Chapters Eight through Ten

Hey again,
Here are chapters 8-10.
In the beginning of chapter eight, Jane is released from her punishment of standing in the middle of the classroom for being declared a liar by Mr. Brocklehurst. At first, Jane is sure that she will never live this moment down and that no one will ever be her friend, until sweet Helen assures her that the girls felt nothing but pity for the way Mr. Brocklehurst treated her, and that they didn't believe him one bit. Miss Temple then comes to the rescue and asks Jane for her account of events, and Jane tells her sad tale of being raised by Mrs. Reed. After hearing this, Miss Temple writes a letter to Mr. Lloyd (the doctor that recommended that Jane be sent to school). When Mr. Lloyd affirmed Jane's account of events, Miss Temple immediately publicly announces that Mr. Brocklehurst was misinformed.

• How must Jane have felt to finally have an adult on her side, one that would stick up for her this way?
• At this time period, do you think it was more or less common for a woman in Miss Temple's place to treat children with such kindness?

Jane is so relieved that Miss Temple and her classmates believe her, and she begins to excel at her studies, especially art and French.
That is the end of chapter eight.
Chapter nine brings with it the start of spring, and with the warm weather comes an outbreak of typhus. Nearly half the girls become ill, but Jane stayed healthy. At first, Jane assumes that Helen is sick with typhus as well, and figures she will get better in time. Soon, Jane discovers that Helen really isn't sick with typhus, and is dying swiftly from consumption (an phrase used back then, meaning tuberculosis). Jane, terrified that she won't see Helen again, sneaks into her bedroom one night to see her. Helen assures Jane that she feels no pain and is glad to leave the world of sorrow behind. Jane is not comforted much, and holds Helen in her arms while they slept. Helen died that night, and was soon buried in an unmarked grave.

• After waiting so long for a friend, Jane loses her rather quickly. How must she feel at this point towards whichever higher power she believes in? Do you think she still has any religious faith at this point, if she ever had any to begin with?
• While Helen was sick, Jane made friends with another girl, Mary Ann. How do you think things will work out between Jane and Mary Ann? Will Jane ever be able to think of Mary Ann as being as much of a friend as Helen was?

Chapter ten tells about how (after the typhus epidemic at Lowood was over) there were officials that investigated the cause of the outbreak. They discovered that Mr. Brocklehurst's negligent treatment toward the girls was a large contributor to the issue, and he was fired. New officials were brought in to oversee the care of the girls, and conditions improved dramatically.

• Would the change have been as dramatic for Jane as it was for girls that had lived there much longer than Jane had?

The next six years skip by in the next part of this chapter, and Jane graduates from being a student at Lowood. She then becomes a teacher at Lowood and is there for two more years.  During these eight years, Jane becomes wonderful friends with Miss Temple, and when Miss Temple leaves Lowood to get married, Jane also decides that she needs a change. After all, she had been there for nearly half of her life.
So, Jane advertises as a governess, and quickly receives a job offer to go to a place called Thornfield. She accepts, and just as she is about to leave, BESSIE shows up! They catch up on what has been going on at Gateshead (the place where the Reed family lives). Georgiana tried to elope, but Eliza foiled the attempt. John has sunk very low, he indulges in all sorts of nasty things we won't go into here, and he has also found himself married and then just as quickly divorced. He is a disgrace to his mother. Bessie then tells a fantastic tale about a man named John Eyre who showed up at Gateshead seven years previously, claiming to be her uncle. When he was told where Jane was, he decided that he didn't have the time to travel to Lowood, and instead went off to Madiera (near Morocco), in search of wealth.

• How must that have made Jane feel, finding out that she did have relatives, but that he chose to search for money instead of coming to see her? Do you think it even mattered to her?

 Bessie also reveals that she has gotten married and has children. After they spend some more time catching up, Jane departs for Thornfield and Bessie returns home.
That is the end of chapter ten.

• Is it normal that Jane would want a change in scenery only after her dearest friend departs first?
• What do you think will become of Jane now?

Personally, I know that this is another huge and life changing event for Jane. She doesn't know it yet, but her life hasn't even begun to get good.
Stay tuned for the next post!