Chapter three

Jane recovers from her fainting spell, or fit, at the end of the last chapter. She tries to explain to Mr. Lloyd, the doctor, why she is so miserable.

Themes

Yet again, the theme of isolation is touched upon; in the ballad Bessie sings about the orphan child, (I love this bit). Religion is also brought into the equation, both with the idea that god is protecting the orphan child, and also where Jane says, “…I ought to forgive you, for you knew not what you did”, which is a reference to Luke 23:34, where Jesus says, “father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”

Characters

• Mr. Lloyd is the apothecary (doctor), who comes to visit Jane to ensure she is well. He is puzzled to find that Jane is not happy where she is, and suggests school is the answer. Jane seems to feel she can confide in him, and unburdens all her sorrows onto him.

Motifs

Books are starting to crop up a lot in the novel, and they may be a symbol of Jane’s escape to other worlds, and how this can affect her real life, and vice versa. Another slight motif that may be significant is fire, as it comes up in important scenes in many times in Jane’s life.

Places

We are again in the main part of the Reeds house, although no description is offered.

Narrative voice

At this moment in time Jane seems to switch between her older and younger self, as she speaks directly to us (or rather the late Mrs. Reed), coming out of character, as it were. The voice as a child has a bored tone to it, demonstrated in the descriptions of the books Jane usually enjoys. It is again very negative.

Words and phrases I liked

I liked the ballad sung by Bessie, about the way God watches over and protects the lonely child. I won’t copy it all out, for that would take forever!

Response

don’t know about what other people think, but I found Mr. Lloyd to be slightly patronizing, or this may only be because Jane sounds and acts older than she actually is (by the way, actually how old is Jane?).