Jane Eyre Chapter 33-34

Jane Eyre Chapters 33-34

By: Limor Borohov

Chapter 34

The Proposal from St. John

Jane decides to close the Morton school during Christmas. St. John asks her if she's happy in the work that she's been doing, and Jane says yes (but not forever!). He then asks her if she would be able to devote her life to charity but Jane answers no. When Jane is preparing the Moor House for Marry and Diana's return, St. John doesn't seem to care about leading a comfortable life, but rather to have challenges and sacrifices. St. John plans to go to India to be a missionary. He wants her to learn the Hindustani language language so he can have someone to practice with before he leaves. Then he asks her to go to India with him as a wife. Jane says that she will go but not as a wife, but rather as a missionary. But St. John lets her think about changing her answer while he's gone to say goodbye to some of his friends in Cambridge. He warns her to " Not forget that if you reject it, it is not to me you deny, but god...Refuse to be my wife, and you limit yourself foe ever to a trackof selfish ease and barren obscurity"(p. 225).

• St. John asks Jane to learn Hindustani with him.
• When St. John kisses his sisters goodnight, Diana commands him that he should also give Jane a kiss. He does after (cold).
• Jane and St. John go for a walk and he tells her that he's planning on going to go to India for 6 weeks and wants her to come with him.
• Then asks her to marry him because he thinks god intended her to be a missionary's wife.
• Jane wants to think about it. She's scared that India will kill her, and that St. John will never love her.
• Jane says she will go as a missionary, but not as a wife.
• St. John says he's going to say good bye to some people and that he will be back soon letting she should think about it more.

Jane and St. John

Chapter 33

• St. John is so cold "no fervour infects" him.
• St. John is as a "white stone".
• Jane on the other hand is "hot, and fire dissolves ice". (p.192)
• ** For St. John, reason is more important than feeling.

*Rochester and St. John are foils.

Motif: Ice and Fire

Fire motif:

• Jane saves Rochester from a fire.
• "Come to the fire".
• "My brain is on fire".
• Fire can symbolize warmth, comfort, passion emotion of some kind.

Ice motif:

• "I fell under a freezing spell".
• "Christmas frost had come".
• Images of ice and cold, symbolize emotional isolation, loneliness, and even death ("death-white realms" of the arctic and spiritual isolation-at Gateshead.)
• Lowood,harsher, more reality.

Jane is alone reading a book called the Marmion in the middle of a freezing and snowy night when St. John comes in, out of the freezing hurricane. Jane is extremely shocked that St. John has traveled all night during this storm. Jane questions him why he came back now, but he won't answer. All he wants to do is to simply have a little talk with Jane. After that, St. John starts telling Jane the following story (about Jane). 20 years ago, a poor curate (clergyman) married a rich women. After 2 years passed they both die and leave a daughter behind.Their daughter was left to be with Mrs. Reed of Gateshead. She lived with her for a couple of years and then went to Lowood school. When she grew up she became a teacher. She soon left it to be a governess to Mr. Rochester. At the wedding, she discovered that Rochester was already married. Now it was known that she's gone and no one could tell when, where or how.They were now trying to find out where this missing girl is and to tell her important/ breaking news!

St. John asks Jane to go to India with him. Why?

He thinks Jane is a faithful, direct, outspoken, passionate and kind person. He has been keeping an eye at her. He thinks she looks like a good missionary's wife and would do the "job" well.

Expected Events

Jane is sorry to hear that her uncle just died. He has left his entire fortune to her. So now she's rich!!! Jane is amazed to learn she has inherited $20,000 pounds, and wishes to equally divide this legacy between the four of them.

How does St. John view Jane?

• St. John knows that Jane didn't just get married.
• Their relationship has always been a little eerie.

Jane views herself:

"God and nature intended you for a missionary's wife. It is not personal, but mental endowments they have given you: you are formed for labour, not for love. A missionary's wife you must--shall be. You shall be mine: I claim you--not for my pleasure, but for my Sovereign's service."

Unexpected Events

Jane knows that she has all this passion and flames in her. She wants to be free she has all this excitement trapped in her.Jane thinks that she's not good enough to be on the same level as everyone else. She felt that people don't understand how she feels inside except St. John. But Jane thinks that if she goes to India with him, there's no returning back.

"If I join St. John, I abandon half myself: if I go to India, I go to premature death".

• He thinks Jane is a nice women but not good enough to be on the same level as everyone else. He thinks that she's to be married to him for work, not for love though.

• Jane had just left Rochester.
• Jane suddenly went from being poor to wealthy."a moment of indigence to wealth"
• Jane has an actual real family left (John Eyre-her uncle who just died)
• The Rivers who took her in were also her lost family. They're cousins:)
• St. John should have known that Jane wouldn't agree to and isn't the type to be a missionary's wife.