# XXV explained — Jane Eyre

> Chapter companion for Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.

## What happens

On the eve of her wedding, Jane is restless and anxious. She recalls a terrifying incident from the previous night: a strange, savage woman entered her room, tried on her wedding veil, and tore it in two. Mr. Rochester dismisses it as a nightmare or Grace Poole's doing, but Jane is unsettled. She spends the night in Adèle's nursery, unable to sleep, and rises at dawn to prepare for her wedding.

## Themes in this chapter

### Madness and Secrecy

The mysterious intruder and Rochester's evasive explanations highlight the theme of hidden madness and domestic secrets.

### Love and Morality

Jane's love for Rochester is shadowed by moral unease and the ominous events preceding their marriage.

### Self-Respect and Integrity

Jane's insistence on the reality of her experience and her refusal to be easily placated reflect her integrity.

## Character check-ins

### Jane Eyre

Jane is feverish and anxious on the eve of her wedding, haunted by a mysterious intruder who destroyed her veil.

### Mr. Rochester

Rochester tries to calm Jane's fears, attributing the incident to a nightmare or Grace Poole, and insists she sleep in the nursery.

### Adèle Varens

Adèle sleeps peacefully in the nursery; Jane holds her through the night and weeps over her before leaving at dawn.

### Grace Poole

Rochester suggests the intruder was Grace Poole, though Jane is certain it was a different woman.

### Bertha Mason

The intruder is implied to be Bertha, described as a tall, dark-haired woman with a savage face who tears the veil.

## Key lines

> I had at heart a strange and anxious thought. Something had happened which I could not comprehend; no one knew of or had seen the event but myself: it had taken place the preceding night.

Jane is troubled by a mysterious event that occurred the previous night, which only she witnessed.

_Jane's secret anxiety foreshadows the revelation of Bertha Mason._

> It seemed, sir, a woman, tall and large, with thick and dark hair hanging long down her back. I know not what dress she had on: it was white and straight; but whether gown, sheet, or shroud, I cannot tell.

Jane describes the intruder as a tall, large woman with dark hair, wearing a white, straight garment.

_This description matches Bertha Mason, though Jane does not yet know her identity._

> Thank God! that if anything malignant did come near you last night, it was only the veil that was harmed. Oh, to think what might have happened!

Rochester expresses relief that the intruder only damaged the veil, not Jane herself.

_Rochester's reaction reveals his fear for Jane's safety and his awareness of the danger._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters/xxv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/jane_eyre_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/jane_eyre_se/chapters