# Jane Eyre — Jane Eyre character guide > Jane Eyre in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. **Role:** major **Also known as:** Jane, Miss Eyre, Miss Jane, Miss Jane Eyre, Eyre, dear Jane, cousin Jane Eyre, Jane Elliott, Little Jane, J. E., Mademoiselle Eyre **First appearance:** 0002-jane-eyre ## Snapshot A plain, fierce orphan who narrates her own survival, refusing to be small, silent, or unloved in a world built to keep her so. ## Who they are Raised on charity and contempt at Gateshead, then schooled through hardship at Lowood, Jane grows into a governess whose outward quietness hides a hungry, judging, deeply feeling self. Her central struggle is between the love she craves and the independence she will not trade for it, and she narrates that struggle with a directness that makes her feel startlingly modern. Because she tells her own story, every reader's loyalty is bound to her from the first page. ## Relationships ### [Frederick Lynn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/frederick_lynn) _social_ Acquaintance through Rochester's social gatherings, with polite but limited interaction. ### [St. John Rivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/st_john_rivers) _family_ Cousins who develop a strained relationship as St. John pressures Jane to marry him for missionary work. ### [Helen Burns](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/helen_burns) _friendship_ Deep, spiritual friendship at Lowood School, with Helen serving as Jane's moral and emotional anchor. ### [Mrs. Reed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/mrs_reed) _rivalry_ Abusive aunt-niece relationship marked by Mrs. Reed's cruelty and Jane's resentment. ### [Bessie Lee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/bessie_lee) _friendship_ Kind nursemaid who shows Jane occasional warmth and comfort during her childhood at Gateshead. ### [Diana Rivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/diana_rivers) _friendship_ Warm, intellectual friendship between cousins who become close companions and confidantes. ### [Mr. Brocklehurst](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/mr_brocklehurst) _rivalry_ Antagonistic relationship as the cruel, hypocritical headmaster of Lowood who publicly humiliates Jane. ### [Bessie Lee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/bessie_lee) _friendship_ Kind nursemaid who shows Jane occasional warmth and comfort during her childhood at Gateshead. ### [St. John Rivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/st_john_rivers) _family_ Cousins who develop a strained relationship as St. John pressures Jane to marry him for missionary work. ### [Helen Burns](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/helen_burns) _friendship_ Deep, spiritual friendship at Lowood School, with Helen serving as Jane's moral and emotional anchor. ### [Mrs. Reed](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/mrs_reed) _rivalry_ Abusive aunt-niece relationship marked by Mrs. Reed's cruelty and Jane's resentment. ### [Diana Rivers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/diana_rivers) _friendship_ Warm, intellectual friendship between cousins who become close companions and confidantes. ## In the story ### [Jane Eyre](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/jane-eyre) Narrator and protagonist; an orphan child suffering under her aunt's care. ### [I](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/i) The ten-year-old narrator, isolated and bullied by the Reed family, finds comfort in reading but is punished for defending herself. ### [II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/ii) Jane is punished and locked in the red-room after striking John Reed. She reflects on her mistreatment and considers running away or starving herself. ### [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/iii) Jane is physically weak and emotionally devastated after the red-room incident, crying silently and unable to find comfort in familiar pleasures like books or treats. ### [IV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/iv) Defiantly confronts Mrs. Reed, asserting her truthfulness and expressing hatred for her aunt. ### [V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/v) Arrives at Lowood, feels isolated, meets Helen Burns, and endures the first day of school. ### [Chapter VI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/vi) Observes Helen's punishment and engages in a philosophical debate about justice, endurance, and revenge. ### [Chapter VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/vii) Publicly humiliated by Mr. Brocklehurst, forced to stand on a stool as punishment. ### [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/viii) Jane is cleared of accusations, enjoys Miss Temple's kindness, and begins to thrive academically. ### [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/ix) Enjoys the spring freedom at Lowood, befriends Mary Ann Wilson, and secretly visits the dying Helen Burns. ### [A New Servitude](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/x) Jane concludes her time at Lowood, feeling transformed after Miss Temple's departure, and actively seeks a new position as a governess. ### [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xi) Arrives at Thornfield Hall, meets Mrs. Fairfax and Adèle, and begins to settle into her new role as governess. ### [XII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xii) Narrates her life at Thornfield, her restlessness, and her first meeting with Mr. Rochester. ### [Chapter XIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xiii) Jane learns about Mr. Rochester's past from Mrs. Fairfax, teaches Adèle, and later has tea with Mr. Rochester, engaging in a pointed conversation about presents. ### [XIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xiv) Jane is drawn into a direct and candid conversation with Mr. Rochester, responding with honesty and integrity despite his probing questions. ### [Chapter XV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xv) Jane reflects on Mr. Rochester's story and her growing attachment to him, feeling happy and gratified by their interactions. ### [XVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xvi) Jane experiences inner turmoil over her feelings for Mr. Rochester, investigates the fire, and resolves to suppress her romantic hopes by painting contrasting portraits. ### [XVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xvii) Struggles with her feelings for Mr. Rochester, resolves to maintain her self-respect, and observes the guests with a mix of admiration and pain. ### [Chapter XVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xviii) Narrates her observations of Blanche Ingram's courtship of Mr. Rochester, her own growing love for him, and her critical assessment of Blanche's character. ### [XIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xix) Visits the gypsy fortune-teller, engages in a battle of wits, and is confronted with her own hidden emotions and desires. ### [The Night of Terror](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xx) Nurse and confidante, assisting Rochester in tending to Mason's wounds and carrying out his orders. ### [Chapter XXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxi) Returns to Gateshead to see the dying Mrs. Reed, maintaining composure and reflecting on her past. ### [XXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxii) Returns to Thornfield after a month at Gateshead, feeling a magnetic pull towards Mr. Rochester and the hall. ### [Chapter XXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxiii) Jane passionately declares her love for Mr. Rochester and asserts her equality with him, despite their differences in wealth and status. ### [Chapter XXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxiv) Jane grapples with her new identity as Mr. Rochester's fiancée, resisting his attempts to adorn her with jewels and fine clothes, and asserting her plain, Quakerish nature. ### [XXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxv) Jane is feverish and anxious on the eve of her wedding, haunted by a mysterious intruder who destroyed her veil. ### [Chapter XXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxvi) Jane experiences profound despair and a sense of loss after the wedding is halted and the truth about Rochester's marriage is revealed. ### [XXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxvii) Struggles with her love for Rochester and her moral duty to leave him; ultimately decides to follow her conscience. ### [Chapter XXVIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxviii) Wandering alone, starving and exhausted, after fleeing Thornfield. ### [Chapter XXIX](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxix) Jane, using the alias Jane Elliott, recounts her orphaned past and her flight from Thornfield, insisting on finding honest work to regain independence. ### [A New Life at Marsh End](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxx) Recovers health, enjoys intellectual and emotional kinship with Diana and Mary, accepts teaching post at Morton. ### [XXXI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxi) Jane reflects on her new role as a schoolmistress, her feelings of desolation and degradation, and her resolve to adhere to principle and law. ### [XXXII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxii) Jane is content in her role as a village schoolteacher, finding joy in her work and the respect of her pupils and neighbors. She also experiences vivid dreams of Mr. Rochester and struggles with suppressed passion. ### [Chapter XXXIII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxiii) Learns of her inheritance and her true relationship to the Rivers family. ### [XXXIV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxiv) Closes Morton school, prepares Moor House for Diana and Mary, struggles with longing for Mr. Rochester, and resists St. John's pressure to abandon domestic happiness. ### [XXXV](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxv) Endures St. John's cold punishment, attempts reconciliation, hears Rochester's supernatural call, and resolves to leave. ### [Chapter XXXVI](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxvi) Jane is the listener, learning the fate of Thornfield and Mr. Rochester, and decides to go to Ferndean. ### [Chapter XXXVII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxvii) Returns to Rochester at Ferndean, cares for him, and proposes to stay as his nurse, eventually agreeing to marry him. ### [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxxviii-conclusion) Narrates her marriage to Mr. Rochester and their life together. ### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/endnotes) Referenced indirectly through the governess mentioned in the endnotes. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters/jane_eyre - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/jane_eyre_se/characters