Jane Eyre by Charlotte

Chapter 15
174 ‘a hag like one of those who appeared to Macbeth on the heath at Forres’ – The sense of Rochester being tempted to attain to something that will bring disaster upon him could hardly be clearer.

175 ‘while I cannot blight you, you may refresh me’ – Rochester has a strong sense of Jane’s purity of heart. He is right. He comes close to tempting her to remain with him as his mistress, but she never really wavers.

176 ‘to grow up clean in the wholesome soil of an English country garden’ – Rochester’s innate goodness is demonstrated to the reader by his decision to foster Adèle, as well as his lack of respect for conventional morality. He seems to have no particular objection to people regarding the ‘fillette’ as his daughter.

176 ‘I shall cling closer to her than before’ – Jane’s sympathy with Adèle reminds the reader of her own want of a family to call her own.

177 ‘I heard him talk with relish’ – Jane has spent many pages describing and analysing Rochester, but this is the first time she has spoken to the reader enthusiastically of his company.

177 ‘following him in thought through the new regions he disclosed’ – Rochester vicariously satisfies Jane’s craving for some knowledge and experience of the wider world.

177 ‘my thin crescent-destiny seemed to enlarge; the blanks of existence were filled up; my bodily health improved; I gathered flesh and strength.’ – Jane is again associated with the moon. The waxing of the moon from crescent to full has often been seen as representing the journey of a woman’s life from maidenhood to motherhood. The moon also reflects light, specifically the light of the male sun. Seen in this way, these lines confirm Jane’s early intimation that she needs to be loved to flourish and prosper. She is beginning to flourish in the sunshine of Rochester’s regard.

178 ‘his presence in a room was more cheering that the brightest fire’ – again implies that Jane is ‘blooming’ under the warmth of Rochester’s love for her.