Jane Eyre - Thornfield Part 1 - Mindmap in A Level and IB English Language & Literature

Created by: RavenF
Created on: 01-12-19 16:25

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Thornfield
- Governess
  - Socially awkward
    - Doesn't fit in with servants or her employers
    - Class of her own
- Mrs Fairfax
  - Kind, welcoming
  - Treats Jane as an equal; 'The equality between her and me was real...my position was all the freer'.
  - In a way, gives Jane her independence.Respects her, admires her French etc.
  - 'Draw closer to the fire' - Jane has found someone who appreciates her.
- Jane closes door on her childhood
  - Opening lines - Chapter 11 - 'drawing up the curtain' upon a new chapter of her life, young adulthood.
  - Reader intrigued to find out if this new chapter will bring as much sorrow/ disappointment as before.
- Mr Rochester
  - Similarities with Thornfield Hall
    - 'Stately and imposing' / 'Of proportions not vast, though considerable'
    - 'Mighty old thorn tress, strong, knotty and broad as oaks' - strong physically, 'knotty' describes imperfections of his character and his confusing nature. 'Broad': able to take on problems, one can lean on him for support.
  - First meeting with Jane
    - Slips on ice, Jane assists him onto his horse - foreshadows how Jane will help Rochester someday.
  - Byronic hero - dark and moody, intense, mysterious, emotional, troubled, arrogant.
    - High level of intelligence, perception
    - Struggle with integrity
      - Rochester doesn't mention his existing wife.
      - Was willing to live with Jane as his mistress.
  - Chapter 15 - Makes Jane his confidant
    - Tells her about Celine Varens, Adeles mother
    - Contrasts Jane to Celine's infidelity,
      - Suggests growing attachment to Jane - he doesn't think she will let him down like Celine did.
- Gothic/ supernatural
  - Grace Poole
    - 'Last sound I expected to hear...curious laugh; distinct, formal, mirthless' - foreshadowing of the wedding, last thing Jane expects is Rochester having a second wife.
    - Grace Poole's laugh - 'tragic, as preternatural a laugh as any I have ever heard.
    - Conversation with Jane - speech tense, suggests uneasiness and suspense
      - Bronte creates suspense/ curiosity through Jane's running commentary of Grace's appearance and behaviour
  - Attic at Thornfield
    - 'Very chill and vault like air' / an eerie impression made by that wide hall'
    - 'If there were a ghost at Thornfield Hall, this would be its haunt.
    - Similar to Red Room: Both act as prisons to their inmates
      - Jane & Bertha Mason suggested to be similar - neither has anyone to turn to, both locked up and ignored by the world.
- Fire
  - Symbolise passion/ romance
    - Jane's passion we have seen in the red room/ when Helen is being mistreated at Lowood
  - Warm and comforting sensation
    - Introduced to Thornfield Hall by sitting by an 'excellent fire', warming away the numbness and chill'
      - Jane's life starting to become warmer and more exciting after a cold/ harsh childhood.
    - 'Draw closer to the fire'
      - Jane is being appreciated, cared for
    - When Rochester first arrives, Thornfield becomes alow
  - Chapter 15 - Fire in Rochester's bed
    - Symbolises mystery Jane encountered in attic, the laugh
      - Mystery now has a more threatening nature
    - Jane saves hiim - symbolises/ foreshadows how Jane will save him with her love after the fire at the end of the novel.
- Ice
  - Rochester slips, Jane is able to help him
    - Symbol of drawing 2 people together to create opposite sensation, fire, in form of passion and romance.
- Jane's behaviour
  - Jane's hopes
    - We see she is thriving on Rochester's attention
      - 'So happy, so gratified...the blanks of existence were filled up' - Her reaction to his confidence in her.
    - 'Sweet as the hills of Beulah' - Beulah is Hebrew for Marriage, shows her subconscious desire to be wedded to Rochester.
  - Jane's fears
    - 'Billows of trouble rolled under surges of joy'
      - Jane is subconsciously aware that amidst all her joy, there must be hidden troubles.
    - Fears about Rochester leaving
      - 'If he does go, the change will be doleful...How joyless sunshine and fine days will seem!'
    - Jane fears Grace Poole - 'Opened the door with a trembling hand'
      - She tries to get Rochester to remove her from the household.
- Jane's paintings
  - Reflect her awareness of her dreams
  - Show how dismal and meaningless her life was at Lowood
  - Reflect her inner passion/ desperation to get out in the world/ find purpose in her life.
- Jane's portraits
  - Self-portrait - 'Portrait of a Governess, disconnected, poor and plain'
    - Reflects Victorian attitudes - governesses should be 'seen, not heard' - No connections, no element of attractiveness, serve the wealthy quietly.
    - Draws a harsh, unatrractive portrait of herself
      - Shows her humility and maturity, she isn't vain.
  - Portrait of 'the loveliest face you can imagine' - Blanche Ingram
    - She compares this to her harsh self-portrait to quell her feelings when she starts thinking that Rochester likes her
      - Forces her to realise that she doesn't stand a chance against Blanche Ingram.

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Jane Eyre - Thornfield Part 1

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