The mysterious atmosphere is cracked with the noise and clatter of ‘man and horse’ slipping. A clear change in the calm language of the novel is shown when Rochester’s character is shown through his very first words, ‘What the deuce is to do now?’ A little humour is added but once Jane and Rochester come nearer to each other we begin to find out a lot more about them through their use of language. This shows how their meeting isn’t totally supernatural in the negative sense and that there is a positive side to the characters meeting as they do. Jane doesn’t obey Rochester when he tells her to leave, this shows how she is different, being a woman of the 19th century, but we clearly see something attracts her towards him, and makes her want to stay and offer her help even though he refuses it. This shows how their meeting is seen as romantic as there seems to be some kind of force attracting Jane to Rochester. This attraction can also be seen as gothic romance, despite Rochester demanding Jane to leave, something mysterious makes her want to stay.
Close reference to the moon adds to the atmosphere and affects the way Jane can see Rochester in that kind of natural lighting, this helps make the meeting a little more romantic in a supernatural way.
The language used to describe Rochester’s face shows us that he isn’t attractive as words such as ‘dark’ ‘stern’ and ‘heavy’ are used. The language at their meeting foreshadows their relationship; ‘the roughness of the traveller set me at my ease:’ this also shows how Jane is an independent character and won’t leave him to suffer in the middle of the night, she’s different to women of the 19th century, and clearly shows she ‘felt no fear of him.’ She doesn’t obey him as women of that era were meant to do. Rochester shows how he is proud and doesn’t want help from a woman even though he may need it at that time of night. Bronte foreshadows their future relationship clearly through the way they suddenly feel, talk and act towards each other. Jane’s language shows she isn’t afraid and both characters show they are eager to learn more about each other, and this is made clear through Jane’s concern for Rochester, and his interest in Jane.
Thornfield Hall is described to be a building with battlements ‘on which the moon cast a hoary gleam’ Bronte shows intelligent ways of foreshadowing in her language as the mysteriousness of the building is linked to Rochester. Battlements are used in case of attack, just as Rochester may be attacked by Bertha at any time. The setting is seen as gothic architecture, which gives the scene a frightening feeling. Like gothic novels, having the heroine in mortal danger, we see that that Jane may be in some kind of danger from the stranger that she is being attracted to. We see very short sentences when Rochester begins questioning Jane about Thornfield Hall and who it belongs to, this effect is used to show us how he doesn’t reveal his own identity. This shows us there could be something mysterious and gothic about the cunning character as he tries to find out more about Jane. Alliteration is also used to describe Jane’s clothes, ‘black beaver bonnet’ this shows us more about her status and character and how Rochester tries to judge her by what she is wearing. Once he is aware of Jane’s role at Thornfield Hall. Rochester shows his attraction towards her, as he does seem to give in and ask for ‘a little’ help and enjoys watching Jane try hard to impress him by overcoming her fear of being trampled on by the horse. Bronte has made their feelings clear by describing how they act around each other. In the end, Rochester says ‘necessity compels me to make you useful.’ He needs her help to mount his horse and she then hands him his whip. This use of language again foreshadows how Rochester needs Jane to ‘lean’ on when he becomes disabled later on in the novel.
As Rochester is about to leave, his words have a much deeper meaning to them, he wants Jane to hurry to Hay to post the letter so she gets back to Thornfield Hall quickly. Bronte shows us how Rochester is attracted to her and is eager to see her again. ‘A touch of a spurred heel made his horse first start and rear, and then bound away.’ This type of language used to describe his exit creates a heroic image in our minds of the characters parting. Words like ‘vanished’ make it seem like a fairytale moment. Alliteration in the very last line also adds to the supernatural and dreamlike romantic affect Rochester had on Jane, as the first man to enter her life. ‘Wild wind whirls away.’ A simile is used to compare Rochester to the ‘heath in the wilderness’ Bronte ends this extract and the meeting of the characters, leaving the audience in suspense as the whole scene has a gothic but romantic feeling linked with the language and setting as we await their next meeting and the feeling that will come with it.