Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë & Emily Brontë
Contents
CHAPTER XXXVI
Overview
Jane, stirred by a mysterious call, secretly departs Moor House and returns to Thornfield, only to find it a ruin. At an inn she learns Bertha set the fire and died, and that Rochester, gravely injured saving others, now lives blind and maimed at Ferndean. Jane immediately resolves to go to him.
Summary
At dawn, after St. John slips a note pressing for her final decision in a fortnight, Jane resolves to seek the truth behind the supernatural call she believes came from Mr. Rochester. She calmly informs Diana and Mary that she will travel alone for several days and departs for Whitcross.
Taking the coach toward Thornfield, Jane’s hope and dread intensify. Near Millcote she alights and walks the familiar fields, imagining a brief, healing glimpse of Rochester. But when she reaches the front view of Thornfield, she discovers a blackened ruin, silent and desolate.
Shocked, Jane returns to the inn and questions the host, a former Thornfield butler. He recounts that the Hall burned the previous autumn: Bertha Mason escaped confinement, set multiple fires, then leapt from the roof to her death. The governess had vanished months before; Rochester grew reclusive, dismissed his household, and shut himself away.
The host adds that during the fire Rochester saved the servants and tried to reach Bertha. As the house collapsed, he was crushed by debris, losing a hand and, eventually, the sight in both eyes. Now blind and broken, he lives at the remote Ferndean manor with only old John and his wife. Resolute, Jane orders a chaise to take her to Ferndean before nightfall.
Who Appears
- Jane EyreProtagonist; heeds a mysterious call, returns to Thornfield, finds it ruined, learns Rochester’s fate, and resolves to go to Ferndean.
- Inn host (former Thornfield butler)Informs Jane about the fire, Bertha’s death, and Rochester’s injuries and current residence at Ferndean.
- Edward RochesterAbsent but central; survived Thornfield’s fire, lost a hand and sight, now lives reclusively at Ferndean.
- Bertha Mason (Mrs. Rochester)Escapes confinement, sets Thornfield ablaze, and dies by leaping from the roof.
- St. John RiversLeaves Jane a note pressing for a definitive decision about marrying him for missionary work.
- Diana RiversConcerned cousin; notes Jane’s pallor and accepts her unexplained travel plans.
- Mary RiversCousin; questions Jane’s health and quietly respects her decision to travel.
- Mrs. PooleBertha’s keeper; her drinking allows Bertha access to keys, enabling the arson.
- Mrs. FairfaxFormer housekeeper; sent away with an annuity before the fire during Rochester’s reclusion.
- Adèle VarensRochester’s ward; placed at school when he isolated himself after Jane’s departure.
- Mr. CarterSurgeon who amputated Rochester’s crushed hand after the fire.
- Old JohnLongtime servant attending blind Rochester at Ferndean.