Wuthering Heights & Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Brontë & Emily Brontë
Contents
Jane Eyre — CHAPTER XXXII
Overview
Jane prospers as a teacher and gains local favor while privately longing for Rochester. Rosamond’s visits expose St. John’s suppressed love, which Jane openly challenges. Though Mr. Oliver would approve the match, St. John renounces Rosamond for his missionary calling and departs after pocketing a mysterious paper slip from Jane’s desk.
Summary
Jane commits herself to teaching at the Morton village school, gradually discerning her pupils’ abilities and earning local esteem. Despite daytime contentment, she is haunted at night by vivid dreams of Mr. Rochester, waking to renew her resolve and resume steady work each morning.
Rosamond Oliver regularly visits the school, her presence visibly unsettling St. John Rivers despite his rigid reserve. Rosamond also calls at Jane’s cottage, where she discovers Jane’s languages and drawings and asks for a portrait. Jane begins a miniature of Rosamond and later visits Vale Hall, meeting Mr. Oliver, who praises Jane’s work and indicates he would not oppose a match between his daughter and St. John.
On a holiday, St. John brings Jane a book and notices the portrait. Perceiving his suppressed feeling, Jane deliberately draws him out, offering to paint him a copy and pressing the case for marriage, given Rosamond’s clear preference and her father’s approval.
St. John briefly indulges the vision of life with Rosamond before rejecting it as temptation. He confesses deep love yet insists Rosamond would not suit his austere vocation, reaffirming his calling to missionary work over personal happiness. He downplays his suffering, attributing his thinness to delays in his departure.
As he prepares to leave, St. John admires the portrait once more. Noticing something on Jane’s hand-rest paper, he examines it, gives Jane an unreadable, intent look, secretly tears off a narrow strip, slips it into his glove, curtly bids her good afternoon, and departs, leaving Jane puzzled by the cryptic act.
Who Appears
- Jane EyreNarrator and village schoolmistress; grows into her role, paints Rosamond, and urges St. John toward marriage.
- St. John RiversAustere clergyman; secretly loves Rosamond but rejects her for his missionary vocation; pockets a mysterious paper slip.
- Rosamond OliverWealthy heiress; visits the school and Jane’s cottage, sits for her portrait, clearly favors St. John.
- Mr. OliverRosamond’s affluent father; praises Jane’s work and would approve a marriage between Rosamond and St. John.