to support him against society?

In Chapter 19, Rochester asks Jane if she would support him against society to gauge her loyalty in light of a secret that could lead to his social ostracism. This conversation foreshadows the revelation of Rochester's hidden past and his connection to Mr. Mason. Jane's responses show her steadfast devotion, affirming she would stand by him despite societal condemnation, highlighting the deep bond forming between them.

What can be inferred from this passage?

"There was nothing to cool or banish love in these circumstances, though much to create despair. Much too, you will think, reader, to engender jealousy: if a woman, in my position, could presume to be jealous of a woman in Miss Ingram's. But I was not jealous: or very rarely;--the nature of the pain I suffered could not be explained by that word. Miss Ingram was a mark beneath jealousy: she was too inferior to excite the feeling. Pardon the seeming paradox; I mean what I say. She was very showy, but she was not genuine: she had a fine person, many brilliant attainments; but her mind was poor, her heart barren by nature: nothing bloomed spontaneously on that soil; no unforced natural fruit delighted by its freshness. She was not good; she was not original"

From the passage, it can be inferred that Jane is critical of Miss Ingram's character, seeing her as superficial and unworthy of Mr. Rochester's genuine nature. Jane is not jealous of Miss Ingram, as she considers her inferior and lacking in authenticity and moral depth. Jane's love for Mr. Rochester is unselfish, and she believes he deserves someone who matches his originality and goodness, even if that person cannot be her.

What literary techniques are used in this quote from Jane Eyre?

"She played: her execution was brilliant; she sang: her voice was fine; she talked French apart to her mamma; and she talked it well, with fluency and with a good accent."

The quote from "Jane Eyre" uses several literary techniques to describe Blanche Ingram. Anaphora and parallelism are present through the repetition of "she played," "she sang," and "she talked," creating a rhythmic pattern. The structure, using colons and semi-colons, lists Blanche's talents, emphasizing her accomplishments. Descriptive imagery and significant diction, like "brilliant," "fine," and "good accent," reflect Jane's perspective, highlighting Blanche as a foil to Jane's humility and inner beauty.

Why does the gypsy demand to see Jane Eyre in chapter 18?

The gypsy demands to see Jane because, in reality, the gypsy is Mr. Rochester in disguise. After telling fortunes to the other ladies, he wants to observe Jane's feelings and thoughts, which are not easily discernible. Rochester, eager to understand Jane better, reveals his disguise and seeks her insights about the guests. Additionally, Jane informs him about Mr. Mason's arrival, which distresses Rochester, prompting him to lean on Jane for support.

How are women portrayed in this excerpt from Jane Eyre?

Extract from Chapter 17: "A soft sound of rising now became audible; the curtain was swept back from the arch;" to "I knew their names afterwards, and may as well mention them now."

In this excerpt, women are portrayed as impressive and ostentatious figures at Rochester's party, described with "a sweeping amplitude of array" that magnifies their presence. Jane Eyre contrasts these women, who appear more than they are due to their class and breeding, with her own simple authenticity. Jane's view implies criticism of their superficiality, emphasizing her discomfort in high society and highlighting the difference between her genuine nature and their pretentiousness.

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