Jane Eyre Plot Summary
Jane Eyre is a 2011 romance and drama movie starring Mia Wasikowska as the titular character. It is considered one of the best adaptations of Charlotte Brontë’s novel Jane Eyre, originally published in 1847.
The story follows Jane Eyre, an orphan whose parents died of typhus when she was young. Mr. Reed, her uncle, and Mrs. Reed, his wife, promised to care for her. However, Mrs. Reed sends Jane to an institution for orphans and unwanted girls, turning back on the promise she had made to Jane’s parents.
Who is Jane?
The movie opens with a girl running out of Thornfield Hall and collapsing in a field, crying. When it starts raining, she seeks shelter and finds a house where she passes out at the door again. The house belongs to St. John Rivers, who lives there with his sisters Diana and Mary. They take her in and try to get her name and address, but she doesn’t respond.
The girl is Jane Eyre. A flashback reveals her troubled childhood, where she was mistreated by her cousin John Reed for taking his books. Mrs. Reed, seeing Jane as a burden, sends her to Lowood School, an institution for poor and orphaned girls. Before leaving, Jane confronts Mrs. Reed with some heated words. At the orphanage, run by Mr. Brocklehurst, Jane is mistreated and denied food and friends.
She is punished by having to stand on the table while others eat. Jane manages to befriend another girl, Helen, who is also mistreated. They become close, and Helen shares her food with Jane. Helen always tells Jane about an invisible world around her, meant to protect her. The scene shifts to the present, where a grown-up Jane is sketching Helen at the Rivers’ house.
Jane asks St. John to help her find a job so she can be independent. She introduces herself as Jane Elliott and attracts praise from St. John and his sisters for her sketches. The scene then flashes back to Jane’s childhood, where Helen is very ill. Helen assures Jane that even though she is in plight, she is happy because she is going to God. They lie together on the bed, and in the morning, it is revealed that Helen has died.
How did Jane Eyre end up in Thornfield?
Back in the present, Mr. Rivers offers Jane a position at a girls’ school he has started in the village, which she graciously accepts and starts working the same day. The movie then shifts back to when Jane left Lowood School to work as a governess at Thornfield. Upon arriving at Thornfield Hall, she meets Mrs. Fairfax, the head servant, a distant relative to Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester, and housekeeper.
Mrs. Fairfax explains the solitude of life there but expresses her happiness in having Jane join them. Jane inquires about meeting her pupil, Miss Varens, the ward of Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester, the owner of Thornfield. The next morning, Jane meets Miss Varens, who is French. When asked about her parents, Miss Varens reveals that she came to Thornfield with her mother, who has been deceased for some years.
Later that evening, Jane encounters a man who has fallen from his horse while she is posting a letter. She assists him, and they part ways, only to meet again at Thornfield Hall. It turns out the man is Mr. Edward Fairfax Rochester. Mr. Rochester and Jane have a conversation, during which Mr. Rochester appears to be attracted to Jane. Later that night, Mr. Rochester calls Jane and asks if she feels the same way about him.
Jane politely declines and shares her views on beauty and equality. That same night, Mr. Rochester’s room catches fire, and Jane saves him. Mr. Rochester asks if she has anything to say, but when Jane denies it, he appears upset and leaves after breakfast the very next day. Mrs. Fairfax reveals that Mr. Rochester has gone to see Blanche Ingram, a beautiful and elegant girl whom she believes is a great match for him.
Mr. Rochester returns with Miss Ingram and her family, and it becomes apparent that he is involved with Miss Ingram. Jane feels a twinge of jealousy. After dinner one night, Mr. Rochester calls Adele and Jane to the hall, where the Ingrams humiliate Jane, causing her to leave in embarrassment.
During a conversation in the hallway, a guest named Richard Mason arrives to meet Mr. Rochester. Later that night, a woman’s scream is heard, and while Mr. Rochester dismisses everyone, he asks Jane to accompany him. In Mr. Rochester’s room, they find Richard with a deep wound in his back. Mr. Rochester asks Jane to clean the wound while he fetches the doctor.
The next morning, Jane confronts Mr. Rochester about the incident where he admits to his past mistakes but mentions that there is a new woman in his life, referring to Jane, not Blanche as Jane had thought.
Jane receives a letter from her aunt informing her of her cousin’s suicide and Mrs. Reed’s illness. She takes leave from Mr. Rochester and goes to her aunt’s home. Mrs. Reed apologizes to Jane and gives her a letter from her uncle, who wants to make her his heiress.
Mrs. Reed confesses that she lied to Jane’s uncle about Jane dying due to typhus three years ago. Despite this deceit, Jane forgives Mrs. Reed and informs her uncle of her whereabouts.
Do Jane and Mr. Rochester reunite?
When Jane returns to Thornfield, Mr. Rochester is delighted to see her, and they have a pleasant conversation. The next day, Mrs. Fairfax tells Jane that Mr. Rochester has ordered jewels from his bank and is planning to propose to Blanche. Upset by this news, Jane decides to leave Thornfield to avoid witnessing the marriage. Mr. Rochester tries to persuade her to stay and confesses his love for her. He then proposes, and Jane accepts.
They spend all their time together, and on the day of their wedding, Mr. Rochester appears very nervous, and they rush to the chapel to get married. However, just before the marriage is official, Richard interrupts with his lawyer. The lawyer reveals that Mr. Rochester had married Richard’s sister, Bertha, 15 years ago in Jamaica.
Mr. Rochester takes Jane to a room in Thornfield Hall to meet Bertha. He explains that Bertha is violent and mentally ill and that their marriage was arranged. Jane is deeply upset and decides to leave Thornfield. Mr. Rochester tries to apologize and win her back, but Jane remains resolute in her decision to leave. The next morning, she flees Thornfield, which is shown in the opening scene of the movie.
The scene then shifts to the present, where St. John is at Jane’s school. Jane expresses her gratitude for the job. Later that night, it snows heavily, and Jane’s door is knocked on. St. John has arrived with a question for Jane. He reveals that he knows her true identity as Jane Eyre and is aware of her relationship with Mr. Rochester.
John reveals that Jane’s uncle has passed away, leaving her a substantial fortune. Jane convinces him to share the inheritance with Diana and Mary. She also persuades John to become her brother and join their family. That evening, John proposes to take Jane to India with him, but only if she marries him. Jane, still in love with Mr. Rochester, declines.
Jane decides to visit Thornfield to see Mr. Rochester. To her shock, she finds the hall burned down, with only the walls remaining. Mrs. Fairfax tells her that Bertha had set the fire one night and jumped to her death. Mrs. Fairfax also reveals that Mr. Rochester lost his sight while trying to save Bertha that night. Finally, Jane reunites with Mr. Rochester, who immediately recognizes her touch. They embrace and kiss, reuniting at last, marking the end of the film.