Summary
The Mysterious Call
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Chapter 36 opens with Jane receiving a note from St. John Rivers, who continues to pressure her about their missionary work in India, interpreting her hesitation as spiritual weakness. However, Jane remains convinced that the mysterious voice she heard calling her name was more than imagination—she describes it as an 'inspiration' that shook her very soul like an earthquake. Determined to discover the truth behind this supernatural experience, Jane decides to travel back to Thornfield Hall to seek news of Rochester. She announces her departure to Diana and Mary, who respectfully refrain from prying into her private affairs. Jane's journey takes her first to Whitcross, the same crossroads where she had arrived destitute a year earlier, but now she travels with purpose and means. The coach ride to Thornfield takes thirty-six hours, and as she approaches familiar territory, her heart both leaps with hope and sinks with fear. She stops at 'The Rochester Arms' inn, just two miles from Thornfield, but cannot bring herself to inquire directly about Rochester's whereabouts, dreading news that might crush her hopes. Instead, she walks across the fields toward the estate, her emotions building as she recognizes each familiar landmark. The chapter ends with Jane approaching Thornfield Hall, torn between desperate hope of seeing Rochester again and fear of what she might discover.
Coming Up in Chapter 37
The manor-house of Ferndean was a building of considerable antiquity, moderate size, and no architectural pretensions, deep buried in a wood. I had heard of it before. Mr. Rochester often spoke of it,
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An excerpt from the original text.(~354 words)
The daylight came. I rose at dawn. I busied myself for an hour or two with arranging my things in my chamber, drawers, and wardrobe, in the order wherein I should wish to leave them during a brief absence. Meantime, I heard St. John quit his room. He stopped at my door: I feared he would knock—no, but a slip of paper was passed under the door. I took it up. It bore these words— 'You left me too suddenly last night. Had you stayed but a little longer, you would have laid your hand on the Christian's cross and the angel's crown. I shall expect your clear decision when I return this day fortnight. Meantime, watch and pray that you enter not into temptation: the spirit, I trust, is willing, but the flesh, I see, is weak.' opens with Jane receiving a note from St. John Rivers, who continues to pressure her about their missionary work in India, interpreting her hesitation as spiritual weakness. However, Jane remains convinced that the mysterious voice she heard calling her name was more than imagination—she describes it as an 'inspiration' that shook her very soul like an earthquake. Determined to discover the truth behind this supernatural experience, Jane decides to travel back to Thornfield Hall to seek news of Rochester. She announces her departure to Diana and Mary, who respectfully refrain from prying into her private affairs. Jane's journey takes her first to Whitcross, the same crossroads where she had arrived destitute a year earlier, but now she travels with purpose and means. The coach ride to Thornfield takes thirty-six hours, and as she approaches familiar territory, her heart both leaps with hope and sinks with fear. She stops at 'The Rochester Arms' inn, just two miles from Thornfield, but cannot bring herself to inquire directly about Rochester's whereabouts, dreading news that might crush her hopes. Instead, she walks across the fields toward the estate, her emotions building as she recognizes each familiar landmark. The chapter ends with Jane approaching Thornfield Hall, torn between desperate hope of seeing Rochester again and fear of what she might discover.
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Intelligence Amplifier™ Analysis
Why This Matters
Connect literature to life
Literary Insight
This chapter explores the tension between rational decision-making and intuitive knowledge, suggesting that some truths can only be understood through feeling rather than logic.
Today's Relevance
In our data-driven world, Brontë's exploration of intuition and spiritual connection reminds us that human experience includes elements that cannot be quantified or explained, and that sometimes following our hearts leads to profound truth.
Now let's explore the literary elements.
Terms to Know
Whitcross
The crossroads where Jane first arrived when fleeing Thornfield, symbolizing life's pivotal moments and choices
Inspiration
Jane's term for the mysterious voice, suggesting divine or spiritual guidance rather than mere imagination
Thornfield Hall
Rochester's estate where Jane worked as governess and fell in love, representing both home and heartbreak
The Rochester Arms
The inn near Thornfield bearing Rochester's family name, symbolizing Jane's return to his domain
Characters in This Chapter
Jane Eyre
Protagonist
Now determined to follow her mysterious calling back to Rochester, showing growth in trusting her own judgment
St. John Rivers
Jane's cousin and suitor
Continues pressuring Jane through religious guilt, representing duty without love
Diana and Mary Rivers
Jane's cousins
Show respectful support for Jane's privacy, demonstrating healthy family relationships
Key Quotes & Analysis
"My spirit is willing to do what is right; and my flesh, I hope, is strong enough to accomplish the will of Heaven, when once that will is distinctly known to me."
Context: Jane's response to St. John's note, asserting her own spiritual authority
"The wondrous shock of feeling had come like the earthquake which shook the foundations of Paul and Silas's prison; it had opened the doors of the soul's cell and loosed its bands"
Context: Jane's description of the mysterious voice as a spiritual liberation
"I felt like the messenger-pigeon flying home."
Context: Jane's feelings as she travels back toward Thornfield, suggesting destiny and belonging
Thematic Threads
Independence
In This Chapter
Development
In Your Life:
When have you had to choose between financial security and personal freedom, and what did that decision reveal about your priorities?
Love vs. Duty
In This Chapter
Development
In Your Life:
Have you ever stayed in a relationship or situation out of obligation rather than genuine desire, and how did you know when it was time to leave?
Spiritual Connection
In This Chapter
Development
In Your Life:
Can you think of a moment when you felt an unexplainable connection or 'calling' that guided an important decision in your life?
You now have the context. Time to form your own thoughts.
Discussion Questions
- 1
How does Jane's interpretation of the mysterious voice differ from how St. John might interpret it, and what does this reveal about their different approaches to spirituality?
- 2
What is the significance of Jane returning to Thornfield via the same route she fled, and how has she changed since that desperate escape?
- 3
Why does Jane resist asking direct questions about Rochester at the inn, and what does this reveal about hope and fear?
Critical Thinking Exercise
Analyze the contrast between St. John's note and Jane's internal response. Examine the language each uses about duty, spirituality, and moral strength. What different worldviews do they represent?
Coming Up Next...
Chapter 37: The Reunion at Ferndean
The coming pages reveal uses gothic setting to mirror character psychology and create dramatic tension, and teach us the symbolic significance of rochester's physical transformation and its connection to moral redemption. These discoveries help us navigate similar situations in our own lives.