Jane Eyre- Techniques

In making Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë used both mystery and suspense to make the story effective. The first mysterious figure was Mr. Rochester. At the beginning of the story, the reader was unaware about Mr. Rochester’s life. He would come and leave from Thornfield without notice and would have mood swings occasionally (196). Another mysterious figure that is introduced is the lunatic living upstairs who was later revealed to be Bertha Mason, Mr. Rochester’s wife. Although she was hardly ever seen, her malicious laughs could be heard (225). One night, Bertha came to Jane’s room and in a fit of blind rage she tore Jane’s vale and brought her candle close to Jane's face (433). However, what really made her mysterious is that the reader was unaware that such a person even existed. Throughout most of the book, Jane believed that the person mentioned was actually a woman who worked at Thornfield Hall named Grace Poole. It is not until the first wedding ceremony when Jane (and the reader) finds out that Grace Poole was only hired to watch over and keep Bertha out of mischief (446). The main use of suspense was when Jane was living at Whitcross and she heard a voice which she knew to be Mr. Rochester’s call out “Jane!, Jane!” (640). After having been away from Thornfield for about a year, the reader does not know what became of Mr. Rochester.

Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Reader's Digest, 1984. Print.