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Jane Eyre - Character

Explore the characters of Jane Eyre, from Jane and Rochester to St John Rivers, and think about how personality, choices, and relationships shape the novel.

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Fascinating Fact:

St John Rivers represents icy self-denial and duty without love. His proposal tests Jane’s autonomy and her refusal to sacrifice identity.

In GCSE English Literature, studying Jane Eyre as a character text means exploring how Jane, Rochester, and figures like St John Rivers reveal ideas about love, independence, faith, and moral choice.

Key Terms

Protagonist: The main character in a story, whose journey and decisions drive the plot.
Foil: A character who contrasts with another, helping to highlight particular qualities or values.
Characterisation: The methods a writer uses to show what a character is like, through description, dialogue, and actions.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

How do I write about Jane Eyre as a character for GCSE?

Focus on Jane’s growth from childhood to adulthood, her moral beliefs, and her need for respect and equality. Use brief quotations and link each point to a clear theme.

What is important about Mr Rochester’s character in Jane Eyre?

Mr Rochester is complex and flawed. He tests Jane’s principles, hides secrets, and forces us to think about power, honesty, and whether real love can exist without equality.

How can I compare St John Rivers and Mr Rochester in the exam?

Compare how each man offers Jane a different future. Rochester represents passionate, risky love, while St John offers duty and status. Explain why Jane refuses to lose her identity with either.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Who makes Jane feel at home in Thornfield, despite the grandness of the building and the cool, gruff behaviour of its owner?

Adèle

Blanche Ingram

Sophie

Mrs Fairfax

Mrs Fairfax surprises Jane with her kindness. Jane had expected to be treated coldly as a governess: "I anticipated only coldness and stiffness: this is not like what I have heard of the treatment of governesses; but I must not exult too soon"

2 .

Which of the following characterises Bertha Mason's attitude towards Mr Rochester?

Compassionate

Vengeful

Forgiving

Dispassionate

Bertha Mason eventually sets fire to Thornfield, targeting especially Jane's former bed. She had already set fire to Rochester's bed on an earlier occasion

3 .

St John Rivers is an austere man. Which of the following lines of dialogue best depicts this aspect of his character?

"Reason, and not Feeling, is my guide: my ambition is unlimited; my desire to rise higher, to do more than others, insatiable. I honour endurance, perseverance, industry, talent; because these are the means by which men achieve great ends"

"I have only brought you a little parcel my sisters left for you"

"I burnt for the more active life of the world — for the more exciting toils of a literary career — for the destiny of an artist, author, orator; anything, rather than that of a priest"

"It is strange that I love Rosamond Oliver so wildly — with all the intensity, indeed, of a first passion"

St John describes himself to Jane as a "cold, hard man". He rejects his passions in favour of obeying reason

4 .

Which of the following events demonstrates Miss Temple's compassion soon after Jane's arrival at Lowood School?

She worries that Jane has travelled alone at such a young age

She strokes Jane's cheek

She orders extra bread and cheese to compensate for the burnt porridge served to the children for breakfast

All of the above

Miss Temple attempts to soften the harsh regime at Lowood School, which is designed to subdue the "charity" girls both physically and psychologically

5 .

Upon first meeting Mr Rochester, Jane feels comfortable speaking to him because he is....

Not handsome

Not good-humoured

Frowning and rough

All of the above

Jane reports that she could not have spoken to the unknown Mr Rochester if he had been elegant, gallant or beautiful

6 .

Which of the following does NOT express one of Mr Brocklehurst's beliefs about the appropriate way to educate and care for the children of Lowood School?

Physical punishment is good for the soul

Nature must be tamed

Children respond best to praise

Feeding good food to the body will starve the soul

Mr Brocklehurst does not apply the same standards to his own children, who are well cared-for and luxuriously dressed

7 .

"My uncle Reed is in heaven and can see all you do and think; and so can papa and mama: they know how you shut me up all day long, and how you wish me dead." What does this quotation tell the reader about Jane?

She is cruel

She is resentful towards all adults

She has a strong sense of justice

She is quiet and obedient

Jane is not afraid to speak the truth to authority figures and can see clearly the hypocrisy of adults such as her aunt

8 .

Which of the following adjectives does NOT describe Blanche Ingram?

Showy

Thoughtful

Talented

Disdainful

Blanche speaks haughtily of governesses, whom she considers beneath her in status and intelligence, in the presence of Jane. Jane dislikes her while recognising that she is both beautiful and talented

9 .

What does Helen try to teach Jane?

The value of patience

The benefits of nursing anger

The importance of fighting injustices

All of the above

Jane learns patience from Helen although she does not always agree with her friend's views, especially with the idea of accepting injustice without complaint

10 .

Whose affections does Mr Rochester accept without much pleasure?

Bertha Mason's

Jane's

Adèle's

Mr Rochester enjoys everyone's attentions and affections

Adèle is an affectionate child, but Mr Rochester cannot help viewing her as a miniature version of her mother, his exuberant French mistress

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Characters

Author: Sheri Smith (PhD English Literature, English Teacher & Quiz Writer)