Women in the later stages of Jane Eyre

Diana and Mary Rivers

Diana and Mary Rivers appear quite late in the novel and, as other women characters, say and do very little that is dramatized for the reader:

• Perhaps the most telling scene concerning Diana and Mary occurs when Jane first observes them through the window on her initial arrival at Moor House: she overhears a conversation that is notable for its display of knowledge and intellectual curiosity
• They also represent charity, spontaneity and feeling, in contrast to the iron will and rationality of their brother, showing themselves as capable of emotion and intellect
• They clearly become Jane's closest female friends, but they live at a distance from Ferndean, although they visit once a year.

Rosamund Oliver

Like Blanche Ingram, Rosamond represents an ideal type of female beauty, but she is a much more sympathetic character. Her name associates her with a flower (often used as a symbol of the delights of the passing world) and she has natural grace both in looks and in a ready flow of sympathy. She does not enjoy the same social position as Blanche but makes good use of such power as she has, by endowing the village school. She does not treat Jane with haughtiness or patronage, but as an equal human being.

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