Chapter 20

People:

• Mr. Rochester
• Jane Eyre
• Mr. Mason
• Grace Poole
• Doctor Carter

1. What is shown about Mr. Rochester's character as he quickly covers up the incident that took place?

• Rochester's reaction to the event shows that he is used to having to act in a secretive manner. He was also able to easily lie and deceive his guest which leads to the question of who else he can be deceiving. This incident also brings into the light that Rochester is most definitely hiding something monstrous on the third floor as Mason seemed to be badly injured.
• He does not want there to be gossip.  I think he is trying to not taint his image as a popular person. He does not want his guests to fear his household. (Nicole)

2. Why does Jane respond to Mr. Rochester's requests without fully understanding the situation?

• Jane is entirely obedient of her master and secret love, Rochester. Rochester knows this and uses it to his advantage by asking her to assist him. Also, Jane is eager to find out the secret behind the third story and why Grace Poole seems to be involved in every strange event that takes place at Thornfield.
• Jane trusts Mr. Rochester.  Jane blindly follows him, because she thinks highly of him.  As part of his household, she has not been mistreated like she was in Lowood and Gateshead.  She finds Thornfield pleasant.  I think her treatment at Thornfield makes her willing to serve the person that is responsible for it. (Nicole)

.Places:

• bedroom
• third story
• gallery
• room behind a tapestry
• room besides Grace’s room
• side passage door
• outside

1. What do you think is behind the tapestry on the third floor?

• I believe there is a sort of mystery behind it.  Something is hidden there.  It is a secret of Mr. Rochester.  It has something to do with Mr. Mason.

1. Why do you think Mr. Rochester wants Mr. Mason out of the house quickly and quietly?

• I think it is because Mr. Mason knows a secret of Mr. Rochester.  He does not want to make his guests suspicious of him. 

Summary:

• In the middle of the night, Jane hears a a cry that rings through Thornfield. A voice cries for help and calls out for Mr. Rochester from the third floor. Rochester tries to calm down his guests and tells everyone to return back to their rooms. Jane returns but decides to wait rather than go back to sleep. Later on, Rochester appears in Jane's room and asks her to come with him. He takes her up to the third floor but then sends her back to get a sponge and "volatile salts". When Jane returns, Rochester then leads her to a room where Mr. Mason is sitting on a chair with a bloody arm and a "pale and seemingly lifeless face". Rochester then proceeds to put the "smelling bottle" to Mason's nose and cleans up his blood with the sponge. He then leaves Jane to take care of Mason and goes off. After about what "could not have lasted more than two hours", Rochester comes back with a surgeon named Carter for Mason. As Jane listens to the two, she notices that they are talking about a "she" (probably thinking it is Grace Poole that they are talking about). Mason then goes on to explain that "she" had bitten him and had almost stabbed him before Rochester came through the door. After a while, Mason is taken downstairs into a carriage where he goes away with Carter. Rochester and Jane are left outside of Thornfield and decide to take a walk where Rochester gives Jane a rose and talk about the events that had occurred that night. She asks him about Grace Poole and tells him that she thinks she is not a safe person to have at Thornfield. He proceeds to tell her that Mason poses a threat to him but Jane begs to differ. The two then come to a bench where they sit and Rochester tells Jane to imagine a boy, obviously talking about himself and the situation he is in.  While Carter tends to Mason, he tells them that "she sucked the blood: she said she'd drain my heart". At this moment in the novel, Jane and the reader assume that Rochester and Mason are talking about Grace Poole. In a literal sense, this girl that had attacked Mason (whether it be Grace Poole or not) is vampire, trying to suck Mason's blood. But assuming that it is Grace Poole, she is also a vampire for Mr. Rochester in the sense that she is this mysterious being that lives at his house, gets paid more than the others, and is apparently not a servant. Not only does she leech off of Rochester but she also acts as a vampire in that he must constantly worry about and take responsibility for whatever actions that take place. Also, it is apparent that the thought of it bothers him and he cannot bear to reveal what exactly it is.

Personal Reactions:

1. Mason Says "She sucked the blood: She said she'd drain my heart" about Grace Poole's quick decision to aid him, does this event show more about her character or add more to her mystery?
• Grace Poole's presence during the incident established more of a sense of mystery to her character. However, it seems to be that she is being helpful towards Mason and the others rather than being vindictive.  (Gloria)
2. As a reader we start to see Rochester's Keenness for Jane's safety, do you believe that all the events that have happened at Thornfield created a bond?
• Yes I think all of the incidents bring a sense of closeness to the couple. Although they are brought together through this, it also arises more suspicion as to what Rochester's past contains. (Gloria)

Vocabulary:

• "some sobbed, some stumbled: the confusion was inextricable" Inextricable: impossible to disentangle or separate, impossible to escape.

• "and the two dowagers, in white vast wrappers" Dowagers: a widow with a title or property derived from her late husband.

• "According as the shifting obscurity and flickering gleam hovered here or glanced there" Obscurity: the state of being unknown, inconspicuous, unimportant.
• "I went; sought the repository he had mentioned" Repository: a place, building, or receptacle where things are or maybe stored.
• "warped his countenance almost to distortion; but he only said" Countenance: a person's face or facial expression.
• "You must open the middle drawer of my toilet-table and take out a little phial and a little glass you will find there-quick!" Phial: a smaller container, typically cylindrical and made of glass, used esp. for holding liquid medicine.
• "that the marble is sordid slate, and the polished woods mere refuse chips and scaly bark." Sordid: involving ignoble actions and motives;arousing moral distaste and contempt. 
• I cannot do it, because it is wrong; and would become immutable as a fixed star." Immutable: unchanging over time or unable to be changed.
• "I tell it you without parable, been worldly, dissipated, restless man." Parable: a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.
• "You have noticed my tender penchant for Miss Ingram; don't you think if I married her she would regenerate me with a vengeance?" Penchant: a strong or habitual liking for something or tendency to do something.

Chapter 20

• People: Gloria
• Places: Nicole
• Summary: Monica
• Personal Reaction: Rebecca
• Vocabulary: Ryan