Gothic Elements in 'Jane Eyre' (chapters 1-21)

Part of what makes a story ‘gothic’ are the medieval like settings. Jane Eyre comes across many of these on her journey. The most notable is her current home, Thornfield. Essentially, Thornfield is a big castle with almost no inhabitants. It is set far from the nearest town, almost in the middle of nowhere. Then there is the Lowood School. It is an orphanage and a schooling facility. It it full of very religious nuns and nearly one hundred young girls. Quite a few of it’s inhabitants died of typhus. All of which is incredibly creepy.

Another detail of a gothic story are supernatural events. Jane has unfortunately witnessed some of these happenings. It started when she was a young girl. She was locked in the Red Room well into the night. While she was in there she saw a bright light which she swore was a ghost. She experienced ghosts again in Thornfield. When she heard the loud, high pitched laugh that sent shivers down her spine. This turns out to be Grace Poole, another of Rochester’s employees. When she goes into town to mail Mrs. Fairfax’ letter, she sees Mr. Rochester’s dog, Pilot, for the first time. She hides in the brush because she thinks it is a monster patrolling an abandoned road for it’s next victim. There was also the time the ‘Gipsy’ came to Thornfield. The other girls were amazed that she new so much about them. When Jane went in, she played along and also wondered how the gipsy knew so much. Later we find out that the gipsy is just Mr. Rochester in disguise.

Gothic stories also have many mysterious characters. The first character that comes to mind is Grace Poole. She tends to keep to herself in her room and doesn’t even come out for meals. She was allegedly the one who tried to kill Mr. Rochester. She is still employed and still living at Thornfield. The other staff is also mysterious. They know something that Jane doesn’t. They know all about Grace Poole and won’t directly answer Jane’s questions. They also whisper about ‘if she knows’ referring to Jane. Also, during the party, a man came by and claimed that he was a friend of Rochester’s. No one knows much about him. They know his name is Mason and he comes from a warm climate but everything else is a mystery.