10-year-old Jane lives under the custody of her Aunt Reed, who hates her. Jane resents her harsh treatment by her aunt and cousins so much that she has a severe temper outburst, which results in her aunt sending her to Lowood boarding school. At the end of the eight years, she has become a teacher at Lowood. At the age of eighteen she seeks independence and becomes governess at Thornfield Hall. Over time, Jane falls in love with its master, Edward Rochester, who eventually proposes to her. On their wedding day, the sermon is abruptly halted by the announcement that Rochester's insane wife is kept locked up in the attic of Thornfield. Jane runs away. Penniless and almost starving, Jane roams the countryside in search of shelter, until she finds the house of St John, Mary, and Diana Rivers, who take her in and nurse her back to health. Jane then acquires an unexpected inheritance from her uncle. One night, Jane

When returning to Thornfield Jane is unhappy; she feels a mixture of anticipation and fear for the future. Preparation for the pain she will feel when Rochester marries distresses her. Nature again mimics Jane's situation and emotions:

Eight years later, when Jane travels from Lowood to Thornfield, she is much more contented. She has come to be respected by the teachers and pupils at Lowood, largely due to the influence of her teacher, Miss Temple, to whose instruction she "owed the best part of her acquirements" and who had stood her "in the stead of mother, governess, and latterly, companion". Jane has found in Miss Temple what Mrs Reed always denied her.

The word choice here reflects Jane's situation - she is like the ground, 'petrified' under the influence of her aunt, whose behaviour is mirrored in the term "hard frost" because of the icy discipline she bestows. Mrs Reed's attitude towards Jane highlights one of the main themes of the novel, social class. Jane's aunt sees Jane as inferior as she had humble beginnings: she is "less than a servant". Jane is glad to be leaving her cruel aunt and of having the chance of going to school.

"...it did not seem in the room - nor in the house - nor in the garden: it did not come out of the air - nor from under the earth - nor from overhead...where, or whence, for ever impossible to know!"

Some common words found in the essay are:
Thornfield Jane, Aunt Reed, Temple Reed, Lowood Jane, Jane Rochester's, Gateshead Lowood, Diana Rivers, Thornfield Rochester, Marsh Ferndean, Jane Eyre's, jane's life, emotional journeys, rochester's voice calling, lowood age, true happiness, jane makes, makes journey, aunt reed, miss temple, jane inferior, journeys makes,
Approximate Word count = 1768
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)