- Jane is scared to death of Grace Poole. Why has not made a bigger stink? Is she so in control of her actions that she has set her concerns--even those most dire--by the wayside for the sake of or by trust in her boss?
- The situation in the room next door to Mrs. Poole on one side and the howling, groaning canine thing on the other and with the injured man, locked in, the paintings, and the dying candle is a perfect storm for phantoms. How does Jane hold up?
- Crime versus Error; Sin versus Transgression
- "Is the wandering and sinful, but now rest-seeking and repentant man justified in daring the world's opinion, in order to attach to him forever this gentle, gracious, genial stranger; thereby securing his own peace of mind and regeneration of life?"
- What does Mr.R mean by "instrument," and what does he intend when he says he believes to have found the instrument for his cure?
- Poor Jane! Cane anything but heartache come?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Jane Eyre XX -- chapter 20: A PEEK AT THE SKELETON
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1. I think that we all know that something is up with Grace and Mr. Rochester. And we also know that she really doesn't want to get on the wrong side of Mr. Rochester because his company is about all that she values at the mansion at this point.
ReplyDelete2. Fairly well, I think. She's a lot braver than I imagine the average woman at the time was.
3. I get the feeling that whatever this is will turn out to be fairly appalling. Whenever you have to keep reminding the listener that it wasn't against the law, well...
4. Is he repentant? Has he ever actually confessed to himself, let alone anyone else, the crime? He keeps saying that it was a mistake, but somehow ok. I think that he's trying to repent without the hardest part, confession, and I'm not sure that it works.
5. Jane, I think, but it's so hard to tell how.
6. I'm reminded of Dr. Seuss in "How the Grinch Stole Christmas": "Somehow or other, it came just the same." This feels like a story in which we know how it's going to end; we just don't know how. Maybe you disagree, but I can't see any way for this to end except in their against-the-odds union. Plenty of heartache before, but there's still a lot of story left for the situation to improve.
6 -- yes.
ReplyDelete4 -- This is the most interesting part of the book so far for me. And what human folly it is to believe repentance is necessary and go about it so, as they say, bass-akwards.
1 -- I am very eager to learn more about Grace Poole.