Vocabulary in Jane Eyre

A condition of total dependence and submission to another person, like a servant bound to a master. Here it describes the household servants and dependants who owed loyalty to Mrs. Reed.

Inclined or ready to think or act in a particular way, often because of existing feelings or prejudice.

Deliberately misleading others by lying or hiding the truth. Jane uses it to insist she speaks honestly, even when honesty is harsh.

Not fair or right; treating people in ways they do not deserve. Used here to argue that cruelty and unfairness should not go unchallenged.

To change one's behaviour or character. Helen argues that wrongdoers only improve when they feel some fear of consequences.

Breathed or cried out with desperate urgency. Jane uses it figuratively to show how intensely and painfully she longed for freedom.

To root out and destroy something completely, as one would pull up a weed by its roots. Jane tried to tear every trace of love for Rochester out of her heart.

Worked hard and with great effort at something. It is the past tense of 'work' in an older, more intense sense.

The earliest, smallest beginnings of something, like seeds before they sprout. Here it means the first tiny stirrings of love, not bacteria or illness.

A person's mental and practical powers and abilities. Jane argues that women's minds and talents need to be exercised and challenged, just as men's do.

The right or claim to rank above others and give them orders. Jane challenges Rochester's assumption that age and experience alone give him authority over her.

Worn out and made cynical by too many disappointing or painful experiences. Rochester's betrayal by Céline left him unable to trust or feel enthusiasm for love.

Motivated entirely by money or personal gain rather than genuine feeling. Céline's betrayal was mercenary because she used Rochester only for what she could get from him.

Relating to marriage and the relationship between husband and wife. Rochester uses it bitterly to describe the only kind of embrace the law allows him with Bertha.

Catches and traps someone as if in a snare or net, taking away their freedom. Jane insists no person or circumstance can trap her against her will.

Comfort and relief from pain, grief, or loneliness. Rochester claims he sought emotional comfort in his mistresses during his unhappy marriage.

A single precious and beloved possession or person, taken from the biblical parable of a poor man's only sheep. Rochester uses it to describe how dear Jane is to him.

The inner organs of the body, especially those essential to life. Used here to describe a crushing emotional pain so intense it feels like a physical grip on the body.

A severely painful or difficult experience that tests a person to their limits. Jane uses it for the agonising moment she forces herself to leave Rochester.

A settlement smaller than a village, with very few houses and no church or market of its own.

Feeling utterly alone, abandoned, and without hope or comfort. Jane feels this way after accepting a position she considers beneath her social standing.

Lowered in rank, dignity, or self-respect. Jane feels she has stepped down to a lesser position in society by taking the village schoolmistress role.

The state of lacking basic necessities and comforts, living in hardship and want. Jane had hoped to avoid great suffering by accepting a life of quiet, steady deprivation.

A mechanical device that moves on its own, like a robot; a being with no feelings or independent thought. Jane uses it to reject the idea that she can simply switch off her emotions.

A tiny portion of food, or more broadly a very small amount of something precious. Jane uses it to mean the small share of love and belonging she has been given.

An older form of 'blessed,' meaning deeply happy and fortunate in a way that feels like a gift. Jane uses it to describe a joy so complete that ordinary words cannot contain it.