Following Rochester’s proposal to Jane under the chestnut-tree, a violent storm breaks out and splits the tree down the center, leaving only a connection at the roots. Brontë utilizes Jane’s narration of the connection of the two halves of the split chestnut-tree in order to foreshadow her future longing to reunite with Rochester. Brontë employs Jane’s narration of the negatives of the chestnut-tree’s new state to display her desire Rochester. While observing the chestnut-tree, Jane narrates that the “community of vitality was destroyed.” Here, she uses specific diction to imply that the life of the tree relates to two pieces. Jane refers to the vitality as a “community” implying that it requires multiple participants: herself and Rochester.
