Chapters 1-3

Hey okay this is Shansa, your leader for the day! So I was kinda thrown off by the fact that I had to flip though like 50 pages before I could even find chapter one but don’t worry everyone I found it LOL

The first thing I noticed is that Bronte writes almost backwards like on page 1 she says “me, she had dispensed from joining the group” when she could’ve said “she dispensed me from joining the group” you know and maybe that has no significance at all but like what if it does loll Why do you guys think she writes like that? Like does it have a bigger meaning behind it?

My first impression of Jane is that she's feisty and independent unless I read that wrong. What do you guys think? I’m saying this because she was bold in questioning her elders but I don't actually know if she did anything wrong you know. Like does that even make sense? Okay it’s fine I going to move on now lol

What do you think Jane’s relationship with the Reed family is? I know she’s of a lower social and economic status and that John is mistreating her but like if they don’t like her at all then why is she living there? Why did they take her in? Also what happened to Jane’s family that caused her to endure the treatment in the abusive household?

Okay but even though the odds are NOT in her favor I admire the fact that she still stands up for herself in the face of tremendous abuse. 

Why is Mrs. Reed blaming the situation on Jane even after seeing that she was the one that was hurt? Also why is this random 14 year old kid asking to be called master? Like that seems ridiculous to me but also like mother like son is all I’m saying lol 

Never mind we found out that Mrs. Reed is Jane’s aunt and is “taking care”of Jane out of obligation and respect to her late husband. So when Jane “sees” the ghost of her uncle through the beam of light, do you think that it’s real or is she simply imagining things after all the experiences that she has been through? 

Overall, I’m not seeing very many motifs or symbols presented yet which may be because it’s very early in the book, but did anyone find any glaring symbols that I should take notice of?

The only thing I can think of right now is the recurring mention of the temperature, but I’m not sure if that has to do with anything. Like I see a constant contrast between being hot and cold (the freezing temperatures vs the fire). Do you think this has a larger meaning to it?

Oh and one more thing the mention of death might also be an indicator of something. Like we know this Mr. Reed died in the red room that Jane was banished too, but we also see a glimpse of her contemplating suicide. Do you think these are connected? 

So we see that Jane has supposedly fallen ill in the red room and she starts becoming respected by the workers in the house. Yet, she is unhappy with her state of treatment. Does this indicate anything? I’m thinking it’s because she for one has never been respected before so the whole concept of being treated with kindness is foreign to her, but even more than that, I think she realizes that something is not correct. She feels almost an unearthly presence looming over her. Do you think this could be the ghost of Mr. Reed? If so, do you think his ghost would end up being an ally or an enemy for her to combat in the future?

We also see that despite wanting to desperately leave the Reed household, Jane is aware that returning to a life in poverty will get her nowhere if she wants to try and succeed in life. We also learn that Jane wants to go to school and also had a mother who married into a poor family despite the wishes of her wealthy one before both of her parents died. Do you think Jane’s mother has anything to do with Jane's ability to be headstrong and maintain respect for herself even in the face of abuse?

On page 20 when Jane describes herself with the metaphor an “uncongenial alien permanently intruded on her own family group.” Do you think she views herself in this way as well or is this solely a perspective held by the Reed family?

What do you think is the significance of the punctuation and imagery in the phrase “my heart beat thick; my head grew hot; a sound filled my ears…” on page 21?

This is literally all I understood from the book so far and it makes a sense but I also feel like I’m missing some important references or like symbols, so if you find anything else let me know please and thank you