简·爱｜Jane Eyre

原著作者｜夏洛蒂·勃朗特 Jane Eyre was an orphan. Her parents died when she was very young. When she was still a baby, she was sent to her uncle's house, Gateshead Hall. Her uncle asked Mrs. Reed, her aunt, to promise to take good care of her. But Mrs. Reed hated her. John, her cousin, was cruel and often beat her for no reason. One day, he threw a book at her head. Blood ran down her forehead. Jane hid in an empty room. But Mrs. Reed made her come out and called her a liar in front of everyone. You know what? A ten year old girl stood before a room of adults, and no one spoke for her. Jane lifted her head and looked straight into Mrs. Reed's eyes. "You're wrong. I'm not a liar." She was locked in the red room, the room where her uncle's body had once lain. In the dark night, cold wind blew through the cracks of the door. No one came to see her. Later, a pharmacist named Mr. Lloyd came. He asked Jane why she always stayed alone. Jane told him everything in her heart, little by little. Mr. Lloyd listened quietly. Then he said to Mrs. Reed, "This child shouldn't stay here. Send her to school." Mrs. Reed was glad to get rid of her and agreed right away. Lowood School was a poor charity school. The beds were hard as rocks. The food was often burnt porridge. The children wore the same gray dresses and huddled together from the cold. But Jane met Helen here. Helen was a few years older than Jane. Her personality was gentle like water. She never complained and never defended herself. When the teacher made her kneel on the stone floor, she knelt quietly. Jane said angrily, "Why don't you fight back?" Helen just smiled and said, "If you think about beautiful things, the pain doesn't feel so bad." But Helen got sick. Lung disease spread through that school. She coughed blood for a long time. Jane sat by her bed and held her hand. Helen's hand grew colder and colder. Finally she said softly, "Goodbye," and closed her eyes forever. That night was very cold. Jane held Helen's things and cried for a long time. From then on, Jane changed. She turned her anger into strength and studied day and night. Eight years passed. She grew from a thin little orphan into the top student of the whole school. At eighteen, she graduated. She didn't want to stay at Lowood anymore. She wanted to see the world. Jane came to Thornfield Hall and became a governess. She taught a little girl to read. Life was peaceful like a still lake. The master of the manor was Mr. Rochester. He didn't come home often. But every time he returned, Jane could feel his gaze, a searching, testing gaze with quiet expectation. One day, Mr. Rochester asked Jane, "What do you think of me?" Jane said, "I don't like judging people by their looks." Mr. Rochester laughed. It was a laugh he hadn't made in a very long time. Two lonely souls slowly drew closer. They talked under the moonlight, shared hearts in the study, and read each other's scars in silence. Mr. Rochester proposed to Jane. She said yes. She thought she had finally found a home. On the wedding day, a strange woman appeared in the church. She screamed with disheveled hair. Mr. Rochester's face turned pale as paper. Who was she? She was Mr. Rochester's wife. A family had pushed a madwoman onto him for money, then hidden the truth from everyone. Jane stood in the church, cold to her bones. Mr. Rochester said, "Come with me. I can give you everything except a proper name." Jane was silent for a long time. She thought of Helen, of Lowood, of herself standing tall in the dark. "No." she said. "I want all of a man, not a broken kindness." She turned and walked away without looking back. Jane walked across the wild fields. Her shoes wore through and her feet swelled. She collapsed by the road and woke up in a clean little room. The people who saved her were St. John and his siblings, a clergyman's family. They took her in and helped her recover slowly. One day, a lawyer brought a letter. Jane's uncle had passed away and left her twenty thousand pounds. By coincidence, St. John was actually her cousin. Jane divided the inheritance into four parts. One for each of her cousins, one for herself. Quiet days passed for a while. But Jane always felt something was missing in her heart. Late at night, she often heard a voice, Mr. Rochester calling her name. She couldn't stay still any longer. Jane returned to Thornfield. What she saw was ruins. A great fire had burned the manor to the ground. Mr. Rochester had tried to save his mad wife. A falling beam crushed him and blinded his eyes. Jane found him. Neither of them said a word. They just held each other's hands tightly. Mr. Rochester asked, "Will you still marry me? I have no money, no status, and I can't see anymore." Jane lowered her head and kissed his rough scarred hand. "I will."前往小宇宙评论区与主播互动