Summary of Jane Eyre - Chapters 1-4 - 1553 Words

Jane Eyre -Spark notes Chapter I Jane is an orphan. She was adopted by Mr. John Reed, yet he died when she was a year old. One of his last wishes was for his wife, Mrs. Reed, to look after Jane. This she does out of duty, but she treats Jane as less than a servant. She despises Jane for her quiet and creative character. Jane takes great pleasure from reading books, and is very smart for her age of ten; Mrs. Reed secretly feels intimidated by her. A child of a â€Å"more sociable and child-like disposition, a more attractive and slight manner – something lighter, franker and more natural† would have been preferred; Jane is quite the opposite. Mrs. Reed is completely in love with her children (Eliza, John and Georgiana), to the point of it†¦show more content†¦Jane is not physically sick (the next day), yet she has become quite depressed. She does not wish to eat or drink anything, and nothing that she used to enjoy, gives her pleasure. Bessie sings a song about an orphan child, which causes Jane to cry, much to Bessie’s bewilderment. Mr. Lloyd returns and concludes that Jane is not actually sick. She is asked why she is acting the way she is; she tells him about the red-room incident and he finds her childish. He asks whether she would prefer to stay with relations that treat her kindly yet are poor, and after a thought, she says she would not. She is still very naà ¯ve in the sense that she considers people of having little money to be dirty and to dress in rags – the idea of people who are poor yet still honorable does not cross her mind. Mr. Lloyd also asks whether she would like to go to school, and she decides that yes, she would. Mrs. Reed and her children return from an outing in the carriage, and Mr. Lloyd goes to speak to Mrs. Reed. Jane overhears Bessie and Miss Abbot talking while she is thought to be asleep. She learns that her father had been a poor clergyman and that her mother had married him against her friends’ wishes. Her father (Mr. Reed) had been so irritated with her disobedience that he had cut her off without any money. Jane’s father caught the typhus fever and her mother it from him; they both died within a month of the other. ChapterShow MoreRelatedLeadership Development42674 Words   |  171 Pagesprospects and the research need John Burgoyne, Wendy Hirsh and Sadie Williams The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the Department for Education and Skills.  © Lancaster University 2004 ISBN 1 84478 286 7 1 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report has been written by John Burgoyne, Wendy Hirsh and Sadie Williams as members of the Management and Leadership Development Research Network. This group consists of researchers concerned with the topic of thisRead MoreStatement of Purpose23848 Words   |  96 Pages............................................ 1 I. Audience and Institutions ....................................................................................................... 1 II. Content ................................................................................................................................... 2 III. Organization and Development ........................................................................................... 4 IV. Language, Tone, and Voice ..............