About the Author and This Work
Charlotte Bronte shows herself as a great artist of verbal painting. Her descriptions of the natural scenery， as seen through the eyes of Jane Eyre at the different times of her life， and of the inner world of this sensitive， passionate girl are marvelous. They， together with the gothic horror of the mysterious woman in the attic of Thornfield， with Jane’s own paintings and dreams， with the extraordinary natural or supernatural phenomena such as the split chestnut tree and the telepathic call of Mr. Rochester， make the world of Jane Eyre a perfect combination of realism and romanticism.
Plot Summary
I read the famous and influential book Jane Eyre which made a hit in the literary world when it first came into being. More than 100 famous scholars recommended this book and many people were attracted by it very much. The story was fictional and was considered one of the first romantic novels， containing both passion and mystery.
The novel goes through five distinct stages：1. Jane's childhood at Gateshead Hall， where she was emotionally and physically abused by her aunt and cousins； 2.her education at Lowood School， where she acquired friends and role models but also suffered privations and oppression； 3.her time as governess at Thornfield Hall， where she falled in love with Edward Rochester； 4.her time with the Rivers family， during which her earnest but cold clergyman cousin， St John Rivers， proposed to her； 5.and finally her marriage with her beloved Rochester.
Analysis of Chapter XXXVII
Jane traveled to Ferndean. When she arrived， she saw Rochester reach a hand out of the door， testing for rain. He looked physically strong still， but his face was sad and desperate. Rochester returned inside， Jane knocked and talked with the servants at the door then entered the house. Jane carried a tray to Rochester who is unable to see her. When he recognized Jane's voice， he thought at first that she was a ghost or spirit speaking to him. When he caught her hand， he took her in his arms， brimming with emotion. Rochester asked her to marry him， Jane joyfully accepted and she promised never to leave him again. The next morning they walked through the woods， Jane updated Rochester about her new wealth and led him on about St. John， jokingly using jealousy to distract him from misery. Rochester told Jane about his new relationship with God. He felt punished for his pride and now prays regularly. He asked her again to marry him， and she said yes ― they are now free from the specter of Bertha Mason. Rochester told Jane that a few nights earlier， in a moment of desperation， he called out her name and heard her responses. She didn’t wish to upset him or excite him in his fragile condition， so she didn’t tell him about hearing his voice at Moor House. Characterization
Major characters： Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester
The major characters in this book are Jane Eyre and Edward Rochester. In my point of view， Jane is a plain-featured， honest， intelligent and independent girl who has great sense of self-dignity as well as strong belief in gender and social equality. Rochester is a wealthy but direct， straightforward and unconventional man with great passion， even a little rash and impetuous， however， these two people meet and wipe out the sparks of love， read the book carefully， it is not difficult to find some similarities in them， both are independent and strong-minded people who is full of candor， who lives by heart―not by the society’s rules. I think it is the same belief they hold that support their true love.
Although Rochester is superior to Jane in social class and economic level， and while men were widely considered to be naturally superior to women in the Victorian period， Jane is always intellectually equal to Rochester. Despite the difference in backgrounds and social status， when Jane is present， Mr. Rochester feels a sort of emotional peace and has a kind spirit to Jane. Meanwhile， Mr. Rochester is also particularly important to Jane because he provides her with the unconditional love and a sense of family that she has never experienced before.
Theme
Female Consciousness
Charlotte Bronte’s masterpiece--Jane Eyre is one of the most popular and important novels of the Victorian Age. It is famous for its sharp criticism of the religious hypocrisy of charity institutions like Lowood School where poor， unwanted girls are trained to be humble slaves through constant starvation and humiliation for its rebuke of the social discrimination and false conventions about love and marriage. Charlotte did use a distinct awareness of women to model Jane Eyre as an independent woman constantly strive to stand on her own feet. People see a new image of women： self-esteem， self-respect， self-reliance， self-improvement， courageous and firm. Jane Eyre has become an ideal and a pursuit， if a woman wants a real self-realization she must adhere to the ideals and aspirations. Jane’s declaration to Mr. Rochester of her equality with him is really a declaration of the women of middle class and all classes.
Nevertheless， although to our delight， the story end with a happy ending， we have no choice but to admit that at that time Jane， in spite of， had a sense of feminism， she can’t escape to be the product of the patriarchal culture， she could not escape from the influence of the traditional concept. On the one hand， she called on equality， freedom and self-respect； on the other hand， she could hardly deny the role of traditional female ― to be an angel at home， serving for husband and taking care of children.
References
试论简・爱性格的刻画 作者：肖玉林
――《郴州师范高等专科学校学报》 2001年 6 月第 22卷 第 3 期
从女性主义视角解读《简・爱》 作者：朴明珠
――《前沿》2012-12-15