Jane Eyre Chapter 26 Summary & Analysis - LitCharts

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Jane Eyre Introduction + Context Plot Summary Detailed Summary & Analysis Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Themes All Themes Love, Family, and Independence Social Class and Social Rules Gender Roles Religion Feeling vs. Judgment The Spiritual and the Supernatural Quotes Characters All Characters Jane Eyre Edward Fairfax Rochester St. John Rivers Bertha Mason Symbols All Symbols The Red-Room Fire and Ice Eyes Food Portraits and Pictures Literary Devices All Literary Devices Allegory Allusions Dramatic Irony Foil Foreshadowing Genre Imagery Irony Metaphors Mood Motifs Parody Personification Satire Setting Similes Situational Irony Style Tone Unreliable Narrator Verbal Irony Quizzes All Quizzes Prologue Quiz Chapter 1 Quiz Chapter 2 Quiz Chapter 3 Quiz Chapter 4 Quiz Chapter 5 Quiz Chapter 6 Quiz Chapter 7 Quiz Chapter 8 Quiz Chapter 9 Quiz Chapter 10 Quiz Chapter 11 Quiz Chapter 12 Quiz Chapter 13 Quiz Chapter 14 Quiz Chapter 15 Quiz Chapter 16 Quiz Chapter 17 Quiz Chapter 18 Quiz Chapter 19 Quiz Chapter 20 Quiz Chapter 21 Quiz Chapter 22 Quiz Chapter 23 Quiz Chapter 24 Quiz Chapter 25 Quiz Chapter 26 Quiz Chapter 27 Quiz Chapter 28 Quiz Chapter 29 Quiz Chapter 30 Quiz Chapter 31 Quiz Chapter 32 Quiz Chapter 33 Quiz Chapter 34 Quiz Chapter 35 Quiz Chapter 36 Quiz Chapter 37 Quiz Chapter 38 Quiz Download PDF Download Teacher Edition

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Jane Eyre: Chapter 26 Summary & Analysis

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Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Jane Eyre, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.

Love, Family, and Independence

Social Class and Social Rules

Gender Roles

Religion

Feeling vs. Judgment

The Spiritual and the Supernatural Summary Analysis On the morning of the wedding, as Rochester hurries Jane to the church, Jane notices two strangers in the churchyard. The strangers also attend the ceremony. When the priest asks if anyone has any objections to the marriage about to take place, one of the strangers stands up and announces that there is an "impediment" to the marriage. Rochester insists that the ceremony proceed, but the clergyman refuses. Rochester thought he was above the civil laws represented by the lawyer, and the religious laws represented by the church. He refused to repent his actions or reveals his secrets. Now, with the unraveling of his marriage, he must pay the price for his arrogant self-centeredness. Active Themes Quiz Test Yourself The stranger identifies himself as Mr. Briggs, a London lawyer, and reveals that Rochester is already married. 15 years ago in Jamaica, Rochester married a Creole woman, Bertha Mason, who still lives in Thornfield. The other stranger turns out to be her brother, Mr. Mason, who timidly comes forward to confirm the story. Like Bertha, Mr. Mason is characterized negatively—as scheming, timid, and strange-looking—because of prevailing class prejudices against his West Indies origins and mixed-race background. Active Themes Literary Devices Quiz Test Yourself Rochester is furious. He concedes that the story is true, but stresses that neither Jane nor anyone else knew of Bertha. His wife is insane, he says, and is kept locked away on the third floor of Thornfield. He brings everyone back to Thornfield and they go up to the third floor. Behind a secret door stands Grace Poole and a disheveled "lunatic" pacing in the shadows. This is Bertha, who seems half-human, half-animal to Jane. Bertha attacks Rochester and he wrestles her into a chair. He goes on to explain that her family hid her insanity until after their marriage. Bertha is made out to be a violent and insane monster, but there is method in her madness: all of her violence is directed against the people who took away her freedom, love, and identity. Her rage is unchecked. She is all feeling, no judgment. Ironically, Rochester, who has kept Bertha secretly locked up, claims to be a victim of families hiding their secrets. Active Themes Quotes Literary Devices Quiz Test Yourself Mr. Mason then reveals to Jane that he learned about her wedding plans with Rochester from a business acquaintance—Jane's uncle. After receiving Jane's letter, John Eyre sent Mason to save her from the sham marriage. John Eyre could not make the trip, as he is dying of consumption (tuberculosis). Even though the fault would be Rochester's, Jane's reputation and future prospects would be ruined by this marriage. Active Themes Quiz Test Yourself Get the entire Jane Eyre LitChart as a printable PDF. "My students can't get enough of your charts and their results have gone through the roof." -Graham S. Download Jane Eyre PDF

Jane locks herself into her room. Feeling that all her hopes have been destroyed, she succumbs to a flood of sorrow over the troubles and betrayals that she has endured. She turns to God, and prays. Jane is tested when she loses her entire family at Thornfield. Alone again, she calls upon the faith that Helen taught her. Active Themes Quiz Test Yourself Previous Chapter 25 Previous Chapter 25 Next Chapter 27 Next Chapter 27 Cite This Page Close Company About Us Our Story Support Help Center Contact Us Connect Facebook Twitter Legal Terms of Service Privacy Policy Privacy Request Home About Contact Help LitCharts, a Learneo, Inc. business Copyright © 2026 All Rights Reserved Terms Privacy Privacy Request