Jane Visits Dying Mrs. Reed

Jane receives word that her aunt, Mrs. Reed, is dying and has asked for her. She returns to Gateshead, where she finds her cousins Eliza and Georgiana unchanged. Mrs. Reed is bedridden and bitter. On her deathbed, she reveals that she kept a letter from Jane's uncle, John Eyre, who wanted to adopt Jane. Mrs. Reed admits she wrote back claiming Jane was dead. Jane forgives her aunt, but Mrs. Reed remains hostile until the end. This visit provides closure to Jane's childhood trauma and reveals the existence of her uncle.