In the book Jane Eyre, the same night Jane accepts Rochester proposal, the chestnut tree they both sat at is struck by lighting and split into two halves (Bronte 298). Though this simple occurrence seems unimportant, it serves a big purpose in foreshadowing what is to come in the story.
The next day, Jane sees the tree and notices that the two halves are scorched and will never bare leaves again, but also sees that their roots are strong and that it could someday serve a purpose (Bronte, 321).
In the end of the book, Rochester compares himself to the tree, saying, “I am no better than the old, lightning-struck chestnut tree in Thornfield orchard and what right would that ruin have to bid a budding woodbine cover its decay with freshness?”(Bronte, 517) Jane tells him what he says is untrue. She tells him that he is “green and vigorous” and that people will want to be around him because they take delight in him and they love him for him (Bronte, 517).
The chestnut tree is a symbolism of the relationship between Rochester and Jane. The striking of the tree on the night of the proposal foreshadows the falling of the relationship. It is showing that they will be split apart due to something bad that will happen and will both be wounded in the action. But when Jane looks at the tree a few days later, she notices that, though both parts of the tree are scorched and wounded, their roots are strong. She sees that though they cannot be of use for birds and such, the two halves are still there to accompany each other. These strong roots represent the fact that though Rochester and Jane are split apart, their love for each other, or “honest roots” are strong. These roots they have with each other soon bring them together again.
Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003
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