Wide Sargasso Sea - Opening Section

I found the beginning of 'wide sargasso sea' much easier to get into that 'Jane Eyre'. i liked the way the authoer jumps around between diffferent topics and subjects and I also like the way it is easy to read. There are many similarities between 'wide sargasso sea' and 'jane eyre' such as the themes of death, religion and hardship. As well as the similarities between themes there are many other similarities between the main charachters of the two books, Jane and Antoinette. Both of these characters are interested in religion, they both go through alot of hardship and they both expierience death at a very young age.
I liked the description in 'wide sargasso sea' of the fire at antoinettes house. i especially liked the way Rhys described the parrot falling out of the window with its feathers on fire. "he made an efort to fly but his clipped wings failed him and he fell screeching." I like this description as it is disturbing to imagine what the author describes.
When antoinette gets a rock throw at her by her "friend" it reminded me of the beginning of 'jane eyre'when john reed hits Jane in the face. The way antoinette was treated after the incident, harshly and without sympathy, was the same as the way Jane got treated. I will be interested to see if there are any more similarities between the two books as i get further into it.

Chapers 29 - 38 of Jane Eyre

In chapter 29 Jane spends three days in bed. On the fourth day, she feels well again and she finds Hannah. Jane criticizes Hannah for judging her unfairly when she asked for help, and Hannah apologizes. Hannah tells the story of Mr. Rivers, her father, who lost most of the family fortune in a business deal. Diana and Mary were forced to work as governesses. Jane then tells her own story and admits that Jane Elliott is not her real name. St. John promises to find her a job.
In Chapter 30 Jane makes friends with Diana and Mary, who admire her drawings and give her books to read. St. John is still cold, although he is never unkind. After a month, Diana and Mary must return to their posts as governesses. St. John has found a position for Jane, running a charity school for girls. Jane accepts, but St. John guesses that she will soon leave the school out of restlessness. His sisters think he will soon leave England for a missionary post overseas. St. John tells his sisters that their Uncle John has died and left them nothing, because all his money went to an unknown, relative. Jane learns that it was Uncle John who led Mr. Rivers into his bad business deal.
In Chapter 31 jane is at Morton, the rich heiress Rosamond Oliver provides Jane with a cottage in which to live. Jane begins teaching but she finds the work degrading and disappointing. St. John visits jane and admits to her that he used to feel that he had made the wrong career choice, until one day he heard God’s call. Now he plans to become a missionary. Rosamond Oliver then appears, interrupting the conversation. From their interaction, Jane believes that Rosamond and St. John are in love.
In Chapter 32 Jane’s students become more familiar to her, and Jane becomes popular among them. At night she has troubling nightmares that involve Rochester. Jane continues to pay attention to the relationship between St. John and Rosamond. Rosamond asks Jane to draw her portrait, and as she is working on it one day, St. John pays her a visit. He gives her a new book and looks at the drawing. She offers to draw him a duplicate, and then says that he ought to marry Rosamond. St. John admits that he loves her and is tempted by her beauty, but he explains that he refuses to allow love to interfere with his holy duties. The flirtatious, silly, and shallow Rosamond would make an awful wife for a missionary. Suddenly, St. John notices something on the edge of Jane’s paper and tears off a tiny piece—Jane is not certain why. With a odd look on his face, he hurries from the room.
In Chapter 33 Jane is reading a book when St. John appears. Appearing troubled, he tells Jane the story of an orphan girl who became the governess at Thornfield, then disappeared after nearly marrying Edward Rochester. the runaway governess’s name is Jane Eyre. Until this point, Jane had not revealed her past and given a fake name. St. John suspects her of being the woman jane eyre but she does not immediately identify herself. He says that he has received a letter from a solicitor saying it is extremely important that Jane Eyre is found. Jane is only interested in news of Rochester, but St. John says that Rochester is not at issue, Jane Eyre must be found because her uncle, John Eyre, has died, leaving her a fortune of 20,000 pounds. Jane reveals herself to be Jane Eyre, knowing that St. John has guessed already. She asks him how he knew. He shows her the scrap of paper he tore from her drawing the previous day, it's her signature. She then asks why the solicitor would have sent him a letter about her at all. St. John explains that though he did not realize it before, he is her cousin: her Uncle John was his Uncle John, and his name is St. John Eyre Rivers. Jane is happy to have found a family at long last, and she decides to divide her inheritance between her cousins and herself evenly, so that they each will get 5,000 pounds.
In Chapter 34 Jane closes her school for Christmas and spends a happy time with her cousins at Moor House. Diana and Mary are very pleased with the improvements Jane has made at the school, but St. John seems colder and more distant than ever. He tells Jane that Rosamond is engaged to a rich man. One day, he asks Jane to learn “Hindustani” with him, the language he is learning to prepare for missionary work in India. As time goes by, St. John pressures Jane to do things more and more. This leaves Jane feeling empty and sad, but she follows his orders. He asks her to go to India with him to be a missionary and to be his wife. She agrees to go to India as a missionary but says that she will not be his wife because they are not in love. St. John harshly insists that she marry him, saying that to refuse his proposal is the same as to deny the Christian faith. He leaves the room.
In Chapter 35 St. John continues to pressure Jane to marry him. She resists as kindly as she can, but her kindness only makes him insist more and more. Diana tells Jane that she would be a fool to go to India with St. John, who only thinks of her as a tool to aid his great cause. After dinner, St. John prays for Jane, and she is overcome with awe at his powers of speech and his influence. She almost feels compelled to marry him, but at that moment she hears what she thinks is Rochester’s voice, calling her name. Jane believes that fate has occurred, and St. John’s spell over her is broken.
In Chapter 36 Jane wonders whether it was really Rochester’s voice that she heard calling to her and whether Rochester might actually be in trouble. She finds a note from St. John urging her to resist temptation, but she takes a coach to Thornfield. She travels to the manor, anxious to see Rochester and reflecting on the ways in which her life has changed since she left. Jane now has friends, family, and a fortune. She hurries to the house after her coach arrives and is shocked to find Thornfield a burnt ruin. She goes to an inn to learn what has happened. Here, she learns that Bertha set the house ablaze several months earlier. Rochester saved his servants and tried to save his wife, but she flung herself from the roof. In the fire, Rochester lost a hand and went blind. He now lives in a house called Ferndean with John and Mary, two old servants.
In Chapter 37 Jane goes to Ferndean and she sees Rochester reach a hand out of the door, testing for rain. His body looks the same, but his face is damaged. Rochester returns inside, and Jane knocks on the door and Mary answers. Inside, Jane carries a tray to Rochester, who is unable to see her. When he realizes that Jane is in the room with him, he thinks she must be a ghost. When he catches her hand, he takes her in his arms, and she promises never to leave him. The next morning they walk through the woods, and Jane tells Rochester about her experiences the previous year. She assures him that she is not in love with St. John. Rochester asks her to marry him, and she says yes. Rochester tells Jane that a few nights earlier he called out her name and thought he heard her answer. She does not wish to upset him or excite him in his condition so she does not tell him about hearing his voice.
In Chapter 38 Jane and Rochester marry. Jane writes to her cousins with the news. St. John never acknowledges what has happened, but Mary and Diana write back with good wishes. Jane visits Adele at her school, and finds her unhappy. Remembering her own childhood experience, Jane moves Adele to a better school, and Adele grows up to be a very nice young woman.
Jane writes that she is narrating her story after ten years of marriage to Rochester, which she describes as really great. They live as equals and she helps him cope with his blindness. After two years, Rochester begins to regain his vision in one eye, and when their first child is born, Rochester is able to see the baby. Jane writes that Diana and Mary have both found husbands and that St. John went to India as he had planned. She says that in his last letter, St. John claimed to have had a premonition of his own approaching death. She does not believe that she will hear from St. John again, but she is not upset for him as he has fulfilled his promise and done God’s work. She begs the God to come for him quickly.

Jane Eyre - Chapters 24 - 28

In Chapter 24 Preparations for Jane and Rochester’s wedding dont run smoothly. Mrs. Fairfax is mean to Jane as she thinks she kissed Mr. Rochester before she was engaged. she still disapproves of the marriage even when she realises the truth. Jane is unsettled when Rochester calls her Jane Rochester. Rochester tells jane he will dress her in jewels and in finery at which point Jane gets scared. She has a feeling that the wedding will not happen, and she decides to write her uncle who is in Madeira. Jane thinks that if she inherits her uncles fortune she will be more equal with Rochester.
In Chapter 25 Jane waits for Rochester the night before the wedding as he has left Thornfield for the evening. She takes a walk in the orchard, where she sees the split chestnut tree. When Rochester arrives, Jane tells him about strange events that occurred when he was away. That evening, Jane’s wedding dress arrives, so does her wedding present from Rochester - an expensive veil. In the night, Jane has a strange dream. She has another dream which scares her so that she awakes. A strange woman in Janes closet, took Jane’s veil and tore it in two. Rochester tells her that the woman must have been Grace Poole. He tells her that he will give her a full explanation of events after they have been married for one year and one day. Jane sleeps with Adèle for the evening.
In chapter 26 Spohie helps Jane dress for the wedding, and Rochester and Jane walk to the church. When the priest asks if anyone objects to the ceremony, a stranger says the marriage cannot happen. Rochester tries to proceed with the ceremony, but the stranger explains that Rochester is already married. The stranger is a solicitor from London, called Mr. Briggs. He has a letter from Mason saying that Rochester is married to Mason’s sister, Bertha. Mr. Mason himself then steps forward to back up the story. Rochester admits that he has a wife. No one knows of his wife because she is mad, and Rochester keeps her locked away under the care of Grace Poole. He orders the crowd to come to Thornfield to see her, so that they can understand.At Thornfield, the group go's to the third story. Rochester points out the room where Bertha bit and stabbed her brother, and then he lifts a tapestry to uncover a second door. Inside the hidden room is Bertha Mason, under the care of Grace Poole. Bertha attempts to strangle Rochester, After the wedding crowd goes, Jane locks herself in her room and Is very upset. She prays to God.
In Chapter 27 Jane awakes and realises that she must leave Thornfield. When she steps out of her room, she finds Rochester waiting in a chair outside. He apologises but she doesnt answer. Jane suddenly feels ill so Rochester carries her to the library to revive her. He then says Jane should leave England with him for the South of France, where they will live together as husband and wife. Jane refuses, explaining that she will never be more than a mistress to him while Bertha is alive. Rochester explains he does not consider himself married, and launches into the story of his past. Jane wonders if she could ever find another man who values her the way Rochester does, and whether, after a life of loneliness and neglect, she should leave the first man who has ever loved her. She tells Rochester that she must go, but she kisses his cheek and prays aloud for God to bless him. She grabs her purse, sneaks down the stairs, and leaves Thornfield.
In Chapter 28 Jane quickly spends her money is forced to sleep outdoors. She spends much of the night in prayer, and she begs for food or a job in the nearby town. No one helps her, except for one farmer who is willing to give her a slice of bread. After another day, Jane sees a light shining from across the moors. Following it, she comes to a house. Jane knocks on the door, but is not let in. Jane collapses on the doorstep. A man called St. John brings Jane into the house. She is given food by the three residents and she gives them a fake name "Jane Elliott"

Jane Eyre - Chapters 17 - 23

In chapter 17 Rochesterhas been gone for a week, and he may go to Europe without returning to Thornfield for a year. Mrs. Fairfax finds out that Rochester will arrive in three days with guests. Jane is amazed by how Grace Poole gets on with everyone even though she is very wierd. Jane hears the servants discuss Grace’s high pay, and Jane is certain that she doesn’t know the entire truth about Grace Poole’s role at Thornfield. When Rochester arrives, with a group of important guests. Jane is forced to join the group but spends the evening watching them from a window seat. A woman called Blanche Ingram and her mother are among the party’s members, and they treat Jane badly. Jane tries to leave the party, but Rochester stops her. He allows her to go when he sees that she is upset. He tells her that she must come into the drawing room every evening whilst his guests are at Thornfield. As Jane leaves, Rochester almost called Jane his darling. In Chapter 18 The guests are still at Thornfield. Rochester and Blanche are in the same team when they play charades. Jane watches them and believes that they will be married soon though they do not seem to love one another. Blanche wants Rochesters wealth, and he wants her beauty. A strange man named Mr. Mason arrives at Thornfield. Jane dislikes him because he is wierd, but she learns from him that Rochester once lived in the West Indies, as he himself had. A gypsy comes to Thornfield to tell the guests’ fortunes. Blanche goes first, and when she returns from her talk she looks disappointed.
In Chapter 19 Jane goes in to the library to have her fortune read, and is interested by the old woman’s speech. The gypsy seems to know a lot about Jane. She says that she told Blanche that Rochester was not as wealthy as he seemed. That was why Blanche was dissappointed. Jane realizes that the gypsy is Rochester in disguise. Jane is angry at Rochester for tricking her. When Rochester learns that Mr. Mason has arrived, he looks troubled.
In Chapter 20 Jane hears a cry for help. She goes into the hall and Rochester says that a servant has had a nightmare. After everyone goes to bed, Rochester knocks on Jane’s door and tells her that he needs her help and asks whether she is scared of blood. Mr. Mason, has been stabbed in the arm. Rochester asks Jane to fix the cut and then leaves, telling Mason and Jane not to speak to each other. In the silence. Rochester returns with a surgeon, and the men fix Mason’s wound and Jane is told to find a potion downstairs. Mason is given some by rochester saying that it will help him. Once Mason is gone, Jane and Rochester go to the orchard, and Rochester tells Jane a story. Rochester asks Jane wheter marrying Blanche would be right.
In Chapter 21 Jane keeps having dreams involving babies. She learns that her John Reed has committed suicide, and that Mrs. Reed, has had a stroke and is near death. Jane goes to Gateshead, where she is reunited with Bessie. She also sees Eliza and Georgina. Eliza is plain and wants to enter a convent, while Georgiana beautiful. the two sisters don't get along. Jane tries to patch things up with Mrs. Reed, but Mrs reed hates Jane still. Mrs. Reed gives Jane a letter from her father’s brother,John Eyre. He says that he wishes to adopt Jane and give her his fortune. The letter is three years old and Mrs. Reed did not give it to Jane when she received it. Jane still tries to get on with Mrs. Reed but Mrs. Reed is not interested, at midnight, she dies.
In Chapter 22 Jane stays at Gateshead for a month because Georgina dosent want to be left alone with Eliza. Georgiana goes to London to live with her uncle, and Eliza joins a convent in France. Eliza eventually becomes the Mother Superior of her convent, and Georgiana marries a wealthy man. At Gateshead, Jane receives a letter from Mrs. Fairfax, which says that Rochester’s guests have gone and Rochester has gone to London to buy a new carriage (possibly because he wants to marry Blanche.) As Jane goes to Thornfield, she is nervous about seeing Rochester again. Jane sees Rochester at Milcotte station and he asks her why she has stayed away from Thornfield so long. Rochester asks Jane whether she has heard about his new carriage. Jane Tells Rochester’s that she loves being with him. Mrs. Fairfax, Adele and the servants greet Jane warmly when she gets to the Manor.
In Chapter 23 Jane encounters Rochester in the gardens. He walks with her proposes to her. Jane accepts. She thinks he is teasing her, but he says he only said he may marry Blanche make Jane jealous. A storm breaks, and the engaged couple inside. Rochester helps Jane out of her coat, kisses her. Jane looks up to see Mrs. Fairfax watching. That night, a bolt of lightning splits the chestnut tree where Rochester and Jane had been sitting.

Jane Eyre - Chapters 11-16

In chapter eleven Jane arrives at Thornfield later than expected due to her driver being late. Jane meets Mrs Fairfax who she realises is the housekeeper at Thornfield rather than the owner. She arrives at Thornfield at night time and she finds it agreeable even though it is dark. Jane finds out that the owner of Thornfield, Mr Rochester leaves Mrs Fairfax in charge of the house most of the time as he regularly travels. Jane meets her new tutee called Adele. Adele is a young French girl who lives at Thornfield. The reader is also introduced to a strange character called Grace who makes her appearance by loudly laughing demonically. Mrs Fairfax explains to Jane that Grace is a very odd seamstress who works at Thornfield.
.In chapter 12 Jane enjoys her life at Thornfield and likes working with Adele who Jane realises is quite intelligent. Jane also meets Mr Rochester in this chapter, she sees a man riding a horse and watches him fall off. She goes and helps him up as he had injured his ankle. Jane is told that this is Mr Rochester.
In chapter 13 Jane and Adele are invited to have dinner with Mr Rochester who is cold towards them. Rochchester is interested in Jane’s artwork however.
In chapter 14 Jane does not see Mr Rochester often but after dinner one evening he sends for Jane and Adele. He gives Adele a present which she is happy about and she plays with it. Rochester asks Jane if she thinks he is handsome which embarrasses Jane. Adele talks about her mother and Jane is interested by this. Mr Rochester promises to tell Jane about Adele’s Mother later on.
In chapter 15 Rochester tells Jane about Adele’s mother. She was a singer and dancer who Rochester had had a relationship with. He refuses to believe that he is her father as Adele looks nothing like him and her mother had an affair. The reason Adele is at Thornfield is because her mother abandoned her and Rochester wanted Adele to be cared for properly. Jane lies awake in the night and she hears an evil laugh. She looks out of her door to check out the situation and she sees smoke coming out of Rochester’s room. She dashes in and puts water on the fire to quench it. Rochester realises Jane has saved his life and he is thankful. He makes her promise not to mention the incident however.
In chapter 16 Jane is confused as no one thinks anything scandalous of the fire in Rochester’s room. Everyone thinks he fell asleep with a candle still lit and even Grace Poole shows no sign of guilt of remorse. This annoys Jane as Jane believes that grace was the culprit. Rochester leaves for a party at a lady called Blanche Ingram’s house. Jane is upset because she has feelings for him.

Jane Eyre - Chapters 5-10

In chapter five, Jane leaves to go to Lowood school. She sees how much better she will enjoy her new life here. Jane quickly adapts to life at Lowood. Jane meets Miss Temple and she gets on well with her. In chapter six Jane watches as her new friend, Helen Burns is beaten for not cleaning her nails properly. Jane talks to Helen later about religion and other topics. Helen is shown to be knowledgeable and Jane obviously looks up to her as a mother figure. Jane finds in Helen, someone who is also isolated and lonely and she can relate to her because of this. In chapter seven Mr. Brocklehurst is introduced again. He is very rude to the teachers and pupils and then notices Jane. He tells everyone that Jane is a lyer and an evil child. Jane finishes the punishment Mr. Brocklehurst gave her (standing on a stool for half an hour) and her friend Helen comes to console her. Jane and Helen are invited to eat seed cakes and toast in Miss Temples room. Miss Temple tells Jane that she knows that Jane is not a liar. In chapter nine, Lowood school is infected with typhus. Jane is unaffected but many of her classmates die. Helen is also very ill but with consumption, rather than typhus. Jane goes to see Helen late at night and finds her dying. She climbs into bed with her and in the morning, Helen is dead. Jane makes a new friend whilst Helen is ill called Mary Jane Wilson she does not compare to helen though. In chapter 10 Jane speaks of the changes of the school after the Typus disease had finished its work. Jane skips some years of her life and we are shown that Jane becomes a teacher at Lowood. Jane applies for another job outside Lowood as there is nothing there that makes her want to stay there longer. Jane is offered a position at Thornfield and Bessie comes to visit Jane before she leaves. This is noce for Jane as she has missed Bessie.