Chapter 6

Jane wakes up to a miserably cold morning on her second day at boarding school. Breakfast is scarce, and the wash water is frozen. In class, she observes Helen working hard and answering many questions, whereas Jane finds the lessons quite overwhelming. Jane realizes that Miss. Scatcherd goes out of her way to humiliate Helen. Jane shares with Helen that she would never tolerate such injustice. Helen responds that she suffers through these incidents of injustice as it assures a sweet afterlife in heaven.

Chapter 7

The conditions in Lowood remain abysmal, and the girls are often starved and insufficiently clothed for the weather. Moved by this, Jane sometimes gives away her food to girls who need it more than she does. Out of the blue Mr. Brocklehurst visits the school and reemphasizes his philosophy of tough schooling. Miss Temple is furious because she deems this as unkind and has been bending the rules for the school to be more humane. Mr. Brocklehurst commands that a red-haired girl’s locks be cut in the name of modesty.

Jane is afraid that the headmaster will remember Mrs. Reed’s lies about Jane. In her worry, she accidentally drops her chalk slate. As punishment, Mr. Brocklehurst makes her stand on a high stool and asks everybody else to avoid the deceitful Jane. Helen’s smiles reassures Jane that all is not lost.

Chapter 8

Jane is moved to tears thinking that everybody would hate her. Helen reassures her that the other girls and the staff only pity her and do not hate her. Further, she promises to be Jane’s friend even if everybody else avoids Jane. Helen and Jane are taken to her office by Miss. Temple and treated to cake and tea. Jane relates her true life story to Miss. Temple and pleads innocence. Miss. Temple and Helen discuss knowledgeable matters, which holds Jane in awe. The two women look aglow with purity and intelligence.

Miss. Temple promises to probe this matter with Mr. Lloyd to learn the truth about Jane’s character. Mr. Lloyd writes back saying Jane is not a liar. Miss. Temple is happy to announce to the school that Jane is not guilty of the charges levied by Mr. Brocklehurst. A reassured Jane returns to her studies and excels in French and drawing. She begins to enjoy her time at Lowood school.

Chapter 9

In the spring, many girls are sent back home on account of a typhus epidemic that breaks out and believed to be due to dampness in the school grounds. Some girls even die due to the sickness. Meanwhile, Jane is advised to spend more time outdoors for better health, and she finds herself drawn by the flowers and the beauty of the season. Even so, Jane contemplates death for the first time.

Jane learns that Helen is fatally ill due to consumption and is quarantining in Miss. Temple’s office. One night, Jane sneaks in to meet Helen, and Helen shares that she is not afraid of death as she will be taken to heaven, away from worldly sorrows and suffering. The girls fall asleep in each other’s arms, and Helen is found to have died the next morning. Helen is buried in an unnamed grave, but fifteen years later there is an engraving in Latin on the tombstone suggesting a return from death.

Chapter 10

Mr. Brocklehurst’s poor management of the school is revealed due to the epidemic and the subsequent deaths. New management is arranged to improve the school structure. In the next eight years, Jane excels in her studies and graduates first in her class. She becomes a teacher at Lowood. She begins to desire a change and “a new servitude” when Miss. Temple gets married and leaves the school. Jane posts a newspaper advertisement looking to be hired as a tutor. She receives a response from Mrs. Fairfax and is promised employment at the Thornfield manor.

Bessie surprises Jane with a visit and updates her with news from the Reed household. She shares that John Reed is spoiled and reckless. He creates constant trouble for his mother. Georgiana Reed had attempted to run away with a wealthy man, but her plan was exposed by the jealous Eliza Reed. Bessie notes that Jane is much more accomplished than any of her cousins. Bessie also informs her that the Eyres, Jane’s family, are poor but dignified. She also tells that her uncle John Eyre had visited Gateshead Hall looking for her, but could not find her there and that he did not have time to visit her at Lowood. He was in a hurry to leave for the island of Madeira on business.

Analysis of Chapter 6 – Chapter 10

Lowood’s excessively disciplinarian approach to education results in neglect and poor maintenance of the school premises. When Mr. Brocklehurst inspects the school, he equates morality with propriety: in one instance, he even states that curled red hair is immoral. He also suggests that even minor accidents by nervous students should be met with strict punishment. Even as he hands out these tough measures, it is only after the epidemic of typhus which results in the death of some of the students, that he loses the right to manage Lowood. Through this narrative, Bronte, who had lost two sisters early on in life to a similar illness shows the reader the reality of the education system of Victorian England.

It is the characters of Helen and Miss Temple that make the school bearable for Jane. Jane is grateful to the kindness of Miss. Temple who helps her clean her name from untrue allegations levied by Mrs. Reed and Mr. Brocklehurst. She also takes special interest in Helen and Jane. Helen promises Jane to be by her side even if the rest of the school fails to be courteous. In an admirable instance of friendship, Jane sneaks in to give Helen company when the latter is fatally sick. It is in the shadow of this warm embrace of friendship that Helen passes away.

Helen is also a symbol of the angelic young girl with strong faith in religion. Her propensity for tolerating suffering comes from the Christian faith; she believes that one can enjoy bliss in the afterlife if one tolerates the world’s suffering. This belief guides her in her last days, too. The engravings on her tombstone give Helen a Christ-like quality. The sisterhood between Jane, Helen, and Miss. Temple is also reflective of Jane’s craving for connection, something that she couldn’t find due in the Reed family to her status as an orphan.

Springtime is used as a metaphor for rebirth. Even though Jane loses Helen, her path toward emerging as an intelligent and capable woman is paved by this symbolism. Jane grows up to make all her well-wishers proud. Bessie’s visit is also a reminder that the coddling of children often leads to no good and money cannot be equated with virtuosity. Jane, even though she grew up in difficult circumstances, is a capable and virtuous young woman who has accomplished much more than her wealthy cousins. Her advertisement to serve as a tutor in another household is proof of her self-confidence and strong will. She is ready to be at the helm of her own life.