Jane Eyre and Bessie Lee

Jane Eyre's earliest memories of Gateshead Hall are inseparable from the figure of Bessie Lee, the nurse whose chidings saddened Jane's heart on chilly afternoons and whose presence, for all its caprice, became the closest thing to maternal care the orphaned child ever knew at the Reeds' house. Bessie was a slim young woman with black hair, dark eyes, very nice features, and a good, clear complexion, but she had a capricious and hasty temper and indifferent ideas of principle or justice. Yet such as she was, Jane preferred her to anyone else at Gateshead Hall. The relationship began in a dynamic of fear and dependence: Jane dreaded Bessie's scoldings and the raw twilight walks home with nipped fingers, yet she also craved the rare moments when Bessie's voice softened and she sang ballads or told stories from old fairy tales and the pages of Pamela and Henry, Earl of Moreland.

Early Cruelty and Occasional Kindness

Bessie was not consistently cruel, but her harshness was a regular feature of Jane's daily life. After the red-room incident, when Jane fell sick with a fit of unconsciousness, Bessie brought her a tart on a brightly painted china plate—a privilege long denied—but Jane could not eat it; the plumage of the bird and the tints of the flowers seemed strangely faded. Bessie sang songs that had once delighted Jane, but now their melodies carried an indescribable sadness, and the refrain "A long time ago" came out like the saddest cadence of a funeral hymn. Yet Bessie also showed unexpected tenderness: she tucked the clothes round Jane, kissed her twice, and said "Good night, Miss Jane." In those moments, Bessie seemed to Jane the best, prettiest, kindest being in the world, and Jane wished intensely that she would always be so pleasant and never push her about or scold her unreasonably.

A Shift Toward Friendship

The turning point came after Jane's fierce confrontation with Mrs. Reed, when Jane had tasted vengeance for the first time and felt its metallic after-flavor. Bessie found her in the grounds and, instead of the usual scolding, responded to Jane's frank embrace with a softened manner. She told Jane she was "rather put upon" and that her own mother had said she would not like a little one of her own to be in Jane's place. Bessie admitted, "I believe I am fonder of you than of all the others," though Jane retorted, "You don't show it." That afternoon lapsed in peace and harmony, and in the evening Bessie told some of her most enchaining stories and sang some of her sweetest songs. Even for Jane, life had its gleams of sunshine.

Parting and Reunion

On the morning of January 19, when Jane left Gateshead for Lowood, Bessie was the only person yet risen. She pressed Jane in vain to eat, wrapped up biscuits in paper, helped her on with her pelisse and bonnet, and walked with her through the dark to the porter's lodge. As the coach drew up, Jane clung to Bessie's neck with kisses, and Bessie cried to the guard, "Be sure and take good care of her." Thus was Jane severed from Bessie and Gateshead, whirled away to unknown regions. Nearly nine years later, when Jane was about to leave Lowood for Thornfield, Bessie—now Mrs. Leaven, married to the coachman Robert Leaven—appeared unexpectedly at the school. She had come of her own accord, having heard that Jane was going to another part of the country. She brought her little boy Bobby and told Jane she had a little girl christened Jane. Bessie examined Jane with a glance that expressed regard but no admiration, frankly saying, "You were no beauty as a child." Yet she was charmed when Jane played the piano and declared, "Oh, you are quite a lady, Miss Jane! I knew you would be." She also revealed that a Mr. Eyre—Jane's father's brother—had come to Gateshead years ago, wanting to see Jane, but Mrs. Reed had turned him away. The two conversed about old times for an hour longer, and parted finally at the door of the Brocklehurst Arms, each going her separate way.

Lasting Significance

Bessie's role in Jane's life is that of an imperfect but genuine attachment figure in a childhood otherwise defined by rejection and cruelty. Her capricious temper and occasional harshness never erased the moments of warmth, storytelling, and song that gave Jane a glimpse of affection. Even after years of separation, Bessie sought Jane out, and Jane's embrace of her at Lowood showed that the bond had endured. Bessie remains a touchstone of Jane's past—a reminder that even in the bleakest circumstances, a measure of human kindness could be found, and that the child who had once been called a "little toad" could grow into a lady worthy of respect and love.