Chapter 16

Jane wakes up the next morning and hears that Rochester had slept with a candle close to the bed curtains, thereby causing the fire. They believe that Rochester saved himself by waking up just in time. Jane is taken by surprise when Grace Poole, whom Jane takes to be the culprit, calmly nods along. Grace Poole suggests that Jane had imagined the laughter, but should keep her bedroom locked for safety nonetheless. Jane is saddened when Rochester leaves to a nearby estate for a party attended by aristocrats, including the beautiful Blanche Ingram. Jane harshly reminds herself that she was foolish to even assume she had a chance with him. She makes a plain portrait of herself and a romanticized portrait of Blanche to remind herself of the seemingly insurmountable class divide between herself and Rochester.

Chapter 17

Mrs. Fairfax informs Jane that Rochester might leave for Europe for a year, which saddens Jane. Later, however, Mrs. Fairfax tells Jane that Rochester would be visiting Thornfield soon with a group of guests. Jane is curious about Grace Poole and keeps an eye on her. Her fascination increases when she overhears from other servants that Grace Poole is paid more than the others even though she is usually just upstairs.

Rochester’s party arrives, and Jane settles in a corner to observe them. Adele is dressed in a French attire and adored by the crowd. Blanche is strikingly beautiful, but taunts Jane indirectly by discussing all the terrible governesses Adele has had. She stays in Rochester’s vicinity and makes him sing a duet with her. Witnessing this, Jane realizes that she (Jane) is in love with Rochester. She sneaks away through the hallways crying. Rochester finds her in the hallway and demands that she attend the nightly parties till the guests are at Thornfield. He lets her go when he realizes that she is about to cry. He signs off by saying “Goodnight my,…” but doesn’t complete the sentence.

Chapter 18

Jane observes Blanche flirting with Rochester during the duration of her stay. Jane, however, notices that Rochester is not impressed by Blanche, but she believes that he would inevitably marry her for political or social reasons. Meanwhile, as Mr. Mason goes looking for Rochester, he runs into Jane and tells her that he co-owned a business with Rochester in the West Indies. Jane, however, seems suspicious of Mr. Mason. When a fortune teller arrives at Thornfield, the party is interested in having their fortunes told. Blanche is disappointed after her meeting with the fortune teller. Toward the end of the chapter, the fortune teller asks to see Jane.

Chapter 19

The fortune teller tells Jane that she is repressing her loneliness. Though initially suspicious, Jane warms up to the fortune teller’s insights. The fortune teller also predicts that Jane is very close to achieving happiness. She says that the source of Blanche’s disappointment is that Rochester is not as wealthy as Blanche had hoped he would be. Jane denies having any interest in love and says that she likes her solitude and values her dream of building a school.

Suddenly, Jane realizes that the large hat-wearing gypsy is Rochester in disguise. His voice deepens, and Jane also recognizes his hands. She had initially thought that the teller was Grace Poole in disguise. Jane is angry that Rochester would play such a prank on her.

She, however, informs him of Mr. Mason’s arrival. He is visibly shaken by this information and asks Jane if she would abandon him in the face of a scandal. She promises that she would continue to support him and goes away to fetch Mr. Mason.

Chapter 20

At night, frightened by a loud scream, the guests gather in the hall. Rochester calms them down by saying that it is only a servant having a nightmare. When everyone leaves, Rochester asks Jane for her help. They climb to the third floor to meet a wounded Mr. Mason. He has been stabbed and bitten severely. They fix him up and Rochester leaves to fetch a doctor. He demands that Jane and Mr. Mason don’t speak to each other in his absence. When Rochester leaves, Jane is alone in the dark with Mr. Mason, and she hears human groans and animalistic sounds from behind Grace Poole’s locked doors. Rochester arrives with the surgeon before dawn and a bandaged Mr. Mason is sent away before the other guests wake up.

Rochester and Jane go for a long walk where he shares a story about a young man who was stuck in a tricky situation. The man had then become a wanderer and philanderer to escape the situation. He then asks Jane if the man can find redemption by taking a wife, even though he is prohibited to do so by the rules of the society. Jane suggests that only God should be the arbiter of redemption and that the man should not worry about social rules. He ends the conversation by saying he would marry Blanche for redemption.

Analysis of Chapter 16 – Chapter 20

Jane grows more aware of her affections for Rochester. The difference between the romanticized portrait of Blanche and the plain one of herself, however, shows that she is not confident of uniting with Rochester. Meanwhile, she is also aware that Rochester is concealing the truth about the fire accident from the rest of the household. Her curiosity about the supernatural happenings in the house increases.

True to the classic adage that distance makes the heart grow fonder, Jane misses Rochester terribly in his absence and is deeply saddened to know that he might be gone for a long time. When she hears that he will be entertaining a party of guests at Thornfield, Jane has mixed feelings. On one hand, she is glad that Rochester has not left the country, but on the other hand, she is dismayed by Blanche’s flirtatious behavior with him. The theme of class difference also becomes a focal point at this juncture: the writing describes the dresses worn by women from different social classes. Jane being ignored during the parties despite being forced by Rochester to attend them is another instance of class hierarchy at work; it also points to Rochester’s blatant display of power as an employer.

Mr. Mason being stabbed and bitten adds to Jane’s suspicions about supernatural activity on the third floor. The noises that Jane hears seem non-human and violent. Though the guests also hear the noise, Rochester brushes it away as a mere accident.

Rochester’s disguise as the fortune teller can be seen as a way to understand the motivations and intentions of both the women who are interested in him. He sees clearly that Blanche is interested in him only for his fortune, whereas Jane does not disclose her feelings for him. Rochester’s veiled confession about his own life is an attempt to gain Jane’s trust. Jane squarely places her trust in him and promises to stand by him even though the circumstances surrounding Thornfield seem suspicious and mysterious.