Powr Or Vrsv
ln literature, point of view indicates the
Study of Sky and lrees, Detail, iohrr Constable. Art
Resource
Rr,tnwc Focts
' Eyre, think about the following:
A wrter's
style is reflected in his or her choice of
words, mood, and tone. For example, a
writer may use a clear point-by-point
style to argue a political position or a
great deal of description to convey a
sense of place in a travelogue. As you
read Charlotte Bront's writing, think
about her style. How does it suit the
people and places she is writing about?
Look at her choice of words and how it
helps her bring the characters to life.
370 Unit 4
way in which a story is presented. Basi-
cally, a story can be presented from
either a first-person or third-person
point of view. lf the person telling the
story is also one of the characters in that
story, it is being told in the first person.
lf the storyteller is someone who is
not in the story, it is being told in the
third person. Third person narrators
can be of two types. The limited third
person is restricted to the feelings,
awareness, and thoughts of only one
character- usually the main character.
On the other hand, an omniscient, or
all-knowing, third person narrator has
access to what is happening in the minds
of all the characters. He or she is not re-
stricted in terms of character or setting.
As you read this passage from Jane
1. From what point of view is the story
told?
2. How does this affect the way in
which you learn about the story?
Briefly describe something happening
around you now from both the first-
person and the third-person points
of view.
 from
JANH HYRH
ADAPTED
T1r"r" was no possibility of taking a manner-something lightea franker,
walk that day. We had been wandering in
the leafless shrubbery an hour in the
morning; but since dinner, the cold n-inter
wind had brought with it clor-rds so
sombeq, and a rain so penetrating, that hlr-
ther outdoor exercise was no\,r. out of the
question.
I was glad of it. I never liked long
walks, especially on chilly afternoons. It
was dreadful to me to come home in the
raw twilight, with nipped fingers and
toes, and a heart saddened by the scold-
irgr of Bessie, the nurse, and humbled by
the consciousness of my physical inferi-
ority toEIiza, John and Georgiana Reed.
Eliza,Iohn and Georgiana were now
clustered round their mama in the draw-
ing room. She lay on a sofa by the fireside
and with her darlings about her (for the
time neither quarreling nor crying)
looked perfectly huppy. Me, she had
excluded from the group. She said she
regretted it was necessary to keep me at a
distance, but that until she thought I was
trying to be more sociable and childlike,
with a more attractive and sprightly
forbidding (fur BID ing) shocking; terrible
moreen (muh REEN) a heavy wool or cotton fabric
by Charlotte Bronti)
more natural-she really must exclude me
from privileges intended only for con-
tented, huppy little children.
"What does Bessie say I have done?" I
asked.
"Jane, I don't like complainers or
questioners; besides, there is something
truly forbidding in a child talking to her
elders in that manner. Be seated some-
r,r'here; and until you can speak pleas-
?ntl1z, remain silent."
A small breakfast room adjoined the
drawing room. I slipped in there. It con-
tained a bookcase; I chose a book, one full
of pictures. I sat down on the window
seat; gathering up my feet, I sat cross-
legged, like a Turk. Having drawn the red
moreen curtain nearly closed, I was
almost hidden.
Folds of scarlet drapery were my view
on the right; to the left were clear panes of
glass, protecting, but not separating me
from the drear November day. At inter-
vals, while turning over the leaves of rny
book, I studied that winter afternoon.
Afar, it offered a pale blank of mist and
frottt | ttc Eur 3;1
cloud; near, a scene of wet lawn and
storm-beat shrub, with ceaseless rain
srveeping away wildly before long and
lamentable blasts of wind.
I refurned to my book, Beruick's History
of BritishBirds.I cared little for the letter-
press, generally speaking; and yet there
were certain pages that, child as I was, I
could not quite pass. They were those
which tel1 of the haunts of seafowl: of "the
solitary rocks and promontories" only
inhabited by them; of the coast of Norway,
studded with islands from the Lindeness,
or Naze, to the North Cape.
Nor could I pass the illustration of the
bleak shores of Lapland, Siberia, Spitz-
bergen, Nova Zembla, Iceland, Green-
land,' with "the vast sweep of the Arctic
Zone, and those forlorn regions of dreary
space-that reservoir of frost and snow,
where firm fields of ice, the accumulation
of centuries of winters, glazed in Alpine
heights above heights, surround the pole,
and concenter the multiplied rigors of ex-
treme cold."
About these death-white realms I
formed an idea of my own: shadowy, like
all the half-comprehended notions that
float dim through children's brains, but
strangely impressive. The words in these
pages connected themseh,'es with the pic-
tures, and gave significance to the rock
letterpress (LET er pres) print; printed words
concenter (kun SEN tur) to come together at a common center point
girdled (GUR duld) surrounded; encircled
eventide (EE vun tyd) evening
becalmed (bih KAHMD) still; calm
torpid (TAWR pid) temporarily without motion
crimped (KRIMPT) pressed into narrow, regular folds
'Lapland . . . Greenland: countries and regions in the most northern parts of the world
372 Unit 4
standing up alone in a sea of billow and
spray; to the broken boat stranded on a
desolate coast; to the cold and ghastlr-
moon glancing through bars of cloud at a
wreck just sinking.
I cannot tell what sentiment hauntec-l
the quiet solitary churchyard, with its
inscribed headstone, its gate, its ttt'o
trees, its low horizon, girdled by ubroken
wall, and its newly risen moon, signalin.e
the hour of eventide.
The two ships becalmed on a torpicl
sea, I believed to be marine phantoms.
The fiend pinning down the thief's
pack behind him, I passed over quickly: ii
was an object of terror.
So was the black, horned thing seatecl
aloof on a rock, surveying a distanl
crowd surrounding a gallows.
Each picture told a story; mysterious
often to my undeveloped understanding
and young feelings, yet profoundly inter-
esting-as interesting as the tales Bessie,
the maid, sometimes narrated on winter
evenings, when she was in a good hr,r-
mor. She would bring her ironing table tr.
the nursery hearth, and allowed us to sr:
by tt; and while she got up Mrs. Reed .
lace frills and crimped her nightcap bor-
ders, fed our eager attention with pas-
sages of love and adventure taken fror:-
old fairy tales and older ballads.
 With Bewick on my knee, I was then
happy; huppy at least in my way. I feared
nothing but interruption, and that came
too soon. The breakfast room door
opened.
"Bah! Madame Mope!" cried the voice
of ]ohn Reed. Then he paused: he found
the room apparently empty.
"Where the dickens is she?" he con-
tinued. "Lzzyr. Georgy!" calling to his
sisters. "Jane is not here. Tell mama she
has run out into the rain-bad animal!"
"It is well I drew the ctJrtair:.,"
thought I, and I wished fervently that he
might not discover my hiding place; nor
would Iohn Reed have found it out him-
self: he was not very bright, but Eliza just
put her head in at the door, and said at
once:
"She is in the window seat, to be
sure, ]ack."
And I came out immediately, for I
trembled at the idea of being dragged out
by ]ack.
"\Mhat do you wantt?" I asked, with
awkward diffidence.
"Saf, 'What do you want, Master
Reed?' " was the answeL "I want you to
come here," and seating himself in an
armchair, he gestured that I was to stand
before him.
Iohn Reed was a schoolboy of fourteen
years old; four years older than I, for I was
but ten. He was large and stout for his
d1e, with a dingy and unwholesome
skin; thick features in a wide face, heavy
limbs and large hands and feet.
bilous (BlL yus) bad-tempered; cross; nasty
sallowness (SAL oh nis) a sickly, pale-yellow complexion
habitually (huh BICH oo ul ee) by habit; regularly; customarily
374 =',: Unit 4
He gorged himself habitually at
meals, which made him bilious, and gave
him a dim eye and flabby cheeks. He
ought to have been at school; but his
mama had taken him home for a month
or two, " on account of his delicate
health."
Mr. Miles, the schoolmaster, said Iohn
would do very well if he had fewer cakes
and sweets sent to him from home; but
the mother's heart rejected an opinion so
harsh, and she thought rather that
john's sallowness was owing to over-
work, and, perhaps, to homesickness.
Iohn had not much affection for his
mother and sisters, and a hatred of me. He
bullied and punished me; not two or
three times in the week, nor once or
twice in the day, but continually. Everr'
nerve I had feared him, and every morsel
of flesh on my bones shrank when he
came near. There were moments when I
was bewildered by the terror he inspired,
because I had no defense whatever
against either his menaces or his punish-
ment. The servants did not like to offencl
their young master by taking my side
against him, and Mrs. Reed was blincl
and deaf on the subject; she never sa\\-
him strike or heard him abuse me,
though he did both in her very presence;
more frequently, however, behind her
back.
Habitually obedient to lohn, I came
up to his chair. He spent some three min-
utes in thrusting his tongue at me as far
as he could. I knew he would soon strike,
Study of Sky and lreet John Constable. Art Resource

and while dreading the blows, I mused on concern was holt, to enclttre the blrrrr-
his disgusting and ugly appearance. I which would certainlv follotr- tl-re instrlt.
wonder if he read that notion in my face; "\Alhat \\'ere t'ott doilg bel-Linrl the ctu-
for, all at once, r,r'ithout speaking, he tain?" he asked.
struck suddenlv and strongh,.. I tottered, "I\r-as rear-ling. "
and on regaining n1). balance mor-ed "Siroir- the botrk. "
back a step or tlt'o from l-ris chair. I rettrrrretl tt'' the r., ir1-{rrr- arrrl fetcherl
"That is for vour impuclerrce irr hg lrrrk,
answering malxa before," saicl he, "arrt-l "\r-rr-r irar e ntr L-'r-tsiuess to take ollr
for your sneaking \\'a\- of gettirrg L.ehincl L.ot ks; \'rrll crr' c-r tlerg11-lgttt, tttama says;
curtains and for the look r-ou had in r our \ rrlr ha\' r-rt-r lnoile\-; \-oltr father left you
eyes two minutes ?go, r'ou ratl" rlrrlre; 1111 rlrght to b.g, and not to live
Accustomed to John Reecl's abuse, I here rvitl-r gerrtlemeu's children like us,
never had an idea of replving to it; m)' and eat the same meals we do, and wear

tottered (TOT urd) staggered; was unsteady, as if about to fall

from lane Eyre 375

clothes at our mama's expense. Now, I'11
teach you to rummage my bookshelves,
for they are rnine-all the house belongs
to me, or will in a few years. Go and
stand by the door, out of the way of the
mirror and the windows."
I did so, not at first aware of his in-
tention, but when I saw him lift the book
and stand, about to throw it, I instinc-
tively jumped aside with a $y of alarm.
Not soon enough, however, the volume
was flun g, it hit me, and I fell, striking
my head against the door and cutting it.
The cut bled, the pain was sharp, but my
terror \\'as o\er.
"Wicked and cruelboy!" I said. "You
are like a murderer, you are like a slave
driver, you are like the Roman em-
perors!"
I had read Goldsmith's History tf
Rottrc, and had formed my opinion of
Nero, Caligula, etc. Also I had made
comparisons in silence, which I never
intended to declare aloud.
"What! What!" he cried. "Did you say
that to me? Did you hear her, EIiza and
Nero, Caligula (NlR oh, cuh LIG yuh luh) Roman emperors
borne (BAWRN) carried
376 W Unit 4
Won't I tell mama? but first
l::ltt""a?
He ran headlong at me. I felt him
grasp my hair and my shoulder, but he
had made me desperate. I really saw in
him a tyrant, a murderer. I felt a drop or
two of blood from my head trickle down
my neck, and felt the pain sharply. This
made me unafraid, and I fought him
fiercely. I don't very well know what I did
with my hands, but he called me "ratt.
rat!" and bellowed out loud. Aid was near
him: Ehza and Georgiana had run for Mrs.
Reed, who had gone upstairs. She norn
came upon the scene, followed by Bessie
and her maid Abbot. We were parted: I
heard the words:
"Deart dear! What a fury to fly at Mas-
ter ]ohn!"
"Did ever anybody see such a picture
of passion?"
Then Mrs. Reed commanded:
"Tke her away to the red room, and
lock her in there." Four hands were im-
mediately laid upon me, and I was borne
upstairs.
AurFroR BtocRAPHY
Charlotte Bront (r8r8-r85s
Charlotte Bront began her writing career
at an early age, and by twelve, she \,r'as
r,vriting dramas, stories and critic'r1
reviews. Though her experiences in life
\vere rather limited, her colorful, r'ii-id
imagination made up for r,r'hat she lacked
in experience, accomplishment, arrcl age.
Her family moved to Han'orth, York-
shire, when she was fonr vears old, .rncl
Bront lived there for the rest of her life
n'ith her sisters, Emilt' and Auue and her
Lrrother, Branwell. Anne and Emily also
n rote, and at one tirne the three sisters
joined together to publish a poetry book
r-rsing the names Cltrrer, Ellis and Acton
Bell to hide their true identities. By 1846,
the sisters had each completed a novel.
Two themes run througl-r Bront's
rvork, themes which she started to de-
velop in her adolescence and r,r'hich
remained consistent throughout her adult
rvriting; rival brothers and the orptran girl.
The orphan girl, alone irt .t 1':.:.-= : --
.rnd sttffering from urrrerltlirr.r . -- .r' .-
have been based in part on Br'- r-,: : '
experiences as a goverlress .,r-: : .,' .-
r-tnrequited love she had for e ir-. - -:. ,' ,.
boarding school she attencleti .:' r.'-.-- .
She began to develop the tir.::-- , . ' -
orphan girl in her adolescent Si. r'.:: .',' --
continued them into her arltrlt r' . -- -: : - -
most famous being lntrc Evt',' ',' --.-- - .-:
pr-rblishe d in 1847 .
After Jnne Eyre, she pulrlisi'..r -i
in 7819 and Villette in 1Ell. . :
considered by many to be Brt r'.:- : .r' .':-
terpiece and is also one of the {r'c-: . , - ,
rian novels. It is also based ott tit. =: -
an orphan girl who lives iu Bni:s=-: .',-.-
suffers from unrequited ior-e.
Between 1,848-49, Emilr, -\:-,-- - . ' --
Branwell died, leaving Chariotte; .':-= ..'
1854 she married and n'as ha.'pr ::':- .'
very short time. A year later sire .i:e j
Painttrtg a'--.' --
- : - l-. -..: -: -- ' :
='. ' - '. 1, -
- ':
the r' lro:"= : .- ..: . -. -
Lonctorr
Autltor Biogrttltu 3::
Recall
1. Why is Jane staying with the Reeds?
2. How old are Jane and John at the
time of the story?
3. What violent act does John commit
against Jane?
Infer
4. What seems to be Jane's favorite
hobby? Discuss the reasons for this.
5. How does Jane feel toward John and
why?
6. Why does Mrs. Reed treat Jane dif-
ferently from the other children?
7. Whose hands carried Jane away at
the end of the story? Explain why you
think this.
Apply
8. What is your opinion of Jane? Was
she a bad child? Dd she deserve to
treated as she was? Explain.
9. Predct what will happen to Jane after
she is carried from the room.
10. lmagine yourself in Jane's situation.
How would you feel? Explain.
Respond to Literature
The author seems to be criticizing certain
aspects of middle class Victorian society.
What do you think they are?
378 ffi Unit 4
What you have read is an excerpt, or part
of a much longer story. There is much that
has not been presented here, in terms of
the events that follow this passage.
The story is told from Jane Eyre's point
of view. Each character in a story might
think, feel, and react differently, and for
different reasons. Pick another character
in the story. Summarize the story from
that character's point of view.
Prewriting Begin by making three
columns. In the first, outline the main
events in the story using Roman numerals
and capital letters to designate major and
related minor topics. ln the second col-
umn, record what Jane thought, felt, and
experienced n relation to each event,
Then select another character in the story.
What do you think that character's per-
ception of and reaction to these same
events might be? Write your ideas about
these in the third column.
be
Writing You have outlined the main
events in the story and how they can be
seen from two different points of view,
You are now prepared to write your sum-
mary, as seen through the eyes of another
character.
Revising lf you wrote your summary in
the first person, rewrite it in the limited
third person, and vice versa.
Proofreading Review each of yo-'
summaries. Make sure that all punctu;-
tion marks are correctly placed.
I'T"FI,IN'K.ABOUT.P.'OIN,T $fl',,.' . D.EVELOP YOUR VOCABUIARY,.

A story can be presented from first- or Personal pronouns are words that can
third-person point of view. The first-per- take the place of nouns-in this case, the
son point of view is presented by the nar- names of persons. The form of the pro-
ratoL one of the characters in the story. noun to be used depends on two factors,
The third-person point of view is some- person and usage.
one outside the story. A third-person nar- First person refers to the speaker;
rator might know everything about each second person refers to the person being
character (omniscient), or he or she can spoken to; third person refers to another
be limited to that which is seen, known, person.
and felt by just one character.
Examples: I am happy.
A story told through a limited third-
You are happy,
person point of view has much in com-
5he is happy,
mon with one told through the first-per-
Usage indicates whether the pronoun
son point of view. ln both cases, the
is being used as a subject or an object in a
reader only sees events through the eyes
sentence.
and mind of one character.
Subject
1. From what point of view is this
Person Singular Plural
excerpt from Jane Eyre written? How
can you tell? First I WC

2. ln what ways do you think the Second you you

demands of the plot might determine
Third he, she they
whether an author presents a story in
the first or third person? Object
3. Do you think your perception of
Person Singular PIural
Jane's situation might have been dif- First me us
ferent if the story had been told from
a different point of view? Explain. Second you you
Third him, her them
Rz,enn'rc Focus Choose a paragraph from the Jane
Eveluate the Writ*r's Styl* How does Eyre selection. Revise the paragraph so
Bront's use of words, mood, and tone that it is written from the point of view
help to convey the urgency of young of John Reed. Change only the proper
Jane's experience? names and pronouns accordingly.

Reoiew the Selection v,":i 379