Jane Eyre: Notes to Chapters 6-10

“Sufferings of the primitive Christians”: Early Christians were the vicitms of
persecution by Roman authorities. Most famously, they were fed to lions in front of
Roman crowds (65).
Hearth:
http://riannanworld.typepad.com/my_weblog/images/hearth.JPG
Perhaps it is not by accident that we’ve just heard about the little girls unable to get
near the fire (65).
“Conform to the world so openly”: This is a special religious sense of the word
“world.” What is truly Christian is “not of this world” (66).
Excrescence: Excessive growth, overflow, abnormal increase. Also, recalls
“excrement” (66).
“Cup and platter”: Another reference to the Bible. “And the Lord said unto him,
Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your
inward part is full of ravening and wickedness” (Luke 11:39). The Pharisees were
Jews of a sect often accused of hypocrisy in the New Testament. There is complex
irony here: The reference seems to accuse the girls of hypocrisy, but it is hard to see
their resentment as “ravening and wickedness.” At the same time, the expression
reflects the hypocrisy she sees in Mr. Brocklehurst (66).
“My treacherous slate” Personification. Jane feels like the slate is alive, and has
done something to hurt her (67).
“The Rubicon was passed”: At one point in his life, Julius Caesar was the ruler of an
area called Gaul, and the Roman Senate forbade him to enter Italy. When he crossed
the Rubicon river into Italy, it was the point of no return. We still use this expression
(68).
“Brahma … Juggernaut” Hindu gods, here used as examples of evil paganism (68).
“the troubled pool of Bethesda”: This reference to the Bible (John 5) doesn’t seem
to serve any purpose but to give Mr. Brocklehurst the chance to look holy (68).