Chapter seventeen

Mr Rochester finally sends word of where abouts he is, and orders the servants to get ready for a huge party! When he and the guests arrive, Jane has her hands full keeping Adele out of the way of the Ladies, but soon she and Adele are invited down to join in the fun.



Themes



Love is a very strong theme in this chapter, as Jane is trying to suppress her love for Rochester, and failing quite badly. You can also see how Blanche is acting around Rochester, showing how courtship in those times usually happened, but it is slightly obvious that it is not working. Isolation is also a theme again, as Jane avoids the festivities, and it seems as though Rochester has forgotten her over the more beautiful Blanche Ingram, and Jane is alone again. This in turn leads to the theme of social status, as Jane feels she is not on the same social standing as the guests, and should not mix with them.



Characters



All the guests at the party are mentioned, and their features and characters described, but there is only one main character introduced.

• Blanche Ingram, although first described in chapter sixteen, is properly introduced here. She seems to wish to marry Mr Rochester, although not for love, but for money. She seems to have a rather opinionated, nasty character, although this may be due to the narrators dislike for her. She has a very low opinion of governesses, and seems to be quite bossy, demanding things and expecting them to be done

Motifs

The curtain that Jane hides behind in the drawing room, is red, and shows remarkable similarities to the curtain at Gateshead. At any rate, they're both not very good at hiding people, as Jane is quickly seen by Blanche, and has to listen as she is insulted in a very unsubtle way. The cloak Jane sees Blanche wearing when they first meet is also red, perhaps showing the trouble that she is going to cause, especially when you consider her effects of Jane and Rochester's relationship

Narrative Voice

The narrator seems to spend most of her time talking about Rochester or whats happening around him, which makes Jane's infatuation slightly obvious.

Response

I found some of the guests very irritating, in their manner and what they actually said. I don't think Charlotte Bronte has a very high opinion of that kind of person. I found Jane's constant watching of Rochester kind of creepy, i know she likes him and all, but how is he not noticing shes always studying his every movement.