In this volume, Jane Eyre left school from the eleventh chapter and began to work as a governess in Thornfield. On the way to leave school and start a new life, she was both expecting and excited, but at the same time she was full of doubts and worries. For a young man who has not been wet behind the ears, she realizes that she is lonely in this world. The charm of adventure made her happy and sweet, but the fear that followed made her uneasy.
Along the way, she tried to imagine the appearance and personality of her employer and prayed that she was not the second Mrs. Reed. When she came to Thornfield by carriage, everything in front of her was just as she imagined.
Mrs Fairfax received her warmly, which surprised her a little. She didn't expect that she would be treated like a guest. Later, she learned that this Mrs. Fairfax is not the owner of this family. Although she married the master's distant cousin, she is still only the housekeeper here.
The owner of this family is Mr. Rochester, who has lived in Thornfield for a short time. The child who needs Jane Eyre's tutoring here is Allard Warren, a beautiful girl of seven or eight years old, who is the ward of his master, Mr Rochester. The child was received here from France by the Guardian not long ago. The little girl doesn't speak English very well and has been looked after by the French nanny Sophia.
In addition, there is a maid Leah, a driver John and a sewing worker named Grace in this house.
Chapter 1 1 is very long. The author described Thornfield with a lot of pen and ink. Although magnificent, simple and elegant, it will always reveal strange colors inadvertently. The author even used the word "grave" to describe some rooms in this mansion. Of course, the strange and sad laughter that has always been like a mystery always lingers around these words like a ghost.
Mrs Fairfax, the housekeeper, gave Jane a reasonable and far-fetched explanation, saying that the laughter came from Grace, the servant in charge of sewing.
Jane Eyre's students are ordinary and not outstanding intellectually, but they have no defects and bad habits lower than ordinary people. She teaches Warren new knowledge in the library in this house. Her life is quiet, but there is something turbulent in Jane Eyre's character.
"People should be content with a quiet life" is meaningless to Jane Eyre. It is generally believed that women should be calm, but Jane Eyre thinks that women have the same feelings as men. They need to use their talents and be as useful as brothers.
After living in Thornfield for three months, one day in January of the following year, Jane Eyre met Rochester on her way out to deliver letters.
When the moon rose at ten o'clock that day, Jane Eyre was walking on the path to Haicun Post Office. She heard the pounding of hooves in the distance. Because the path is very narrow, Jane loves to sit on the steps of the roadside and wait until the horse passes before continuing on her way. But when the horse passed by her, it was probably because she suddenly appeared on the side of the road, or because the horse slipped and Rochester fell and was injured.
After Jane Eyre helped Rochester get back on the horse, she had a simple conversation. Rochester seems to have forgotten that he once hired a tutor, and it was only after some communication that he remembered. After such a simple meeting, the two went their separate ways.
Jane Eyre doesn't know that this man is Thornfield's master. After delivering the letter, she came home, thinking about such an episode and enjoying it all the way. During her three months in Thornfield, Jane Eyre felt that such a life was like a stagnant pool, because it was too quiet. The moment her fluctuating heart stepped into the door of Thornfield House, it seemed that all her senses were locked in invisible shackles. She really can't understand the stability and ease of this life. Wandering around, relieved, she came to the hall and learned the news of Mr. Rochester's injury from Leah.
The first formal meeting is in the evening. Rochester invited Jane Eyre and her students to have tea after busy with many daily affairs. Warren wants to see him very much and is looking forward to bringing her a present.
At the housekeeper's reminder, Jane Eyre changed into a Quaker costume. This Mr. Rochester left a bad impression on Jane Eyre. From the description, we can know that Rochester is a plain-looking and eccentric person, and his way of accepting Jane Eyre is also very strange.
He asked Jane some simple questions and asked her to play the piano and look at her paintings. Although he was not satisfied with her piano skills, he questioned her paintings. He wants to know whether the painting he saw is the work of Jane Eyre.
Jane Eyre doesn't have much resistance to Rochester's strange problems, and she is neither supercilious nor supercilious. In a series of verbal conflicts, Jane Eyre labeled Rochester fickle and rude. Mrs Fairfax, the housekeeper, explained to him why Mr Rochester was acting strangely.
Mr rochester has a brother. There is some estrangement between the two brothers. His elder brother Rochester is unfair, which directly leads to his old father's prejudice. The old father loves money very much, and he is eager to make the family property together. He doesn't want to be reduced because of division, but at the same time he really wants his son to have his own property to safeguard the glory of the family name. Soon after he became an adult, they took some unreasonable measures, which caused great trouble. In order to make Mr. Rochester get the property, the old father and his brother put him in a position he thought was painful. The housekeeper did not elaborate on the exact nature of the situation.
The housekeeper said that Mr. Rochester was unwilling to give up, which made his family break up more easily. He wandered outside for many years, and then his brother died and left him his legacy, but he was still hiding from this place.
Jane Eyre is puzzled by the housekeeper's evasiveness.
Mr. Rochester is very busy in the following days, and the existence of Jane Eyre is no longer important to him. However, in a meeting, the two started a new round of angry words.
Rochester asked Jane Eyre to say what she thought of him, and Jane Eyre directly expressed her true feelings. Some of Rochester's views and ideas are unacceptable to Jane Eyre, and she tries to convince him. They seem to be twins with the same personality. The author wrote eleven pages of dialogue flow here, perhaps because of different national conditions, perhaps because of translation, or because of my personal understanding. I'm a little confused about the contents of these ten pages, but I can clearly feel the mood and state of their conversation. Jane Eyre's thoughts can communicate with Rochester without obstacles. She is a good listener, and at the same time, she can help Rochester to resolve some extreme ideas with an equal attitude.
In the following days, Mr. Rochester was surprised to find that he was willing to tell Jane Eyre his thoughts and told the story of Warren for Jane Eyre without reservation.
Warren's biological mother is a French opera singer and Rochester's lover, but after seeing his mistress's affair and his bad comments, he chose to end this relationship. But later, the mistress claimed that Rochester was Warren's biological father and fell ill before his death. Rochester is convinced that he has nothing to do with children, but he can't bear to let them grow up in the mire, so he decides to keep them with him.
Jane Eyre did not show contempt for Warren after knowing her true identity, but strengthened her belief in educating her to become a talent. For Mr. Rochester, he is very willing to share his love history, but in the face of this ancient mansion and its surrounding environment, he shows strange mood fluctuations, which also makes Jane Eyre feel more suspicious.
Chapter 15, something happened. After hearing a strange noise in the middle of the night, Jane Eyre finds Rochester's room on fire. After struggling to put out the fire, Jane Eyre has more doubts about this mansion. After the accident, the relationship between Jane Eyre and Rochester has undergone some unusual changes.
All right! This is today's reading sharing, and then we will enter the second book of reading. Chapter 11 of the next volume, more exciting will continue tomorrow!